Donald Hay[1] Seek the Welfare of the University (Jeremiah 29:7) (1/29/2012) from oxfordchristianmind (18 min, 17 sec).
Description: This lecture by prof. Donald Hay, given at the “Christianity and the Life of the Mind: An Introduction” conference on Jan 29, 2012, outlines the contours of a Christian engagement with the University.
Thank-you to John Mulholland, The Charles Malik Society for Redeeming Reason, for bringing to my attention Christianity and the Life of the Mind: An Introduction (Developing a Christian Mind at Oxford). As you may remember, I previously posted How Christians relate to the world —Nigel Biggar.
What is my interest in Developing a Christian Mind at Oxford and presentations such as this one offered by prof. Donald Hay? In publishing on topics such as academic vocation and calling, spiritual formation in the academy, and the integration of theology with academic disciplines, the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) seeks to encourage, and equip the next generation of Christian scholars to be a redeeming influence in the academy, church, and the world.
In 2014 we are giving focused attention to the meaning/purpose of higher education and how this plays out not only across disciplines, but also “up and down” the “academic ladder”. Over the past week I have had a number of conversations exploring the importance of “the theology” of this task. By Fall 2014 we desire to have several pages on the “basics of theology in higher ed” developed for the resource section of the ESN website. This will draw from material first posted and then refined here on the blog. Stay tuned to learn more about these next stages of online conversation and resource development. In the mean time . . .
- prayerfully consider Jeremiah 29 (more on that coming)
- share some of your own reflections upon and reactions to material in/stemming from Seek the Welfare of the University (Jeremiah 29:7)
- avail yourself of several ESN Blog posts by Micheal Hickerson on James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” — Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)
Notes
- Donald Hay was Fellow and Tutor in Economics at Jesus College from 1970 to 2000, and was then the first Head of the Division of Social Sciences in the University until 2005. He has researched in Brazil, China and the UK in the field of empirical industrial economics. Among his publications was an advanced textbook, Industrial Economics and Organisation (OUP 1991), co-authored with Derek Morris. He has had a long term interest in the relationship between economic analysis and a Christian understanding of human society. He published Economics Today: A Christian Critique (Apollos and Eerdmans, 1989): more recently in this field he has worked on climate change, and the economics of marriage and divorce. He is a member of St Andrews church in North Oxford, and a Licensed Lay Minister. — From http://www.oxfordchristianmind.org/people/donald-hay/. Accessed 2/9/2014. ↩
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!
This video is great! Codifies much of my own thinking on Christians in academia, only with greater clarity and a British accent!
Amen!
Mike, Thank-you for not only sharing the good report on the above post, but also your contribution to the blog this morning (https://blog.emergingscholars.org/2014/02/teaching-religion-and-the-curriculum/). For more Developing a Christian Mind at Oxford videos, visit http://vimeo.com/oxfordchristianmind. Note: You may remember that I posted Ard Louis’ “The calling of Christian postgrad students and academics”
on the ESN FB Wall. I’ll include Louis’ video on the blog at some point 🙂
This is a wonderful lecture, and Hunters book is a must read for anyone who hasn’t read it.