Ken Myers

 

September 30, 2005

 

 

 

Faithful Stewards or Terrestrial Gods?  Christianity and the Chief End of Science

 

This lecture was given by Ken Myers, Host and Producer of Mars Hill Audio Journal, at a faculty and graduate student luncheon at Vanderbilt University on September 30, 2005.  The lecture was sponsored by The Humanitas Project and co-sponsored by InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries, Presbyterian Student Fellowship, Campus Crusade, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Reformed University Fellowship, Every Nation, and Medical Campus Outreach.

 

The modern West is defined in large part by the cultural role played by science and technology. Western institutions are formed around the axiom that more extensive application of scientific knowledge will inevitably lead to greater social progress and personal fulfillment. Behind this guiding principle, which is explicitly and consciously held by many Westerners, is a matrix of implicit assumptions about human nature, the nature of creation, and divine purpose. In this lecture, Ken Myers argues that while some of these assumptions have resonance with the biblical account of human history and purpose, others are more dubious, though they are widely held by many contemporary Christians.  In light of questions now being discussed in bioethical debates, Myers traces some of the sources of these ideas and suggests ways in which faithful Christians must challenge aspects of Western life.

 

[download as PDF]

 

 

 

Word Made Flesh, Flesh Made Whole: The Embodied Character of Salvation and the Basis of Bioethics

 

This lecture was given by Ken Myers, Host and Producer of Mars Hill Audio Journal, on behalf of The Humanitas Project on September 30, 2005.  The lecture was delivered at Belmont Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Much discussion about bioethical issues is based on principles rooted in the “rights” of “persons.” While such principles are useful for protecting some important ethical boundaries, they are often employed in a way that values human autonomy more than divinely established order in matters of human life and death. In this lecture, Ken Myers argues that the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the redemption that they accomplish, have deep implications for how we should think about bioethical responsibility for issues ranging from cloning to fertility treatments to embryonic stem cell research.

 

[original announcement]

[download as mp3 audio]