The Emerging Scholars Blog

Education for Human Flourishing, Cover

Our conversations with hundreds of Emerging Scholars at Urbana 09 precluded us from keeping up with our readings.  But don’t worry, we’ll catch up as soon as our plane lands ;-)

In its place,

1.  swing by our Facebook page to see a few pictures of Emerging Scholars at Urbana 09.  Note:  more coming.

2.  enjoy the kick-off of a series of quotes from Education for Human Flourishing:  A Christian Perspective (Paul D. Spears and Steven R. Loomis, InterVarsity Press, 2009),* by considering an excerpt from the Christian Worldview Integration Series Preface:

The word integrate means “to form or blend into a whole,” “to unite.”  We humans naturally seek to find the unity that is behind diversity, and in fact coherence is an important mark of rationality.  There are two kinds of integration:  conceptual and personal.  In conceptual integration, our theological beliefs, especially those derived from careful study of the Bible, are blended and unified with important, reasonable ideas from our profession or college major into a coherent, intellectually satisfying Christian worldview. … In personal integration we seek to live a unified life, a life in which we are the same in public as we are in private, a life in which various aspects of our personality are consistent with each other and conducive to a life human flourishing as a follower of Jesus. — by Christian Worldview Integration Series editors Francis Beckwith and J.P. Moreland, pp. 9-10.

Questions to ponder as we begin a new year:  Why does integration matter?  How do we go about it?

*Find the title appealing?  Then check out the Preface & Precis of Book and Chapters.

Tom connects with Prof Mike, an ESN Mentor, at Urbana

In my longer conversations with students and faculty at Urbana 09*, I’ve asked

How can the ESN blog best serve you in 2010?  What are some topics you’d like to see receive attention, or more attention?

Below you’ll find some of the responses I’ve received.  What are your thoughts?  Feel free to list several topics and give them an order of priority.  Note:  The big picture of what guides our posts can be found here.

• How does one transition from undergrad to grad?  What should I be sure to read/know to prepare?  What unique roles do race, ethnicity, gender, faith, relationships (e.g., married, parent) play?
• How does one apply/adjust/enter graduate school after being out of higher education for awhile?
• How does manage time in higher education?  E.g., Can one be married, let alone have children in graduate school (or beyond as a researcher/professor), who is invested in one’s faith and family?  Testimonials/interviews would be of great encouragement.
• How do race, ethnicity, gender, faith, relationships (e.g., married, parent) factor into acceptance by, one’s sense of acceptance by, or one’s ability to feel accepted/respected by the academic community along the path of higher education?
• More book reviews and/or discussions on must reads, e.g., Best Books for Undergrads: Your Picks
• More on the sciences
• Testimonials/interviews of followers of Christ who have made it and are unashamed of who they have been created to be by God (Note: includes race, ethnicity, gender, faith, married, parent).
• What are the +/-’s of taking some (or even all of) your graduate classes on-line?

*Note:  If you’d like to keep up with ESN at Urbana follow Mike’s tweets.  If you’re at Urbana 09, don’t miss this afternoon’s ESN reception.

Tom and I are both at Urbana 09 all week, serving as staff at InterVarsity’s 22_nd student missions conference. If you’re here in St. Louis, join us at the seminar and receptions hosted by ESN. If you’re not, you can follow along with Urbana webcasts (the first general session talk by Urbana Director Jim Tebbe is already available) and with a special Urbana 09 Twitter-stream. You might even see some of my tweets.

While you’re thinking about Urbana, please pray for safe travel for the staff and delegates still on their way. Bad weather and increased airlne security has created many delays.

In a mere 12 days(!), Tom and I will arrive in St. Louis for Urbana 09, InterVarsity’s triennial student missions conference. Most of the 20,000+ conference delegates are undergraduate students, and we’ll be talking to them about ESN, vocation, and loving God with your mind.

It’s impossible for me to talk to students about ESN without recommending at least half a dozen books. I have my favorites, but enough about me — what are your favorites?

What books do you recommend to undergraduates, on God, on academia, or just about life in general?

…that you wanted to be an academic?

Urbana 09 – InterVarsity’s triennial student missions conference – is coming up next month, December 27 to 31. This year features a special “In the Workplace and In the Academy” set of seminars to introduce students to a robust theology of calling. I’ll be leading a seminar called “Serving Christ as a Professor: 10 Things You Need to Know.” It will include some “missional” ideas of why the university matters to God and some pragmatic advice on graduate school and career prep, but I also hope to give students some resources for discerning whether they ought to pursue an academic vocation.

So, how did you know that you wanted to be an academic? What do you tell students who are thinking about a faculty career? I’d love to share your stories and advice with the students at Urbana. Feel free to email me if you’d rather not leave a comment.

Two more Urbana-related notes:

Get credit: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is offering credit for Urbana, through a wrap-around course on Global Christianity. Register for Urbana first, then register for the course.

Save money: Register before December 1 and save $50 by using the code novu09 when you register.