Gerald Hiestand

The essays in this first issue of the fourth volume of the Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology are drawn from papers read at theological symposia in August 2015, October 2015, and June 2016 hosted by the Center For Pastor Theologians in Oak Park, IL. These meeting brought together clergy from various denominational backgrounds within the evangelical Christian tradition to discuss and explore the timely question of the relationship between faith and science. Essay contributors in the issue include Jim Samra, Dillon Thornton, David Rudolph, Chris Bruno, Gary Schultz, and Gerald Hiestand. Book reviews in this issue will likewise focus both on both contemporary and classic works relating to science, as well as the intersection between faith and science.

Essays on the Doctrine of Creation

Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology

Todd A. Wilson

Christians have an increasingly complex and often conflicted relationship with technology. As Genesis 1 succinctly and profoundly declares, God created humanity in his image, and as part of that vocation, we are called to make something of the world. Technology is one of the most important and powerful ways that human beings exercise this dominion. But while technology can extend our humanity in powerful and exciting ways, many of us feel that it can compromise or fracture our humanity at its core. As a result, questions quickly emerge. What does it mean to be human? How does our creation in the image of God affect the way we use, design, and understand technology? Should our general posture toward technology be cautious or optimistic? This collection of scholarly and pastoral essays, drawn from the 2019 annual theology conference of the Center for Pastor Theologians, offers substantive Christian reflection on a wide range of issues pertinent to a distinctly Christian vision of technology today—and in the future.

Christian Visions of Technology

Technē

Jay S. Thomas

Considering the pervasive immorality and high divorce rate of our contemporary Christian culture, we evidently need a biblically based, theologically compelling, practical understanding of sex, dating, and relationships. Pastors Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas counteract this problem with their paradigm-shifting view of purity and relationships—a view that challenges even the basic assumptions of evangelical subculture. Unlike most books on dating, this one cuts straight to the heart of dating relationships, asserting with confidence that the line must be drawn at “no sexual activity” whatever. Few have dared to define and apply the Bible’s understanding of purity in premarital relationships to this degree, but Heistand and Thomas have done it. Furthermore, both authors are vocational pastors who communicate regularly with the target audience and have a proven ability to express biblical truth in a winsome and compelling manner. Sex, Dating, and Relationships adds a new, almost provocative voice to the conversation that, with straightforward theological insight, pleads with Christians to get serious about honoring Christ with their sexuality.

A Fresh Approach

Sex, Dating, and Relationships

Provides guidance on love, sex, and dating from a Bible-based, Christian perspective.

Gerald Hiestand

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