Kingdom Triangle Discussion

How Kingdom Triangle is Transformative: Interview with Brandon Rickabaugh (part two)

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:11:00 +0000

We continue our interview with Brandon Rickabaugh concerning how Kingdom Triangle has influenced him.

Can you give us an example of how the Holy Spirit's power has been more realized in your life?

This is the area of my life that has been transformed the most as a result of reading Kingdom Triangle. Since being convinced of third wave and kingdom theology I have had a strong hunger to take part in the life of the Spirit, such as spiritual gifts and power evangelism and power healing. Again, to list all of my experiences would take too long, so I will give some general examples.

First, I have begun to understand what some of my spiritual gifts are, and I have started to practice them in a very supportive environment of very mature Christians who are very gifted. This has included praying for the sick as well as learning to hear the voice of God. I have received prophetic words for people I was sharing the Gospel with, which resulted in their reconversion to Christ.

Most profoundly, however, has been how I have been ministered by others who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. One profound case was the first night my wife and I attended a kinship group at the Anaheim Vineyard. At this meeting, during a time when they invite the Spirit to minister, someone received prophetic words, which I knew where for me. Throughout that week I continually had the word "hope" on my mind and the distinct idea that God was telling me I would come into a place where I would no longer hope alone. This was the first time I can remember having such an experience. That night, one individual said that God was telling them that the word "hope" was for someone there and that they where not going at it alone anymore. I acknowledged that it was me and the group gathered around me and prayed for me. Several individuals received prophetic words about me that no one could have known about. That night ministered to me in such a profound way. I knew throughout my entire being that God was with me and intimately involved in caring for and nurturing me. These kinds of experiences continue at our church and kinship group on a regular basis. I have recently written about the most powerful experience of the Spirit’s power I have ever encountered. It would take too much space to explain it here.

Who else has helped mentor your thinking?

My first reading of KT inspired me so much that last summer I devoted three to four hours almost every day to study and prayer. I read nearly every book Moreland referenced in KT as well as Moreland and Issler’s, In Search of a Confident Faith. At the beginning of the summer, I was an LCMS Lutheran and after a few months of study and prayer I was convinced of third wave kingdom theology. This theological shift led me and my newly wedded wife to visit the Anaheim Vineyard, which was only 15 minutes from us. To explain all that God has done for both of us through that church would take up too much space. Suffice it to say that we have both found excellent mentors and friends.

Both pastors Nigel Morris and Craig Lockwood have been two of the most significant mentors in my life. Their friendship, example, and counsel have been an answer to prayers that began at least 11 years ago. The home group that my wife and I have been a part of over the past 8 months has been the most loving and wise group of people we have ever been a part of. Beth Issler has been a wise and loving mentor to my wife as well. The Anaheim Vineyard has been the very first Christian family I have ever really been a part of. I am mentored by so many of them every week.

J. P. and his wife Hope have also been such a strong source of support, love, wisdom, and encouragement to me and my wife. They have so openly invited us into their fellowship and lovingly befriended us. J. P. has given me a great deal of advice, council, and healing prayer. He has ministered to me week after week in such a profound way, through his example, his mentoring council, his joyful presence and humor.

Others that have recently mentored my thinking through their writing have been, Sam Storms, Jack Deere, John Wimber, Derek Morephew, Brennan Manning, Dallas Willard, Ed Piorek, N. T. Wright, William Lane Craig, M. Robert Mulholland Jr., R. T Kendall, and Alvin Plantinga.

What does Kingdom Triangle provide for the Christian philosopher and apologist?

Much of my philosophical training has been at a secular university and, like most schools working in the analytic tradition philosophical issues, it has been most often kept in the abstract. Cultural implications and influence are rarely, if ever, discussed. Kingdom Triangle offers an excellent treatment of the cultural consequences of philosophical ideas. In particular, Moreland does an excellent job of linking both the competing notions of happiness and the experience of rampant anxiety with the prevailing worldviews of naturalism and postmodernism. This provides the Christian philosopher and apologist with a culturally relevant point of contact, where fruitful discussion can take place.

Secondly, Moreland offers philosophical arguments in KT, which are very underrepresented. Most significant for me was his use of Roderick Chisholm’s work on skepticism. The Particularist approach is highly underrepresented in current work in philosophy. I am sure many Christians studying epistemology would not come across this treatment of skepticism, and that is a shame. Moreover, Moreland’s criticisms of physicalism are refreshing in a time where many Christian scholars are abandoning substance dualism. His recent book, Consciousness and the Existence of God, is a must read for any Christian studying philosophy and apologetics. Likewise, KT offers a substantive criticism of postmodern confusions of what constitutes knowledge as well as the nature of truth. These issues are in dire need of attention for today’s church and any Christian studying philosophy and apologetics must be ready to bring this issue to the church as well as the world. Again, with the rise of postmodernism in the church today, Moreland’s thinking is refreshing and highly relevant.

Lastly, KT offers the Christian philosopher and apologist a well thought out reminder to attend to issues of the heart and soul as well as the intellect. Unfortunately, pride is a common trait among those who study apologetics, philosophy and theology. The significance of spiritual formation is a necessary component for every Christian and an often overlooked area for the more intellectually inclined believer. Work in spiritual formation has been a much needed component to my faith. Similarly, Moreland sets forth a case for the restoration of the Spirit’s power that can no longer be ignored by the more intellectual side of the church. If spiritual warfare takes place within the realm of ideas (2 Cor. 10:3-5) where philosophers and apologists spend much of their time, then to ignore the Spirit's power is a very dangerous mistake. KT does an excellent job of bring the authentic life and power of the Spirit to a community of Christians who have been without it for far too long.

How Kingdom Triangle is Transformative: Interview with Brandon Rickabaugh

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000

We enjoy hearing about how Kingdom Triangle is benefiting to people's life and worldview. Today, we begin a first of two part interview that highlights a recent example. How has Kingdom Triangle influenced you? Do you have a blog or ministry? Please contact us and let us know your story.

We are pleased to introduce and interview Brandon Rickabaugh, a philosophy major at the University of California at Irvine. He lives in Orange County, CA with his wife, Laura, and his daughter, Alyssia. They attend church at the Anaheim Vineyard. Brandon has been involved in apologetics ministry over the past 9 years, including The Academy of Christian Apologetics. He writes the blog Inner Renovation Project which works through ideas relevant to the three legs of the Kingdom Triangle. Brandon will be a main speaker at the next God Men conference at the end of the summer, where he will be teaching on themes of Kingdom Triangle.

INTERVIEW WITH BRANDON RICKABAUGH
Part One

Talk to us about your background and how you got acquainted with J.P. Moreland and Kingdom Triangle?

Twelve years ago I became a disciple of Jesus, and a week after my conversion Dr. Moreland began a four week class at the church I attended. Consequently, Christian apologetics and philosophy where synonymous with my new found faith is Jesus. This set me on a path of studying every major contemporary work on Christian philosophy as well as the medieval Christian thinkers. This path also introduced me to the work of Dallas Willard several years ago. In Willard I found the beautiful marriage of a sharp intellect and a warm loving heart.

Roughly six years ago I went through a very rough divorce, which sent me into a very deep and dark depression. I had been struggling with depression since I was a young boy, but my divorce brought me to a place I thought I may never recover from. Due to the work of Moreland and others I was so thoroughly convinced of the truth of Christianity that I could not abandon my faith. What I needed then was a deep healing only Jesus can bring. A path to that deep healing was brought to me through Moreland and Issler’s book, The Lost Virtue of Happiness. Through their experiences and wisdom I began to become more fully aware of the root of much of my depression and I was given useful tools for addressing it.

Still, there was something missing. The church I was at was very much opposed to spiritual formation, and there was a prominent practical deism within the church. This great lack of intimacy with God and the reality of His continued work in our lives gave me a great sense of need for something greater. The third leg of Moreland’s triangle, the restoration of the Spirit's power was what I was missing. When I read Kingdom Triangle for the first time it was in a very real sense like reading much of my own thoughts. Because of KT, I was introduced to what I had always seen as authentic biblical Christianity. Nothing else would now do.

Once you read Kingdom Triangle, what were a few ideas that particularly stood out to you which you found helpful and transformative?

First, and most importantly for me was the reality of the power of the Spirit active and alive each and every day. I had come from a cessationalist background. However, whenever I would read the Gospels or parts of the New Testament I would hunger for the work of the Holy Spirit. KT gave me strong reasons to reconsider my position and lead me to further research which finally shifted my theology. The shift toward third wave theology has led to a rich experience of the Spirit of God.

Secondly, KT solidified my understanding of kingdom theology. Understanding healing and the miraculous as the breakthrough of the kingdom of God have been very helpful and transformative. Framing a theodicy in this way has also been helpful. Yet, most importantly, understanding Jesus and my relationship to Him and His church through kingdom theology has given a richness and depth to my life and thinking I have never had before.

Thirdly, KT is a book of wisdom. In so far as wisdom is the appropriate application of knowledge, Moreland offers the reader both a vision of wisdom as well as some practical means of working towards that vision. It is entirely holistic. Where many apologetic or philosophical books provide only strong and thoughtful analysis, KT offers also a context for the significant of Christian thinking as well as wise way to carry it out.

Lastly, KT offers much concerning the balance a genuine Christian life needs. A triangle cannot stand without each of its legs, and, similarly, the Christian life cannot thrive without knowledge and intellectual maturity, the renovation brought by spiritual formation, and the restoration of the Spirit’s power in the church and the individual believer’s life. My life was out of balance and succeeding only in the intellectual level and beginning to succeed in the life of spiritual formation. KT brought to me the power of the Spirit and the balance of all three parts of the kingdom life.

Read and comment about part 2 of our interview with Brandon.

Kingdom Triangle in Ministry Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:36:00 +0000

In the May issue of Ministry magazine, a publication of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, JP Moreland has an article, titled, "The Power of God's Kingdom and Ministry."

Among the many topics that Moreland addresses, he unpacks what he means by the "gospel of the Kingdom" and its relationship to justification. He also talks about the importance of these matters as they relate to evangelism:

the gospel of the kingdom of God is to justification by faith as the whole is to the part, or as the beginning of a journey is to the rest of the journey. The gospel of the kingdom includes justification as an essential ingredient. And it specifies the purpose of justification, namely, to be the entry into a continuing journey, or, perhaps more appropriately, to be the start of a continuing journey. The point of becoming justified? Justification is the way one begins a life of sanctification. The gospel invites us to an entirely new, rich life lived from the resources of and according to the nature of another realm. I become justified so I can learn this new life, a life that will be mine forever ...

the gospel of the kingdom bids me to start by trusting something Jesus did for me (died and rose), and to continue that trust by enlisting daily as Jesus’ pupil so that He can teach me regarding living my life as He would if He were me, that is, living out the kingdom in my own setting.

My evangelism has been transformed by recovering this broader gospel. When I speak evangelistically, I now spend most of my time painting a picture of what life in the kingdom is like. I contrast it to life outside the kingdom. I offer an invitation for listeners to rethink their life in light of the invitation to live from within the kingdom of God. And, finally, I proclaim the need for justification by faith as the essential first step into kingdom life. By connecting justification by faith with this broader gospel, I have good news to offer people. And I have come to recognize that the gospel of the kingdom and kingdom life, generally, should be accompanied with manifestations of God’s power and presence as we see in His ministry and in the book of Acts. And Jesus’ own ministry is to be understood as an example of how to live in and from God’s kingdom in dependence on God’s Spirit. This is our invitation and what an honor it is.

Pastors Learn about Kingdom Triangle at Moody's Pastor's Conference

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:53:00 +0000

In February, JP participated in Moody Bible Institute's Founder's Week conference.

Just this last week, he completed some further speaking at Moody for their noteworthy Pastor's Conference. While at Moody JP did six seminars. Each seminar was had, on average, 100-120 attendees.

I did three on each leg of the Kingdom Triangle, one on the nature of faith from In Search of a Confident Faith, and two on evangelism from The God Question. These topics were assigned to me by the conference organizers and interest was high and responsiveness was very good.

The organizers of the conference believed that the themes in the books are of central importance to pastors and local churches. The God Question lays out for a thoughtful non-Christian the steps leading to belief in the existence of the Christian God, why the topic of God is a life and death question, and how to become a follower of Jesus without being religious once one enters the Kingdom. It is a solid evangelistic tool, and the pastors were incredibly enthusiastic about receiving this content. The Kingdom Triangle's three legs are at the core of pastoral ministry, or, at least, should be, since it provided a balanced set of values for maturing people in the Way of Jesus. And my book with Klaus Issler (In Search of a Confident Faith) is of great help to pastors because it clarifies the nature of faith in the midst of great confusion about faith, and it lays out a series of steps for helping people grow in their faith. This is at the core of pastoral ministry.

Do you want to have JP speak at your pastor's conference? Contact us with the details.

Kingdom Triangle & Secularization

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Kingdom Triangle provides helpful direction concerning how Christians think about and navigate their lives in light of prevailing worldview influences.

One of the fruitful areas that it helps guide, is how Christians think about the ways that secularism has formed our view of knowledge, especially religious knowledge.

See Moreland in this apologetics conference clip as he talks about such matters

Kingdom Triangle Nominated for Excellence Award

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Kingdom Triangle was nominated for an Award of Excellence from the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship.

Last year, Kingdom Triangle won a Christianity Today Award of Merit.

Moreland Talks about Leaving His Legacy with the Church

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Apologetics 315 Reviews Kingdom Triangle

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Apologetics 315, a major portal for all things apologetics, has provided a handsome review of Kingdom Triangle.

From an apologetic point of view, Moreland’s Kingdom Triangle is a valuable read. Really, he is making the case for a Christian life that is full, balanced, and powerful. He addresses the mind, the heart, and the spirit. This book is insightful, challenging, and very relevant.

Read the full review here:

Kingdom Triangle at the Association for Biblical Higher Education

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:54:00 +0000

JP spoke about Kingdom Triangle at the annual meeting of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) in Orlando, Florida.

The theme of the meeting was "Engaging Culture Through Biblical Thinking."

The ABHE meeting was attended by several hundred Christian educators, and I was honored with the opportunity to do plenary sessions on the first leg of the Triangle, the life of the mind. I tried to emphasize the importance of general revelation in the integrative task for apologetics. I also did a seminar on building a case for Christianity.

The ABHE is an agency involved with several Bible Colleges and Seminaries across North America.

Moreland went on to observe, "It has always been a source of amazement to me as to how little our Bible colleges emphasize the task of apologetics, and how little is known about how to make the case for Christianity. There was great hunger for my seminar and, in my view, it was the highlight for me of the week."

Kingdom Triangle Conference: Moreland, Jackson, Kendall

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +0000

A major Kingdom Triangle conference was held in San Diego on the tail-end of the National Pastor's Convention. The conference attracted pastors and other leaders in churches and organizations.

JP Moreland was joined with R.T. Kendall and John Paul Jackson to present and model themes related to the book, Kingdom Triangle.

Kendall spoke three times and emphasized the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit to being grieved by unholiness, the importance of totally forgiving those who have hurt us, and of completely forgiving ourselves for Christ's sake. Kendall is a gentle, humble man with a very keen mind, and his presentations were penetrating (a version of Kendall's talk can be downloaded here)

John Paul Jackson spoke three times and he emphasized the importance of learning how to live in Kingdom power and authority, of resisting the temptation of thinking that the sense-perceptible world is all there is, and of being aware of the battle going on in the spirit world all around us. John Paul demonstrated the use of words of knowledge and wisdom on Friday night, and the ministry time was edifying and encouraging.

JP spoke twice and emphasized the life of the mind, the importance of study, the centrality of thinking theologically, and of learning to keep our minds habitually focused on God, the good things in our lives, and our identity, mission and character development in the Kingdom.

JP observed

This conference was unique in that it represented a balance among the life of the Christian mind, the inner life of spiritual formation, and the overt supernatural nature of the Kingdom.

We hope to see other Kingdom Triangle conferences of this sort

JP Moreland at the National Pastor's Convention

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:25:00 +0000

JP was delighted to be a speaker at this year's National Pastor's Convention in San Diego, California. With excitement, here is what he wrote to us:

I spent two wonderful days from February 12-13 at the NPC in San Diego. The conference brings together about 1500 pastors from all over the country. I was honored to present two workshops on the three legs of the Kingdom Triangle. The workshops were well-attended and very stimulating. I take away from these sessions a few lessons:

(1) There is a growing interest in Kingdom power and the supernatural aspects of Christianity across theological lines and denominational divisions. I sense that pastors are getting that this is a matter of the Kingdom, not primarily of spiritual gifts, and while there is still concern about abuses, more and more pastors are desiring to see the Kingdom preach in to their churches. The Kingdom Triangle book provides them with a theological and intellectual rationale for moving wisely into this area.

(2) There is a growing awareness and acceptance of spiritual formation, along with a desire to learn how to practice spiritual disciplines in the corporate setting. Much progress has been made in awakening the church to the need for disciplines in individual believer's lives, but more work needs to be done in applying these disciplines to the church as a whole.

(3) I was impressed with the desire among the pastors to learn more about how to think about worldviews. I presented some fairly tough material, but the audience was hungry for more and more. In all, my heart was encouraged by these men and women, especially by their openness to get the job done somehow.

Pastors continue to resonate with Kingdom Triangle and are finding fruitful ways to discuss its importance for their churches.

Moreland at Moody's Founder's Week

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000

From cold and windy Chicago, JP spoke at Moody Bible Institute's Founder's Week conference.

The Week brought together hundreds of attendees and several well-known Evangelical speakers and teachers. "It was a joy to participate," said JP.

My first workshop was a review of my recent work The God Question.

There were about 120 people packed into a room that held 100, and there were dozens of folks in the hallway who could not get in. I explained how to explore the contemporary rise in depression and concomitant loss of happiness with the shift of ideas from biblical theism to secularism, especially as regards the nature and limits of knowledge. I then offered a précis of the sorts of arguments for God I have found helpful in doing evangelism, I shared a number of illustrations for why people should seek religious truth with their minds and not pragmatic help with their feelings and desires. I closed by offering four criteria for selecting one’s religion and claimed that Christianity satisfies these better than its alternatives. A very stimulating time of Q&A followed.

My second workshop was a review of my other recent book with Klaus Issler entitled In Search of a Confident Faith. Because of the large crowd at my first talk, the room was moved to a small auditorium on campus. About 350 attended. I addressed the nature of faith as confidence or trust, explained that it is based on knowledge (and teased out some important facets of knowledge) and claimed that it comes in degrees. I then explained the difference between vague doubts from the culture’s plausibility structure and specific doubts that can be written down in a paragraph or so, and showed the way to address these different sources of doubt. This was followed by a brief treatment of emotional sources of doubt, e.g, trust issues, woundedness, inability to form attachments and healthy friendships, and I closed by emphasizing the importance for growth in God-confidence of testifying to the things we have seen and heard God do.

What on Earth is Happening with the Kingdom?

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:28:00 +0000

For "World Outreach Week" at Twin Lakes Church, JP Moreland gave a talk titled,

"What on Earth is Happening with the Kingdom?"

You can download and view it here.

JP's talk is a helpful summary of the third point of the Kingdom Triangle.

Moreland on the Success of our 2009

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:35:00 +0000

Anaheim, CA -- JP Moreland recently spoke at his home church, Vineyard Anaheim, concerning what it means for our lives to be successful in 2009:

My message at Vineyard Anaheim centered on the need to focus on change for one's life in 2009 or else inertia, drift, habit will keep one from growing. And I claimed that, as legitimate as the normal topics for New Year's resolutions are (e.g., getting in shape, getting more education), there are two other deeply related biblical goals for the next year from Phil 3:12-15: Growing in the ability to be intimate with God (and by extension, friends and loved ones) and developing strength of character.

These goals are really expressions of all three legs of the Kingdom Triangle which, I continue to emphasize, as an approach to life itself.

You can listen here or download here the complete audio of JP's talk.

Experience Kingdom Triangle in San Diego California

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Mark the Date!

THE KINGDOM TRIANGLE
An Invitation to Transformation

San Diego, CA -- February 13-14, 2009
Town & Country Resort

Come join J.P. Moreland, R.T. Kendall and John Paul Jackson to learn how your life, your church, and your outreach can grow in a Kingdom-soaked vision and empowerment of life as it is meant to be lived.

Register Now: $40 for the early-bird discount! (Expires 12/30/08)
www.kingdomtriangle.com/speaking/events.asp

Going to NPC 09’? Why not extend your stay in sunny southern California and be refreshed by an experience aimed to transform and not just inform!

Download our brochure and spread the word.

Kingdom Triangle … It’s more than a book … it’s a way of life!

Kingdom Triangle in A Unique Devotional

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 +0000

Zondervan (the publisher of Kingdom Triangle) recently released a unique devotional titled, A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings in Art, Science, and Life.

JP contributed a selection from Kingdom Triangle about "The Modern University" (pp. 68-77).

The Faith and Culture Devotional is edited by Kelly Monroe Kullberg (Founder and Director of Projects, The Veritas Forum) and Lael Arrington (co-host of "The Things that Matter Most" radio show).

Kullberg and Arrington have culled together a masterful list of influencers to speak to area of Bible and theology, history, philosophy, science, literature, arts, and contemporary culture.

Browse the devotional here and make sure to purchase your copy in time for Christmas!

Moreland at the 2009 National Pastors Convention

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:27:00 +0000

JP Moreland will again speak at the 2009 National Pastors Convention in San Diego, CA.

His topics and their descriptions are as follows:

Signs, Wonders and the Kingdom Triangle

We will clarify the relationship between a proper expectation of the miraculous, the current nature of the Kingdom, and the debate about so-called miraculous gifts. We will also explore practical steps towards seeking God for more of His Spirit's miraculous presence.

Spiritual Formation and the Kingdom Triangle.

We will clarify the nature of general revelation, especially natural moral law, explain its relationship to spiritual formation and the Kingdom of God, and provide practical suggestions for practicing certain spiritual, discipleship exercises.

On Friday evening of the 13th and most of Saturday the 14th, join JP at his Kingdom Triangle conference also at the Town & Country Resort.

Download a PDF brochure:
http://www.kingdomtriangle.com/docs/KT_flyer_web2.pdf

Register Now for the Early-Bird Special!
http://kingdomtriangle.eventbrite.com/

Bend, Oregon Apologetics Conference: 11/7-8

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:43:00 +0000

www.apologeticsguild.com

Church Elders Discuss Kingdom Triangle

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:02:00 +0000

The blogger at MetroPuritan (a college pastor in Iowa) talks about how he and his fellow elders read and discussed Kingdom Triangle and it's relevancy for their church:

We met yesterday. The discussion centered around the supernatural workings of the Spirit and how that looks in our church.

Let me just say, if you're a person who has to have closure- you'd be frustrated by our meetings.

We floundered around for awhile, then never really landed the plane. There were passionate discussions followed by a resolve to keep seeking God for all he wants to do in our church.

So if you're looking for a "as a result of this meeting, we are going to..." I think the closest thing I can say is "...pray with more faith."

It's so refreshing to hear how other leaders are taking Kingdom Triangle seriously for their life and their church.

In another post, the college pastor provides a helpful review of Kingdom Triangle and says, "the last 60 pages are truly prophetic for the American church. I think I would consider these 'must read' pages from Moreland, one of the great Christian thinkers of our time"

In relationship to the elder meeting, the blogger and a friend decided to do something fun with the book ... (read here)!

Moreland Responds to Bill Maher's Religulous

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:12:00 +0000

JP Moreland responds to Bill Maher's "Religulous" film:

Religulous presents faith as completely opposed to reason-that faith is believing any silly thing you want. But a biblical view of faith is that faith is actually based on knowledge and reason; it's not opposed to it ... Ultimately Maher-who calls himself a proponent of doubt-is a bit too skeptical for his own good. If you're too skeptical, then you'll be sure that you won't believe something that's false, but you will also fail to believe things that are true, things that might help you.

Kingdom Triangle demonstrates that you can be both thoughtful and emotionally alive without being weird.

Maher's film is in many ways a tale of got-ya moments where religious people (especially Christians) are caught acting "irrational."

But as Kingdom Triangle demonstrates, Christianity is way more nuanced about "head" and "heart" than Maher lets on.

Moreover, as JP demonstrates in Kingdom Triangle Christianity is fundamentally a "knowledge tradition" and not a privatized "faith tradition."

Moreland On The Lost Virtue of Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Kingdom Triangle at New Life Church

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:46:00 +0000

On Sunday August 31st, JP Moreland spoke at three services at New Song Church in Irvine, CA.

JP's talks specifically emphasized the "second leg" of the Kingdom Triangle with it's emphasis on internal spiritual formation.

Of his time at New Song Church, JP said,

It was a wonderful time! People are hungry for authentic spiritual living and, based on feedback from the church staff, the message was quite impactful. We sold about 100 copies of Kingdom Triangle people were very enthusiastic about reading the book. Before the second service, I met a person who had already read Kingdom Triangle and enjoyed it immensely.

It is so very sad to me to see part of the church reject the experiential, more "mystical" aspect of our walk with the Lord Jesus, thinking that they are biblical and doing the right thing. All they are actually doing (though I believe they are well-intentioned, but, of course, the road to hell is paved with good intentions) is robbing themselves of their God-given invitation to a tender, intimate walk with God. I have even seen it argued, that because Henri Nouwen was uncomfortable with the claim that Jesus was the only way, that anyone who loves his spiritual writings and promotes some of those teachings is hurting people and promoting heresy.
This sort of "argument" would not last a day when Christians were more aware of why they believed what they believed. If a person teaches about a-k, and is wrong about, say, b, it does not follow that the person was wrong about d, e and f. I seldom agree with every thing anyone teaches, including Nouwen, but there are treasures in his thought that have enriched millions to walk more faithfully with God.

Kingdom Triangle & In Search of a Confident Faith

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:43:00 +0000

JP Moreland teams-up with Klaus Issler in a new book that helps to expand the work of Kingdom Triangle.

In Search of a Confident Faith: Overcoming Barriers to Trusting in God was born out of the desire to correct gross misunderstandings of the nature of faith, to explain why there is such an arrangement between us and God/His Word, and provide specific, practical guidelines for developing/strengthening one's faith in the months ahead. The book gives a readable, accessible, solid biblical and philosophical treatment of faith, and it focuses on dealing with generalized doubt, specific doubts, emotional hindrances, the supernatural, and guidance.

In Search of a Confident Faith intersects with Kingdom Triangle in two ways. First, it has an an emphasis on God's special intervention in our lives as an aid to growth in God-confidence, and it thereby applies and expands Kingdom Triangle. Second, its emphasis on the role of the intellect in cultivating God-confidence is an expansion of the Kingdom-Triangle emphasis on the life of the mind.

Moreland says, "Klaus and I are very expectant about this book and, as far as we can tell, there is nothing like it out there. So it should be a fresh, refreshing read for our brothers and sisters."

More about the book and about Klaus Issler can be found at www.klausissler.com

Jolly Blogger on Kingdom Triangle

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:32:00 +0000

David Wayne's Jollyblogger consider's Moreland's discussion on the "empty self" in Kingdom Triangle and detects it's further significance for discerning "spiritual narcissists."

Read David's post here.

Kingdom Triangle Featured at Bobby Sparks Blog

noreply@blogger.com (KT) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:43:00 +0000

We are grateful for Bobby Sparks to share an excerpt of Kingdom Traingle at his blog.

He an excellent example of someone who is thoroughly evangelical and smart to recognize the indwelling power and presence of the Spirit in our midst.