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Welcome! At Signs and Wonders we sift through the World Wide Web looking for evidence of emerging religious futures. Our mission is to provide our readers -- religious futurists, ministers, and just plain spiritual people -- with a guided tour of the web, stopping wherever we see the future of faith unfolding before our eyes. We update this site every three days or so, so come back again and join us on our next trip. If you want to comment on anything you read here or discuss religious futures in general, come over to our forum. |
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April 21, 2000 [technological] -- Ethicists worry about the spiritual poverty of constant Internet connectivity by Cody Clark at 10:02 AM (EST)  From beliefnet, amidst Internet CEOs hobnobbing at the Internet Everywhere Summit in Silicon Valley, an ethicist questions the spiritual fallout from constant connectivity. Ethicist Tom mahon says, " We have to stop making things just because we can and stop re-engineering ourselves to fit the technology. We get faster, and we get more frustrated. Interactivity becomes hyperactivity. We need to pause, we need to breathe. We're talking about 'smart refrigerators' when 70 percent of the world doesn't have food to put in a refrigerator." editor -- Mahon is not a luddite, but is wary of the trend toward making technology into a lifestyle. I would have to agree with him. This is an issue that the churches will need to address in the near future. [political] -- Muslims urge Holy War against Christians in Indonesia by Cody Clark at 9:53 AM (EST) A beliefnet story about rising religous tensions between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia. Security forces have ordered thousands of Muslims to disarm, temporarily stopping the Jihad they had declared against Indonesian Christians. editor -- Religious violence and intolerance lives on, especially where poverty and hardship abound. Sigh... [social] -- African Archbishop calls for mingling local ritual with Catholic Mass by Cody Clark at 9:39 AM (EST) An item from Ecumenical News International reports that South African archbishop Buti Tlhagale has advocated for a libation of blood - a ritual pouring as a symbolic sacrifice honouring the ancestors of black Africans - to be incorporated into local Catholic liturgies such as the Mass. Says the Bishop, "Sacrifice to the ancestors continues to be a very common practice among Africans... Is there a way to integrate this custom with their Christian belief as a step towards meaningful inculturation?" editor -- This potential absorption or reinterpretation of a tribal ritual by a mainstream religion is an example of the natural process by which tribal religions are disappearing, which is a trend we're tracking. On the other hand, the tribal religion is locally influencing and changing the liturgy of the mainstream religion. [environmental] -- Diary of the planet by Cody Clark at 9:24 AM (EST) CNN's Diary of the Planet this week tells of nuclear accidents, earthquakes, and rabid hyena attacks. editor -- Round out your prayer agenda by keeping touch with what people around the world are experiencing this week. Not exactly a futures hit, but every religious futurist needs a global perspective. This is one of the best tools I've found for that. [feature] -- Transmillenialists Conference to be held by Cody Clark at 9:40 AM (EST) A event called Transmillennial 2000, the first national conference for preterists will convene on Wed. June 14th and run through Sat. June 17 in Warren, Ohio. Preterism, also known as "transmillenialism" or "covenant eschatology", is a Christian eschatological belief that Christ's second coming has already been fulfilled and has been since shortly after his resurrection. There will be 10 plenaries and 24 unique workshops to explore the resurrection as consummated salvation from every biblical and practical angle. editor -- Interesting. If Transmillenialism catches on, it could mean a counter trend to millenialist and apocalyptic religious tendencies toward violence and extremism. I'm not sure if I'm quite a preterist, but I would welcome a progressive response to most apocalyptic eschatologies. |
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