Kingdom Triangle Discussion

Friday, June 20, 2008

San Jose Blogger Plugs Kingdom Triangle Website

Ryan, at his Illuminate blog, has a great plug for www.kingdomtriangle.com.

Concerning JP's talks on how the culture plays with our mind (part 1 and 2 here), he says,

For those of you headed to college, those who want to be thoughtful followers of Jesus, and those who want to engage culture in a constructive way, this is a very helpful subject.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Pneuma Informer Reviews Kingdom Triangle

The Pneuma Informer, a publication of The Pneuma Foundation, generously reviewed Kingdom Triangle.

You can read the entire review here:

The review is an example of someone taking seriously all three legs of the "Kingdom Triangle."

Kingdom Triangle is a biblically grounded vision of Christian discipleship, uniting J.P Moreland's concern for the Christian mind with his pursuit of the spiritual disciplines, and calling for the whole Church to rediscover the power of the Holy Spirit ... Kingdom Triangle is a book for both the heart and the mind, the fruit of many years of thoughtful ministry, apologetic engagement and philosophical reflection, articulated with passion and erudition. It is not always easy reading. But then, why should it be? We have been lazy and simple for too long. If we are really going to exemplify the mind and character and power of Jesus Christ, enter the Kingdom Triangle and take our place in the Grand Drama—where the stakes are so high, and the rewards are eternal—it will demand our best efforts. But that's what we were created for.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

JP Moreland and Lee Strobel Share the Stage

On Tuesday, May 27th, JP Moreland and Lee Strobel will share the stage at Biola University for a launch of Lee Strobel's DVD The Case for Christ, for which JP was interviewed in the course of the documentary's production.

Moreland says,
Measured by his impact for Christ, Lee Strobel is on a very short list of the most influential apologists for Christianity in this generation. His works are having an impact all around the world and they regularly exhibit the sort of quality and relevance that characterizes classics. Over the years I have had the privilege of working with Lee on several projects, and I particularly enjoyed filming for the Case for Christ DVD. It is vintage Strobel, and a powerful voice for the faith.
If you are in the Southern California area, come to Biola University's gymnasium at 7:00 pm.

Event Details and RSVP: www.apologeticsevents.com

Friday, May 16, 2008

Mark Yarhouse (Regent University) Interacts with Kingdom Triangle

Mark Yarhouse, a core faculty in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Regent University, interacts with Kingdom Triangle at his blog, Limning the Psyche.

Read part 1 and then part 2 here.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Moreland on the Spirit's Guidance

At his home church - the Anaheim Vineyard - JP recently gave a Sunday night talk on "The Guidance of the Holy Spirit."
The material I covered is not in Kingdom Triangle, but it is an application of the third leg to the Christian life. I began by showing from scripture that while God sometimes has a very specific will for us in detailed circumstances, there are other times when God wants to know what we want to do and He promises to go with us in those endeavors. I talked about how the Spirit sometimes speaks/leads by placing thoughts in our minds (see Nehemiah 2:12) and I shared the phenomenology as to how I have made progress in discerning those occasions in my own life. I also shared how I discern words of knowledge or wisdom when I am ministering to others. It was really fun. What meant the most to me was the fact that ordinary people like me and the congregation at large can actually make progress in this sort of intimate relationship with God.
You can either listen online or download JP's talk here.

Monday, April 28, 2008

How the Culture Plays with our Mind

JP led a seminar at the Armenian Christian Fellowship of Orange County concerning "How the Culture Plays with our Mind: Finding Truth in a Babble of Voices."

Download part 1 and part 2.

Of the event, Moreland remarked,
I covered the first half of Kingdom Triangle, obviously in summary fashion. People were deeply encouraged to receive categories and other information for understanding exactly where the culture is at this moment, why it is that way, and how it got there. I applied some insights to the way the race for the Presidency is being conducted, and people were genuinely disgusted about what has happened to the public discourse in our country. There was extensive time for Q & A, and it was clear from the level of the questions that folks were following the discussion very well. It was gratifying to see once again just how wide the applicability of Kingdom Triangle really is. The believers were motivated to be more intent on paying attention to the way the current of ideas moves in the culture and, hopefully, they will be better equipped to do just that.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kingdom Triangle Confirmed, Muslims are Leaving Islam in Droves

Throughout much of Kingdom Triangle, J.P. discusses the global advancement of Christianity abroad, especially in non-Western countries. Latest reports confirm this reality, which Kingdom Triangle explains in view of the power and presence of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God being in our midst.

Last year both CBN and Christianity Today wrote about such events. Recently Joel C. Rosenberg, a NY Times best-selling novelist, wrote about this at his blog and is planning to produce a new non-fiction book and documentary, titled, Inside the Revolution (Easter 2009).
In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Aljazeera satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. "In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity," Al Qataani warned. "Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity." Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric. "Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity?" Al Qataani repeated his assertion. "Every year," the cleric confirmed, adding, "a tragedy has happened."

One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims throughout the Middle East and even in the United States are seeing dreams and visions of Jesus. They are coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a Bible and guidance on how to follow Jesus.
Moreover, just this last week, Andrew Walden, Editor of the Hawai 'i Free Press, HI, blogged and documented about how "Muslims [are] Leaving Islam in Droves."

In light of such ongoing reports, J.P. Moreland responds,

In well-documented, recent news reports, the movement of the Kingdom of God among Muslims, especially in the Mideast, is simply staggering. I can well remember the day when a missions agency would hope to lead three or four Muslims to Christ in a year. Now they lead thousands/year! And the reports from those agencies is that miracles, healings, prophetic visions and dreams are at the very heart of what is happening. As I pointed out in Kingdom Triangle, this outbreak has nothing to do essentially with spiritual gifts, and the evidence is bearing that out. Missions agencies that are non-Charismatic and Charismatic are reporting the same things regarding signs and wonders, according to Dallas Willard and others. This is a Kingdom and ministry-of-Jesus issue. The new converts need biblical training and spiritual formation teaching to guarantee they mature in Christ. But I am deeply encouraged that the motiffs I identify in Kingdom Triangle are, in fact, at the center of God's heart for the world. And that includes the church in America.