CACE Electronic Journal Center for Applied Christian Ethics, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois December 2007

This time of year is often immensely frantic and characterized by the heights of consumerism. Yet the central reason we celebrate this holiday season is because of God’s kindness toward us in sending Jesus Christ to redeem the world from the grip of sin. As I have reflected upon it, it has occurred to me that Christ’s incarnation is intimately connected with this year’s CACE theme: Thy Kingdom Come: Christian Moral Engagement in the World. Perhaps what is most notable to me is that our theme is impossible without Christ’s advent. Our efforts to engage the various challenges of moral life in this world find their catalyst and purpose in God’s action to engage his creation by sending Christ as a human. John 1:14 tells us that the “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” and Christ’s very humanity validates the essential worthiness and goodness of God’s creation, and also makes sensible our great efforts to not only discern but also to practice the moral life that brings glory to God. If Christ did not take on human flesh, perhaps we would be wasting our time, but the opposite is instead the case. We are truly living as followers of Christ when we put forth our efforts to engage the political and cultural issues of our time. Perhaps many of us do not think of Christmas as a reminder that God looks approvingly upon our efforts to engage the world, but now is as good a time as any to include such thoughts in among our holiday reflections. Have a blessed Christmas!

Vince Bacote
Director of CACE

Upcoming Events:

"Affordable Housing and Foreclosure"
Affordable Housing Breakfast co-sponsored with DuPage Homeownership Association
Thursday, January 10th, 7:30 am , South Party Room, Cost $8.00. Reservations Required
email CACE@wheaton.edu

"Mother of 5, Representative of 615,000. How does she do it?"
Representative Michele Bachmann- MN
Monday, January 14th, 3:30 pm. Blanchard 339

Jim Wallis
Tuesday, February 19 7:30 pm
Kresge Room, Edman
Co-sponsored with Political Science

CACE 2008 Spring Conference
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
March 3rd, 4th and 5th

As we wrap up the Fall Semester and look back on 2007, it is astonishing how our website has become much used tool for distributing the valuable resources we offer here at Wheaton College. Download requests have been hugely popular again this year, easily doubling last years request. We thought you might be interested in our most popular requests.

CACE Printed Materials
Nearly 8,500 Discernments were downloaded in 2007. Marketing and Church Growth continues to be the favorite, followed closely by Character Education. Even though some of these publications are from several years ago, they all receive download requests each month. Since we started tracking, 30,000 Discernments have been distributed globally through our website.

Of our 8 Booklets, Dr. Stan Jone's Response to Mel White Study Guide far out paces the others with 12,880 downloads in 2007, nearly 26,000 since offered last April.

Over 28,000 Articles were downloaded in 2007. The two most popular are both by Sir John Houghton "Global Warming, Climate Change and Sustainability" at 4,259 and "Big Science, Big God" at 3,773. Our own professors work including Dr. Stan Jones "Science and the Ecclesiastical Homosexuality Debates", Dr. Doug Moo, "Nature in the New Creation:  New Testament Eschatology and the Environment" and Dr. Noah Toly "Changing the Climate of Christian Internationalism: Global Warming and Human Suffering" are at the top of the chart as well. To date our total Articles downloaded from the CACE website since tracking started in 2004 is just over 45,000.

CACE Audio Downloads
In 2005 CACE decided to start offering mp3 downloads and you certainly have enjoyed them. To date CACE audio downloads have tripled from last year. Audio downloads will climb near 75,000 for our combined total to date. You will want to see for yourself the wide variety of lectures available including Stem Cell Research, Immigration, Just War and most recently Morality in Politics.

It is our pleasure to use our resources to enhance the learning of many across the globe. We could not offer this service without the generous support of donors, speakers and Wheaton College. If you would like to make a year end donation to CACE to support our ongoing efforts to bring you excellent resources, please visit the secure online donation form, and designate your gift for CACE.

Thank you and have a safe and happy holiday.

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