On the road to listen to* Faculty & Student/Post-Doc’s at a major research university discuss Trusting in the Lord in a Secular Workplace or Job Security in Academia over lunch, description below. If you were present for the conversation, what would you share? Some of my thoughts later, gotta run. …
Proverbs 3:5 and Psalm 18:2 speak to the importance of trusting in the Lord in times of trial. The recent Veritas Forum topic on truth and academia and the tragedy at the University of Alabama-Huntsville over a tenure denial bring up the important question as to whether trust in the Lord can give meaning, comfort, and contentment in the remorselessly results-driven academic profession. Does (and should) faith make a difference while facing the zero-sum game of tenure review, funding applications, the supervision/mentoring of graduate students, and/or running a lab, particularly in a period of economic recession?
*and participate in as appropriate 🙂
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!