“Tell them about the dream, Martin.” Martin Luther King, Jr. was the last speaker of the day at the March on Washington in 1963. He was preceded by his good friend, singer Mahalia Jackson, who sang and then introduced him. At a critical point in his prepared remarks, Jackson recalled a previous speech of King’s that she felt was what the crowd of 250,000 needed and called out, “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” Laying aside his remarks, King listened to his friend, gathered himself and began again, “I have a dream….” and what followed was one of the greatest speeches in all American oratory, and the one for which King is most remembered.
Do you have a dream? It is a fraught time in academia if you follow the higher ed periodicals. Many campuses closing or eliminating departments. Student unrest. Antisemitic and other racist incidents. State restrictions on DEI programs. It doesn’t seem like this is a time when many are dreaming of what academia could be. Most are just trying to survive–maybe even you.
Christians have been people who have dreamed about institutions of higher learning from the first cathedral schools that morphed into the great universities of Europe, to the founders of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other schools who understood the value of an educated clergy and other public leaders. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship embarked on campus ministry in the 1940’s out of love for Christ and out of recognition of the impact dedicated followers of Christ could have in all of society. Along with this has always been a vision of redeeming influence on the people, ideas, and structures of the campus. This was the animating dream behind the birth of Graduate and Faculty Ministry in the late 1980’s and the subsequent birth of the Emerging Scholars Network.
Do you have a dream? I believe many of us do. We followed Jesus into academia out of a sense that we might best fulfill his call upon our lives in this setting. We cared deeply about particular things God had placed upon our hearts. The value of our research. The ways our work could serve others. The students we teach and work with. This marvelous place dedicated to a life of learning and discovery. This crossroads where people from every subgroup in our own country and many nations of the world intersect. Every day.
An Invitation. We want to run an article series on Dreams for Academia. We would love to hear one of your dreams for academia as a Christian. We’re not asking for a comprehensive vision but one of your personal dreams. What is the dream that animates your day in/day out pursuit of your work? What do you think the “peace and prosperity” (Jeremiah 29:7) of the university looks like and how do you try to pursue it?
Specifics:
- Suggested article length: around 1,000 words.
- Submissions: Via Word .docx to bob.trube@intervarsity.org.
- A bonus: all accepted article contributors will receive a free book of their choice up to $50 retail from InterVarsity Press.
We don’t have to look far to find problems in academia. We want to offer an alternative here at ESN by encouraging each other through sharing our dreams and stories of how God is helping us pursue them. Do you have a dream?
Bob Trube is Associate Director of Faculty Ministry and Director of the Emerging Scholars Network. He blogs on books regularly at bobonbooks.com. He resides in Columbus, Ohio, with Marilyn and enjoys reading, gardening, choral singing, and plein air painting.
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