Permanent Things – Vol. 1

In the journal’s inaugural edition:

• Michael Plato, assistant professor of intellectual history and Christian thought at Colorado Christian University, gives a thorough but concise summary of two major challenges to Christian anthropology in our time: transhumanism and posthumanism. Of the essay Strachan said “Many of us are hearing these terms, but few pastors know how to engage these challenges, new as they are. Plato’s article will help prepare the church on this front.”

• Brett McCracken, an editor for The Gospel Coalition, writes an original piece on the films of Christopher Nolan. He shows that Nolan addresses timeless questions with subtlety, finesse, and depth, but resolutely avoids Christian answers. Strachan noted that the medium of our age is increasingly movies, and so McCracken’s piece is a great introduction to perhaps the leading director of our time. He added, “McCracken is the best young film critic of our time.”

• Midwestern Seminary Provost Jason Duesing offers a reflection on evangelical statesmanship that is Inklings-like. In fractious times, Duesing produces an essay that rightly calls for both conviction and graciousness. This is a crucial element of leadership in 2019.

• Freelance writer and Ph.D. student, Esther O’Reilly, contributes a sharp-eyed overview of the Intellectual Dark Web. This strange and amorphous movement has received surprisingly little attention in the evangelical community, and O’Reilly’s analysis offers much food for thought on this subject. Christians do well to think through the IDW, such as it is, with clarity and perception.