Rooms are now available at the gorgeous Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas for Karam Forum, coming up this Janurary 3-4. Our special room rate for the conference is a low, low $129, so reserve your room today before the supply runs out. And, of course, don’t forget to register for the event – the early bird price is available for a limited time!
At Karam Forum, we’ll think together about how the deep patterns of scripture can inform and transform how our people live their daily lives in their homes, workplaces and communities. As we’ve been sharing in this space, we’ve listened to your feedback on the event and we’ve put a lot of care into making sure this is a genuinely representative, collaborative and catalytic event.
David Miller will open our time together with a report from the field on what’s going on in the faith and work movement. And since he knows the movement as well as anyone does, we’re looking forward to hearing his reflections on what the movement needs from theological schools. Fernando Tamara and Helen Kim will provide reports on how the faith and work connection is emerging in local churches – which are God’s Plan A for equipping his people, and there is no Plan B – and with the rising generation, whose experiences are so different from those of us older folks who grew up in what was, culturally, a different world.
Miroslav Volf will continue the conversation by considering how Christians can find a constructive role in a pluralistic world. How do we carry out our daily callings in spaces we share with those of other beliefs, without compromising the truth we know we have received? And how do we help resist the tendency of pluralistic societies to sink to the “lowest common denominator” of individualistic comfort and complacency, without losing a genuine concern for the unique value and rights of every individual? Given Volf’s track record, we expect there’ll be nothing at all provocative or controversial in anything he says, so we’ve asked Vincent Bacote, Darrell Bock and Gerry Breshears to offer their reflections and hopefully stir up some more lively discussion.
Since we heard from a number of biblical scholars at Karam Forum last year, this year we’re starting with systematics. Fred Sanders, Patrick Smith, Michael Wittmer and Chris Armstrong will give short, provocative talks on how core doctrines of the faith – the Trinity and the Incarnation, soteriology and ecclesiology – have a direct impact on the way we do our daily work. These talks will be followed by interdisciplinary panels to hear reflections from biblical scholars, historians and theological educators from other disciplines.
As always, our theological talks will be designed for curricular use as short videos you can assign students in a variety of classes.
Our interdisciplinary panel on theology and economics will consider how key Christian concerns like hospitality, fellowship, creativity and justice can speak into economic systems and life. And movement leader Mark Greene will close our time together, sharing his experiences of seeing the whole-life discipleship insight bursting out in churches around the world, and holding up the special and indispensable calling of scholars and educators as part of this new thing God is doing in our midst.
We are looking forward to seeing you there. Register today to join us for Karam Forum 2019!
