5945 research outputs found
Sort by
A Vindication of Politics: On the Common Good and Human Flourishing
No full textIs politics strictly a means to an end—something that serves only the interests of individuals and the various associations of civil society such as families and charities? Or is a society’s political common good an end in itself, an essential component of full human flourishing? Responding to recent influential arguments for the instrumentality of the political common good, Matthew D. Wright’s A Vindication of Politics addresses a lacuna in natural law political theory by foregrounding the significance of political culture. Rather than an activity defined by law and government, politics emerges in this account as a cultural enterprise that connects generations and ennobles our common life. The instrumentalist argument, in Wright’s view, does not give a plausible account of, among other things, the value of patriotism—of the way Americans revere the Founders, for instance, or love the Declaration of Independence, or idolize Abraham Lincoln. Such political affections cannot be explained by an instrumental common good. Loyalty to one’s country is not like a commitment to a telephone company. As nasty as politics can be, we hope for more from it than the quid pro quo of a business transaction. To arrive at an adequate theoretical account of why that is, Wright brings historical theory from Aristotle to Burke into conversation with contemporary theorists from John Finnis to Amy Gutmann. In A Vindication of Politics he develops a case for the intrinsic value of politics in a way that underwrites a healthy patriotism—and strongly suggests that the political common good is a critical part of what it means to be fully human. The book offers new insight into the nature of the political common good and human sociability as well as their importance for making sense of the fundamental questions of American constitutional identity, principles, and aspirations.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1637/thumbnail.jp
Biblical Argument for BRI
Get PDFIn the beginning, God’s commandment for us is to work and watch over the land (Genesis 2:15). While our culture has excelled at becoming more productive in our working of the land through modern portfolio theory and passive investing, we have gradually gotten worse at fulfilling the second part of God\u27s commandment, namely, to watch over the very land that we are working. Christian investors can respond to this weakened ability to watch over the land by moving towards Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI)
Introduction to BRI
Get PDFBiblically Responsible Investing (BRI) is a growing movement among Christian investors and investment firms, with significant potential for cultural impact. BRI is an investing approach that seeks to ensure that a Christian is investing in a way that is consistent with the moral standards of the Bible. Is BRI a helpful investment approach? Or just a marketing ploy meant to exploit? As this paper will argue, BRI products, through their excluding, engaging and endorsing activities, help Christian investors maintain their integrity and responsibility to biblical stewardship while actively investing in the stock market
Caffeine Increases Rate of Torque Development Without Affecting Maximal Torque
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the effects of caffeine on peak torque (PT), rate of torque development (RTD), and muscle activation in college-age men
Emergent Christians and the ‘New’ Social Justice
No full textChristians’ concerns for social justice have a rich history, rooted in the Lord’s commands and compassion revealed in Scripture. Biblically, justice is grounded ultimately in God’s character, who is just and calls us to be just because we are made in His image. Thus, the standard for justice is universal — it is God’s communicable attribute, which is immaterial.
While Christians agree that people should be just, much depends on how we answer two major questions. First, what kind of things are justice and dignity, and even humans? Christians have offered many different views about the nature of morals; yet, not every interpretive framework will preserve these biblical positions and these core morals.
Second, how do we know these things? The biblical authors seem to presuppose that we simply can know some things directly, such as racism is unjust, even though we are finite and fallen. Yet, this presupposition has been denied by both non-Christians and Christians. However, that means we cannot access God’s intended meaning itself in a given passage of Scripture; we simply work with our interpretations.
Today, many, including some Christians, are advocating a “new” form of social justice, new in the sense that is grounded not in the universal, shared standard of God’s character and His Word but on different bases formed on answers to these questions. The question will be, Can these new bases for social justice preserve justice, human dignity, and equality? Or will they undermine them? I will identify some of the key Christians (such as Brian McLaren) who are embracing these “new” bases for social justice. Then, I will assess briefly these bases. I will show that moral qualities such as justice cannot be sustained on them. Finally, I will extend these findings for an implication to the gospel itself
Biblical theological foundations of Christian education
No full textCh. 1
This volume features the expertise of 25 evangelical scholars of Christian education, including diverse, next-generation voices in the field. It provides balanced biblical-theological and practical perspectives for church and parachurch leaders, equipping them to meet the ever-changing needs of our world
Work calling and humility: framing for job idolization, workaholism, and exploitation
No full textThe purpose of this article is to explore how work communication can lead to a sense of calling that engenders negative outcomes (i.e., job idolization, workaholism, and exploitation), as well how the virtue of humility may buffer these effects. First, we seek to clarify interdisciplinary work highlighting the role communication plays in the development of the dark side of a calling. Second, we consider the complexity of humility as an organizational value. Third, we suggest humility functions as a mitigating frame against job idolization, workaholism, and exploitation for those who perceive of their work as a calling and for those with whom they work (as leaders, followers, or peers). We propose that at the heart of a healthy work calling is a robust integration of humility, and conclude by outlining promising directions to better understand the discursive implications of humility and work calling outcomes