Join us for Colloquy 2010–Conservative Anabaptism and the Arts, a colloquy to be held at Faith Builders Educational Programs, Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, January 30, 2010.

Faith Builders Resource Group is planning a one-day colloquy focused on Anabaptists and the arts.  This colloquy, or conversation, is structured in two sessions.  The first session will focus on articulating and evaluating the current conservative Anabaptist beliefs and values regarding aesthetics as evidenced by our choices and pursuits.  The second session will consider the implications of an aesthetic informed by Anabaptism for specific artistic categories.  Each session will include presentations by several speakers followed by a roundtable discussion including the speakers and several other men.

To register for this colloquy, please call the office at 814-789-4518 or apply below.

2009-12-29 update: corrected link to register.

Conservative Anabaptism and the Arts | January 30, 2010

Faith Builders Resource Group is planning a one-day colloquy focused on Anabaptists and the arts.  This colloquy, or conversation, is structured in two sessions.  The first session will focus on articulating and evaluating the current conservative Anabaptist beliefs and values regarding aesthetics as evidenced by our choices and pursuits.  The second session will consider the implications of an aesthetic informed by Anabaptism for specific artistic categories.  Each session will include presentations by several speakers followed by a roundtable discussion including the speakers and several other men.  Not all speaker assignments are finalized, but complete details will be available in the winter newsletter.

9:00      Opening

9:15      Session 1 – Anabaptism and Aesthetics | This session will focus on articulating and evaluating the current conservative Anabaptist beliefs and values regarding aesthetics as evidenced by our choices and pursuits.

12:00      Lunch

1:30      Session 2 – Anabaptism and the Arts | This session will consider the implications of an aesthetic informed by Anabaptism for specific artistic categories.

• Visual Arts
• Literature
• Music

To register for this colloquy, please call the office at 814-789-4518.

FB’s newsletter went to the press this week!  Here’s a preview of what’s coming…

• “Testimonies of Grace” – feature article
• Information on February’s Technology Colloquy 2008
• Information on March Workshops 2008, a seminar on the topic “Dealing with Anger & Bitterness” by John Coblentz
• Update on current projects
• Opportunities to partner with FB

You may preview the newsletter online here (PDF, 2.3 MB).

Christians and Technology

February 2, 2008, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Science has been wildly successful over the last two centuries.  J.P. Moreland observes that our ancestors living at the time of the civil war had more in common with Abraham than with us.  The explosion of technology has multiplied the opportunities available to the community of followers of Christ.  It has also increased the challenges facing the Christian community.  Each era of the church has had its defining issues – perhaps technology is that for today’s church.  This is the subject of the 2008 Colloquy.

We are planning a different approach to this colloquy.  Instead of the presentation of papers to a large audience, we are envisioning a smaller gathering of people who wish to engage with the topic.  There will be shorter presentations highlighting the issues, followed by small group interaction.  Rather than interacting with the conclusions of individual speakers, we would like to work together toward understanding.  Our desire is to gather for this purpose a number of people from across our communities: pastors, patriarchs, business people, Bible students, technology specialists, parents, and young people.  We invite you to consider participating in this work.  To bring fruition to the day’s work, a small group from Faith Builders plans to produce a summary booklet.

If you would like to participate in this working colloquy, please email the office or call 814-789-4518. 

Note: No lodging will be available at Faith Builders.  Lunch and supper will be served.  A freewill offering will be lifted to cover expenses.

The FB newsletter is on its way to the printer!  Some of the items included in Issue 85 are as follows:

• “The New Conservatives” by Melvin B. Lehman
• Teacher Retreat
• Technology Colloquy
• Winter Term Info
• Western Man Study Tour

Those on the FB mailing list will receive their copy in a few weeks.  You can read the online version here (PDF, 613 KB).

Melvin’s essay “The Kingdom of God” was prepared for presentation at the Faith Builders Colloquy on the Kingdom in January, 2006. He did not find time to revise or polish his essay after critiques by responders Richard Herr and John D. Martin. He offers it here in hopes that despite its imperfect and incomplete state, it may be profitable to disciples of Jesus Christ. Please read with that understanding.

You may download Melvin’s essay here (PDF, 269 KB)(XPS, 458 KB).

On Saturday, January 27, the annual Colloquy was held at Faith Builders.  Stephen Russell was the main presenter, and Merle Burkholder and Jonathan Sauder responded to his presentation.

Recordings of Stephen Russell’s presentations and the responses are available on cassette or CD from Christian Learning Resource.  The set of four cassettes or CDs is available for $15.00, plus shipping. 

To order, please contact Christian Learning Resource at (814) 789-4769 or clr@fbep.org.

If you are driving into the Guys Mills area for the January 27 colloquy, please be careful!  The roads are passable but you should use caution.  Interstate 79 is open but falling snow is keeping the snow plows busy.  State roads are not cleared as well as the interstate highways, but travel to Guys Mills is still possible with reasonable care.

Those who are not traveling, please pray for those on the roads this evening and tomorrow morning.  Thank you!

You are invited to attend the Colloquy at Faith Builders, planned for January 27, 2007. The topic for this year’s Colloquy is Nonresistance: Fighting Evil with God’s Weapons. Stephen Russell will be the featured speaker. Merle Burkholder and Jonathan Sauder will respond to Stephen’s presentation. You can download a poster with more information here (PDF, 333KB).