| Source: JayGary.com http://www.jaygary.com/future_jesus.shtml Papers
Recently Futures, the leading academic journal read by futurists worldwide published a scholarly paper I wrote on this subject: Gary, J. (2008, Sept.). The future according to Jesus: A Galilean model of foresight. Futures, 40(7), 630-642. [see the article outline below] In the Galilean model I propose that Jesus saw the future as a dynamic of three paths: Conventional, Counter and Creative. Most people think Jesus was fixed on the long-range future, but I argue his focus was on dynamics that would play out in his society. A historical reading of Jesus in his social context in Second Temple Judaism is not new. My paper, however, attempts to resolve issues that scholars have yet to address. Jesus, like any strategic or global leader, likely envisioned various horizons of the future: the immediate, the near-term, the generation, and the long-term. I wrote this scholarly article to my peers, who teach futures studies at the graduate level. I encourage them not to overlook Jesus as part of the pre-history of our practice, just because Christian fundamentalism and Zionists misread apocalyptic literature. If you are faculty in a college or university context, in history, sociology, political science, theology, or leadership, and are interested in reading how Jesus relates to the both the crises of the 1st and the 21st century, please contact me and request an author copy. I welcome your scholarly critique of the Galilean model, and how we can better read the dynamics of our worlds. Article Outline: Top of Page |
