This week, CaPCMag focuses on views of human nature and how they affect our world. What does it mean for humans to be fallen yet redeemable? In two exclusive features available only in the iPad and iPhone app we look at two different ways which our assumptions about human nature impact how we treat others and interpret the world. To read these fantastic articles, make sure you download and subscribe now! (there’s a free trial if you’re uncertain. You’ll love it though, so it’s kinda redundant.)

This issue, D.L. Mayfield interviews Carl Medearis, noted missionary to the Middle East, to help sort out how Christians in the US should interact with Muslims:

We are living in a very fearful country, forever wary of losing ground, of giving up status, power, and the majority vote. This fear spills into our media, our ringtones, and even our evangelistic charges. This fear doesn’t build up; it diminishes.

Love starts with knowing, but many of us are already comfortable with where we are, surrounded by others who look, act and pray just like us. Getting out of these cultural ghettos costs us time, emotional investment, and involves a certain amount of risk.

Also in this issue, Geoffrey Reiter looks at how enlightenment thinking inspired the conception of human nature in early Star Trek works and how that view changed in later series:

The future envisioned in the Star Trek mythology began as an optimistic one, and its journey into darker realms raises questions about how true a reimagining of the show could be. Much of the debate is grounded in how we understand human nature: are people born in a state of original sin, or are people blank slates, waiting for good education and nurture to improve us?

In addition to these exclusive features, this issue includes a letter from the editor looking at how human depravity and our call to “hope all things” relate, a discussion of the Star Wars Kid and how viral videos and memes can hurt others, the most thorough and engaging conversation about Fast and Furious 6 you will probably ever read, a look at the different perceptions of history in NBC’s Revolution, some thoughts on transhumanist art and the future, and the regular “Common Graces” feature which offers up five recommendations for your popular culture enjoyment–all in a pleasant-to-read package.

In case you missed the original post explaining the idea behind the magazine, you can read all about it here.

 

Avatar for Alan Noble

Alan Noble

Alan Noble, Ph.D., (Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief) is an Assistant Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University. He received his Ph.D. from Baylor in 2013. He and his family attend Shawnee Pres in Shawnee, OK. He is also author of the book Disruptive Witness.
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3 Comments

  1. I’ve made a conscious decision NOT to buy a smart phone or ipad in an effort to swim against the stream, and live a relatively screen free life.

    …And you’re not making it any easier.

    ;-)

    Reply

    2. Okay, now you’ve opened up a can o’ worms…

      I won’t use one of those for two main reasons. First, because I love the feel of a book, and the smell of the paper. Plus, there is a distinct weight difference between reading, say, “Of Mice And Men” and “Atlas Shrugged”, and that’s part of the reading experience.

      But second, I think the major fault with digital books is that they can be COMPLETELY edited without anyone knowing. What’s to say an “updated” version of a book can’t be loaded and replace the existing file in your library?

      I remember a story some time ago about people’s digital version of “1984” was accidentally wiped from their libraries by Amazon when they connected their Kindles to their computers.

      Fine. It was a glitch, and Amazon took care of it, but what’s to say publishers won’t “update” digital Bibles to be more PC? Or “update” history books to better fit the reality that is found more acceptable?

      Maybe that’s paranoia on my part, but it seems very possible. But with print, well, it is what it is.

      …Okay. I’m done. (I told you you opened up a can.)

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