Following Christ in a New Millennium
Reflections about human flourishing raise significant questions of human existence. That’s why the Graduate & Faculty Ministries department of InterVarsity believes the subject of human flourishing merits the attention of over 1,500 delegates and scores of speakers at a conference called i>Following Christ 2008 from December 27-31, 2008, at the Marriott Magnificent Mile hotel in downtown Chicago. The conference will begin with several optional Day Ahead events, and the main conference will begin on December 28 and end the morning of December 31.
“The conference is for graduate students, faculty, and professionals, but under grads who are career-focused are also invited,” said Jon Boyd, conference director. “It’s for those who are intrigued by the question, ‘what would Jesus do if he worked in your field?’ The very idea is exciting to ponder.”
In plenary sessions and discipline-specific tracks, delegates will draw connections between human flourishing and their daily work, research, and study. The conference will include the hallmarks of InterVarsity events—solid biblical exposition, musical worship, Bible study, prayer, and multi-media productions. Additionally, Following Christ 2008 will offer the Bosscher-Hammond Prize, a juried best practices competition to encourage the integration of faith, learning, and practice.
Fifteen tracks will be offered at Following Christ 2008. Twelve tracks are in various academic and professional disciplines:
• Arts
• Business
• Education
• Engineering & Technology
• Government & Public Policy
• Healthcare
• Humanities
• Journalism & Media
• Law
• Natural Sciences & Mathematics
• Social Sciences
• Theology & Religious Studies
There are also three interdisciplinary tracks:
• Doubting Jesus
• God’s Green Kingdom
• The Promise of Shalom
The Business track, for example, will help academics and professionals understand how their work is a sacred calling and will provide them with opportunities to discuss how people can flourish in the marketplace. The Law track will explore, among other things, the allure of power and prestige, and rival visions of human flourishing implicit in the law profession. Participants will look for hints of grace in the historical and theological roots of law itself and ask whether human law bears any relationship to God’s law. Participants will also consider whether law itself contributes to human flourishing and how we might practice law in ways that encourage and sustain flourishing in our communities.
The topic of human flourishing is familiar to students of the humanities. Aristotle’s query, “What is the good life?” informs much of the work done in philosophy, literary studies, classics, and history, but the answers are as varied as the texts these disciplines address and the scholars who study them. Participants in the Humanities track will explore how the humanities can contribute to human flourishing both within and beyond the academy by considering our roles as public intellectuals, teachers, and members of the church.
Early registration rates))/Form.aspx?regkey=RpYOYPxE378wNjTYCkFkMw%3d%3d for Following Christ 2008 are available until November 1, 2008. Scholarships are also available. For more information about the conference, please visit the i>Following Christ 2008 conference website.