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Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland
Challenges of modern life through the lens of
the Temptation of Christ
Matthew 4:8 “the devil took Jesus to a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms
and said to Jesus: all kingdoms and splendors can be yours…if only…’
Forums presented by Dr. Fred Quivik
(retired Michigan Technological University Professor of History)
(All will be held in the Sanctuary upstairs at Trinity where we
have good ventilation and wider space.)
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 13
Opening hymn-sing led by Pastor Bill Beckstrand
Forum, Dr. Fred Quivik – “What’s So Different
about Sulfide Mining?”
Comparing the Proposed PolyMet Mine with Historical Iron and Copper Mining in the Upper Midwest, we take a deep look into humans’ capacities to mine and process minerals for human purposes…when is it realistic, when is it temptation. Fred will describe in lay terms how sulfide minerals from proposed new mining cause harm to the environment in ways that Minnesota’s iron minerals (and Michigan’s copper minerals on the Keweenaw Peninsula) do not.
Coffee, World’s Best Donuts, conversation
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 14
Forum, Dr. Fred Quivik—
“Facing Jesus’ Temptations in the Age of Climate Change:
Energy in Human History”
7:15 Vespers Evening Worship;
Coffee and treats follow
Notes on forum from Fred: On Wednesday, I look at each of the three ways Satan tempted Jesus, and Jesus’ responses, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. And I offer thoughts on how we have succumbed to those temptations in the ways we use energy. The presentation is a deep look into humans’ capacities to harness and organize energy for human purposes; in fact, that capacity is one of the defining characteristics of who we are as a species. In recent times, these capacities have opened us to temptations very much like the ways that Jesus was tempted. Consider, for example, that the world as God created it produces all the food we need (the most fundamental way we consume energy, indeed, is food for our own metabolism). But in the last century, we collectively decided to make a transition toward “turning stones into bread.” Our industrial agricultural system is heavily dependent on petroleum. The literal translation of “petroleum” is “rock oil” or “stone oil,” so we are now trying to turn stone into bread. I offer the presentation for two reasons: 1) to suggest Biblical language for thinking about the human causes of climate change, and 2) to explore more deeply how humans gather and harness energy, and the moral implications of how we do so.”
Fred Quivik, our Forum leader (and a life-long Lutheran) works as an expert witness (industrial historian) in Superfund litigation, often involving sulfide mining sites throughout the United States. He has researched the history of the mining and ore-processing methods, of the disposal of waste products, and of the damage those waste products have caused to the environment. Fred is not a scientist or engineer, so he is able to explain the history of such technical matters to judges, lawyers, and the general public in everyday language. Fred’s work is outlined on his resume: www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/department/faculty/quivik/cv/fq-mtu-cv-9-2014.pdf
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