Inspire, Fall/Winter 2008

Cedarville University 43 facul ty voi ce Dr. Drullinger Teaches in South Africa After a 35-year teaching career, retirement might sound like a good plan. But a passion for teaching and a love for people propelled Dr. David Drullinger toward an exciting adventure. Retiring was just not an option. In May 2008, Dr. Drullinger wrapped up 19 years as a professor at Cedarville, and within days he was off to begin a new career with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism in Cape Town, South Africa. Everything in his life had led up to this new step — his commitment to missions, his pastoral experience, his cross-cultural missions trips, and his well-respected teaching career. Upon arriving in Africa, he was met with a flood of opportunities that allow him to continue doing what he loves most: teaching the Word of God. Working with ministry colleague Tom Wolf (in right of photo), Dr. Drullinger’s main responsibilities include developing a certificate program modeled after Cedarville’s Bible minor. He teaches these college-level courses, accredited by the University of South Africa, in conjunction with the Church Ministries Institute. He also fulfills pastoral responsibilities at Mountain View Baptist Church in Cape Town. All in all, he’s thoroughly enjoying this journey. “God has met every need beyond my ability to ask or think,” Dr. Drullinger said. “Every day I get out of bed happy to be alive, excited about serving the Lord, and wondering what kind of surprises He has for me.” With classes to teach, people to disciple, and truths to learn, Dr. Drullinger is thankful for the Lord’s direction and faithfulness. He shared, “Every day is a wonderful witness to the joy and delight of living in the center of His will.” Where Are They Now? You may contact Dr. Drullinger at ddrull@gmail.com . experience economic growth. Although global demand has been curbed by the current recession, it will pick up as the economy recovers. 2. The decline in the dollar causes commodities traded in dollars to increase in price in the United States. The recent strengthening of the dollar has caused the price of crude oil to plummet. While prices will continue to fluctuate from month to month, we can expect to see higher travel costs as the years go by. The Believers’ Response So, as Christians, how should we assess and respond to these tenuous economic times? To understand the situation, we must realize that each and every economic problem is ultimately the result of the Fall. One way to understand the discipline of economics is to think of it as man’s attempt to ameliorate the material effects of sin. The secular world judges economic policy on how well the policy works — does it aid humankind in our efforts to increase wealth and curb poverty? This instrumental criterion is important for believers as well. We would not want to support a policy or politician that was ineffective or counterproductive. However, Christians should evaluate policy on how consistent it is with a biblical worldview and how closely the policy matches Scripture. When a policy harmonizes with revealed truth, it will also be effective. By comparing economic policy and biblical truth, we can better predict the efficacy of the policy and engage the culture on the public square. Believers should not fret about higher travel costs. Regardless of the amount of wealth God has given us, our hope is not in the material world. Our hope is in the Lord. Wealth that has been rather exclusively accumulated in the hands of a few in the West is now being created on an unprecedented scale in many regions in the world. Our increased travel costs are part of a global economic shift as developing nations demand more and more crude oil. While these changes make life more difficult in the United States, they signal global changes wrought by increasing wealth in regions of the world that desperately need the money. When wealth is created, poverty is diminished. In this fact, Christians should rejoice! When people in other parts of the world show success — even limited success — in reducing the material effects of the Fall, it is good news for all of us. Dr. Bert Wheeler has taught at Cedarville since 1992 and currently serves as professor of economics. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tennessee and also conducted graduate work at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. You may contact him at wheelerb@cedarville.edu . – $0.00 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Real and Nominal Gasoline Prices (October 1978–October 2008) Nominal Gas Price Real Gas Price Expon. (Nominal Gas Price) i