Peter Mommsen revisits Monty Python, Charles Darwin, and Maximus the Confessor in his article, "The Book of the Creatures" in Plough Quarterly, 28: Creatures, Summer Issue. He proposes that "when we forget how to read nature, we forget how to read ourselves." He is convinced that "the natural world is a book that reveals the divine, just as the book of scripture does." He revels in the beauty of nature but also grapples with the evidence of sin in creation that needs the redemption of Christ that Paul discusses in Romans 8. God's world does indeed reveal the God who created, redeemed, and sustains it.
I have less confidence that the ecological movement "can perhaps ride to the rescue" but he points to a reason that Christians should be committed to caring for God's world as His stewards:
"…millions of people worldwide re-learning to read the book of nature, even if only partially and imperfectly. Perhaps…we’ll again learn to decipher the signs of the Goodness behind nature – the one who is both author and subject of the book of the creatures, and who, in Alexander’s words, “gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty who hath made all things well.”
It is possible to download an open source copy of Mark Elliott's, The Arduous Path of Post-Soviet Protestant Theological Education which considers thirty years of history with its successes and challenges. The changing relations with the church and state as well as the involvement of foreign faculty. Gordon-Conwell Professor Don Fairbairn describes it as "a rags-to-riches-to-rags tale, full of excitement and heartbreak…many lessons…about the transitory nature of political favor." The lessons learned from this analysis could be helpful as the global Body of Christ seeks to prepare leaders with a firm foundation in God's word that understand the times and know what their nation should do (1 Chronicles 12:32).
Th
is book written by a great-grandson of Churchill was a great reminder of how God can use a single teacher to influence the world through a loving investment in the life of a single student. Mrs. Elizabeth Everest, Churchill's nanny was the only one from his home who visited Winston during his 11 years in residential school from age 7. She was described as a "... passionate woman of prayer" who taught Winston well by helping him memorize Scripture, kneeling with him to recite his daily prayers and explaining the world to him "in simple but distinctly Christian terms. Her role in the formation of Churchill's worldview was still evident later in his life when he often paraphrased or quoted Bible passages in his speeches. Even in seasons of doubt, he instinctively saw through eyes formed with a biblical outlook. This is why he could inspire hope, call for strength and faith, and most importantly grasp the true meaning of Nazism and its threat to civilization."
Transformed teachers transform students who transform the world.
There are a lot of interesting podcasts available including the Throwback episode on January 25, 2021 featuring a discussion of the history of Christian schools in Australia over the past 40 years that was held between Dr Daniel Pampuch. CEO of Christian Schools Australia and Dr Maria Varlet, Head of Research & Innovation at Crest Education in Melbourne, Australia. Dr Pampuch puts a compelling case forward that to retain their Christian distinctive, schools must be explicit and intentional about the essential elements of Christian schooling.
At Gordon College a lawsuit is attempting to clarify which employees can be classified as "ministers" because of the religious mission of the entire college. A narrow interpretation of "ministers" would make it very difficult to restrict employees to those whose beliefs and lifestyles supported the Christian goals for which the college was established. A ruling in this case could have implications for other schools and mission organizations as well. Unfortunately, this question doesn't just exist in US law. It also exists in many churches who see Christian school teachers as "just teachers" rather than an integral part of the mission of the church. The working assumption seems to be that only those in "sacred" activities are ministers while those in "secular" activities don't have a God-given calling and responsibility as they serve their neighbors in all kinds of practical ways.
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