Stimulus will Focus on FOCaL in August 2006
Posted by stimulusjournal on June 4, 2006
Stimulus is pleased to give forward notice of its intention to publish the papers given at the FOCaL Conference 2006 (June 30 to Saturday July 1st at Wellington Central Baptist Church) in the August 2006 issue. The conference, entitled “Church and Society after Election 2005”, will feature papers from a number of New Zealand commentators including:
• Dr James Harding, FOCaL trustee and Old Testament lecturer at Otago University.
• Prof. Peter Lineham, Associate Professor of History at Massey University, Albany Campus.
• Dr Anthony Dancer, Social Service Commissioner, Anglican Church New Zealand.
In addition, Stimulus is commissioning further comment, for inclusion in the Focus on FOCaL issue, from a range of people whose thought together will assist the issue to evidence a range of social and political perspective within the New Zealand Christian community. These framing articles, interviews, etc, will look at the fundamental question: To what degree, if any, is a left-leaning stance demanded by the biblical story? Further, some attention will be given to the question: Do the old “left” and “right” labels continue to be useful in our contemporary situations?
Stimulus invites short submissions of 300 to 500 words for editorial consideration, which address the issues noted above. Longer, article-length contributions will also be considered. The deadline for the issue is June 30. Writers should consult the Stimulus Guidelines for authors.
Part of Stimulus’ mission is to facilitate dialogue on matters such as the impact of the gospel on socio-political situation in New Zealand. Hence, we are delighted that FOCaL approached Stimulus for support in disseminating the conference papers and facilitating further discussion. Stimulus is well-placed for undertaking this service because Stimulus itself remains firmly non-partisan. In seeking to provide a forum for publication and discussion over the years has been confirmed that the shibboleths of shapely drawn partisan commitments may be informative but they are also potentially obstructive and exclusivist. Stimulus remains committed to facilitating inclusive dialogue across all perspectives.
For more information about the conference and details on how to register, see www.focal.org.nz/conference.htm.
