Dr. Brian Toews’ Blog

This past weekend PBU held its annual Worldview Conference. This year's theme was the impact and consequences for Christians living in a technological world, a human-built world. The reoccurring theme in the sessions was how the pervasive presence of technology in our culture has rearranged our lives in such a way that we are bound by it. Think of how many times you have heard people say about a particular technological device, "I don't know how we used to live without it!" Just as you and I are bound to eat, drink, and sleep by virtue of God's creation, so we are bound to live in accord with the human-built world and its technological "laws." Electricity is to this human-built world, what oxygen is to the God-created world. You never really think about it until you don't have it and when you don't, you realize you are in trouble. The question the conference posed was, "Are you aware and do you understand the implications of the technological culture for our lives, particularly as Christians?"
The conference sessions should soon be posted on the PBU website.

Posted by Brian Toews at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week I participated in a chapel with Dr. Fred Putnam and Mr. Chris Palladino. Each of us presented thoughts on the image of God. Because the image of God is not explicitly defined in Scripture, it allows for good biblical discussion and dialogue, which we had during the chapel session. I considered the relationship between image, rule, and subdue in Genesis 1:26-28. I presented the life of David as way to understand these three interrelated ideas. David was a man who had a heart like God's. He was a king who ruled Israel as the Lord's representative and he subdued the enemies of the Lord. In all this the Lord was with David and helped David. For David the battle is the Lord's. David imaged the Lord in that God's life was lived through David's. The attitude behind a genuine image-bearer is that of humility and obedience. This is perfectly embodied in the life of Christ who took the form of a bond-servant and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Being made in the image and likeness means that humanity was created as God's servant.

Posted by Brian Toews at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)