Moreland Interviewed on Stand to Reason

Southern California - July 22 - JP did an hour long radio interview with Stand to Reason's President & Founder Greg Koukl.

The entire hour was devoted to highlighting the unique importance of Kingdom Triangle.

JP said:

"As always, Koukl did a masterful job of directing the interview towards the central themes of the topic. We spent a good bit of time on the worldview issues surrounding the impact of naturalism and postmodernism and the acceptance of non-empirical knowledge and we talked about how to recover the idea that Christianity is not only true, but it can be known to be true. This subject is the focus of three chapters in Kingdom Triangle and, to my knowledge, the salient points are not available currently in other books, including my own. It was important for Koukl to focus on this as he did. We went on to talk about spiritual formation and Kingdom power in ways that respond to mis-informed criticism of Evangelical appropriation of these matters."

Moreland Speaks at National Worship Conference

Anaheim, CA - July 19-20 - JP was a plenary and workshop speaker at the Anahaim Vineyard's annual "In His Presence" worship conference.

JP did over three hours of training on worldview analysis and the nature of truth and knowledge.

Several hundred people were in attendance at the conference.

"Two things stood out to me about the time," said JP.

"First, believers from the Third Wave and Charismatic/Pentecostal branches of the church are open to and hungry for the life of the mind. Too often, however, those who value the intellectual life ridicule or are antagonistic towards folks in these branches. This has to stop. We can have principled disagreements but don't need to get nasty. Moreover, those outside these branches who value the life of the mind can minister to these believers if they will reach out to them in spite of difference theologically. Second, People are not used to seeing Christian intellectuals who are also interested in and actually practice spiritual formation and ministering out of the supernatural aspects of the Kingdom. Several told me that it was refreshing and, indeed, paradigm-altering to see a book - Kingdom Triangle - that breaks stereotypes and embraces all three legs of the triangle.

Update: Moreland Unpacks the Crisis of our Age

July 17-18 - JP was asked to return to Summit Ministries, where he spoke to several hundred students from around the country, including an informal Q&A with Dr. Frank Beckwith from Baylor University.

Several copies of Kingdom Triangle were sold and students expressed great interest in its themes.

- Previously -

Manitoba Springs, CO, June 11-12 - JP Moreland spoke four times to around 200 high school and college students from all over the country.

His lectures covered important themes more fully developed in the first four chapters of Kingdom Triangle. In particular, JP taught the students about the importance of worldview thinking, of understanding the inner logic of and being able to respond to the worldviews of scientific naturalism and postmodernism all the while offering a case for the nature of knowledge, truth, and objective reason.

In one of the sessions, JP held an hour long Q&A with over 70 students.

The event was sponsored by Dr. David Noebel's Summit Ministries, a worldview training center just outside of Colorado Springs, CO.

Moreland Speaks to International Students & Scholars

Kansas City, MO - July 12-14 - JP joined several colleagues to speak at a conference for international students and scholars called, "Truth Under Deconstruction: Presenting Christ in a Relativistic World."

The event was sponsored by the International Institute for Christian Studies.

Several hundred were in attendance, coming from around the U.S. and Europe.

JP spoke on Christian exclusivism, on the nature of truth, presuppositions and worldview. Among other things, he called specific attention to the three themes of
Kingdom Triangle.

"The entire conference was very warm, intelligent, and exciting," said JP.

The bookstore at the conference sold out of all the copies of Kingdom Triangle in about thirty minutes.

When JP spoke about his own personal acquaintance with supernatural manifestations of the Kingdom of God, this was received with thoughtful discussion and the mutual sharing of stories of what has been seen of God's work abroad.

The Unconventional Manner of Kingdom Triangle Living

JP says that the three elements of the Kingdom Triangle were central to Jesus' ministry in the Gospels, in Acts, and in the first four centuries of the church. In light of the important interrelationship of these elements, JP asks,

"Why can't one be intellectually careful, emotionally together, and comfortable with a life of intimacy with God and a vibrant inner life, and one who is learning to be naturally supernatural?" (page 196)

How do you respond? How does this quote rub you? (The comments feature is enabled on this blog post).

Do you or your church experience a tension, perhaps a hindrance, when attempting to integrate all three elements of the Kingdom Triangle?

Why do we sometimes profess in our theology or live our life (individually or corporately) as though the three elements identified in the Kingdom Triangle are somehow against each other?

Moreland Speaks at The River

Tustin, CA - Sunday, June 24 - JP spoke at an exciting and innovative church called The River.

Pastored by Collin Cumbee, The River is a growing Vineyard church in Tustin, California, and it is already a fellowship of believers that practices all three legs of the Kingdom Triangle.

The service went very well and JP stayed for an outdoor lunch with parishioners. "The constant feedback I got," says Moreland, "is that people were moved and encouraged by the idea of striving for a balance of all three legs. This was a new idea to them and seemed to be helpful. "

A number of people purchased books to send to pastors and lay leaders in other parts of the country.

Moreland Introduces Alpha

Pasadena, CA - June 22 - JP opened up the Alpha Training Workshop at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California.

The workshop was for lay and pastoral leaders from churches all over Southern California (a few attended from other states) who facilitate evangelistic efforts in their churches.

Alpha's philosophy of ministry and evangelism is at the heart of the main themes in the Kingdom Triangle, and Workshop coordinator Marti Clark invited JP because of his reputation in evangelism and, more importantly, because she believes that Kingdom Triangle has put into book form what Alpha is all about. Moreland introduced the conference to the three legs of the triangle and was very warmly received.