Integrating faith & field vs. Realizing justice in action
Yes, we’ve made it to the finals of ESN March Madness ’14. I have learned a lot as we have wrestled with the question:
What is the most pressing issue for the Christian to engage when journeying in higher ed?
Please share your vote and invite others to do likewise. Winner will be announced on Good Friday (4/18). Note: If you haven’t voted in ESN March Madness ’14 (and invited others to do likewise), now is the time to engage to make sure your vote is heard.
As I’ve shared before, this tourney is influencing our priority of focus as we prepare for Fall 2014. If you have a desire to address a particular topic or recommend a possible contributor (e.g., book to be reviewed, book reviewer, interview, offer a reflection), please let me know.
Engaging in the conversation . . .
Below are a few pieces which really caught my attention and yes, there are more on ESN’s Facebook Wall 🙂 Please do not hesitate to share your must reads in the comments section below, on Facebook, via email, etc. . . .
- As we prepare to enter Holy Week, my Brief Reflection on ‘The Great Sin’ came to mind. May you find this piece, which draws from C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy and Mere Christianity, a challenging meditation on pride.
- C.S. Lewis’ conclusion to Before We Can Communicate caught my attention in Biblical Hermeneutics Class (Doug Buckwalter, Evangelical)
- ‘We understand one another’ often means ‘We are in sympathy.’ Sympathy is a good thing. It may even be in some ways a better thing than intellectual understanding. But not the same thing. — W. Hooper (ed.), God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970, pp.254-257.
- My class paper on the Christ hymn in the context on Philippians 2 and time reflecting on Imago Dei: Theology and Ethics in the Bible (Ben Witherington III, Wesley Forum, Evangelical) has my juices flowing with regard to ESN’s “Theology of Higher Ed Project” (Fall 2014).
- Stay tuned. This includes digging into Witherington’s The Indelible Image: The Theological and Ethical Thought World of the New Testament (InterVarsity Press, 2010).
- Confessions of a Non-Utilitarian: Five Impractical Pursuits of a Liberal Arts PhD Student (Chrissy Jeske). Another great entry in The Well‘s Call for Stories.
- Crash and rebound of indigenous populations in lowland South America (Nature). The focus of Andy’s weekly Wednesday lunch science commentary on the ESN Facebook Wall.
- Dungeons & Dragons & Philosophers – Existential Comics. Posted on a philosophy friend’s FB Wall. Thank-you David 🙂
- Extending Boredom. How about boredom leading to civility in societies? From our friend Drew Trotter, the director of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. AND yes, what’s up with the boys?
- Faithful scholarship in action. An inspirational piece posted on the Faith-in-Scholarship (FiSch) blog.
- FiSch was set up to reach Christian postgraduate students in the United Kingdom and help them explore what Christ’s lordship means for their research – through discussion groups, reading, networking and conferences. I encourage you not only to enjoy their material on the blog and the website, but also pray for their expanding labors. To God be the glory! HT: Our physics friend David.
- Passover with a strictly biblical flavor. Interest in the Washington Post piece was no doubt inspired by my fellowship with a pastor of a Messianic Jewish congregation when I was in Pittsburgh serving at Carnegie Mellon U. I look forward to the celebration of Footwashing and The Last Supper at our local congregation on Maundy Thursday.
- The Ends and Goals of Higher Education in Twenty-First-Century America: Change and the Calling of the Christian Educator discussion group is ready to get started! I hope to get it going this week.
- As I have previously mentioned, this is tied to the March 2014 symposium with Dr. Santa J. Ono (president of the University of Cincinnati) and the upcoming 2014 Midwest Faculty Conference (June 21-27, Cedar Campus, Upper Peninsula, MI). Note: This week the Conference page was updated with a listing of all the speakers.
- Some reasons why Professor Ross McKenzie believes the Gospel of Jesus is true. Ross McKenzie is Professor of physics, U of Queensland, and has a lot of fun doing research on condensed matter.
- On 4/9 he served on a Why three academics believe panel hosted by UQ Evangelical Students.
- Earlier in the week, ESN highlighted his blog post Awe and worship in the face of science (Soli Deo Gloria. 3/24/2014). Thank-you to my friends in the IFES from bringing the above material to my attention.
- Related . . .
- ESN couldn’t resist sending friends to the Mathematics Awareness Month! Theme: Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery. Yes, we picked up on this amazing material via our friends in mathematics, in particular Francis.
- last night Andy and I started some conversation on The Science Gap: Jorge Cham at TEDxUCLA. Jorge Cham is the creator of the online comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD) 🙂
- Related . . .
This week on the ESN Blog
- Sunday: Devotions: Wisdom – Applicability, the second post in ESN Devotions: Wisdom Series — a five week series by Carl Shank.
- Tuesday: Bob Trube returned with Book Review: The Return of the Prodigal Son (by Henri J.M. Nouwen).
- For more of his excellent material visit Bob on Books.
- Wednesday: Tom Ingebritsen continued his Christianity and Science series with What about Adam and Eve? Part 1.
- For a PDF providing material on the series, click here.
- Thursday:
- Mark Eckel‘s Owning Education was a strong follow-up to Getting a “Big Headâ€? Keep you eye out for part three of the ESN blog series The Marks of a Christian Scholar: A Vocational Description: “Time†to be imitated? (Thursday, April 17).
- Note: Don’t miss Mark’s dynamic blog: Warp and Woof.
- Mark Eckel‘s Owning Education was a strong follow-up to Getting a “Big Headâ€? Keep you eye out for part three of the ESN blog series The Marks of a Christian Scholar: A Vocational Description: “Time†to be imitated? (Thursday, April 17).
- Last Saturday: David (The Urban Resident) delivered with Part 2 of Reasons: Why I am a Christian. His next post will be on Good Friday. In the mean time you can read pieces by David and a number of his other friends at The Urban Resident.
A Student’s Prayer (John W. Peterson, v.3)
May the things we learn, so meager, never lift our hearts in pride
Till in foolish self-reliance we would wander from Thy side.
Let them only bind us closer, Lord, to Thee, in whom we find
Very fountainhead of Wisdom, Light and life of all mankind.
— Mark Eckel‘s conclusion to Owning Education.
About the author:
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!