Soren Kierkegaard famously said, “purity of heart is to will one thing.” To center back on our call to will one thing, namely the will of God, is the chief purpose of Lent. This week’s gospel reading comes from MatthewRead more…
How to Be a Christian Academic: A Brief Theology
Since Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, he wants to bring everything into his kingdom—the arts, the sciences and, yes, even the humanities. Read more…
Why Should I Go To Grad School, Anyway?
Committing to grad school means time, money and, for most of us, anxiety. An early graying head is a sign of a PhD candidate. Despite the cost, many of us enter into this commitment without much deep reflection on theRead more…
Becoming a Thoughtful Christian in the Secular Academy: Part II
Last week I wrote about my journey as a developing follower of Jesus in a secular university. I told you that I’d become a stronger Christian during my time in the academic world, and now I want to tell youRead more…
Becoming a Thoughtful Christian in the Secular Academy
One month ago yesterday I walked the stage to pick up a diploma in Religious Studies at a secular institution. And I’m a stronger Christian than ever. In the Religious Studies department at the University of Montana I learned howRead more…
Best Christian Books of All Time Review Series: Knowing God Pt. III
Several weeks ago I left you with the second installment of my review of J.I. Packer’s Knowing God, one of the works that made it onto ESN’s March Madness bracket, The Best Christian Books of All Time. As I said then,Read more…
Best Christian Books of All Time Reviews: Knowing God, Pt. II
Last week I wrote the first part of what will be a several-part review of J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. This week I’m going to take a look at the remaining chapters of Part I before moving on and moving throughRead more…
Best Christian Books of All Time Reviews: Knowing God, Pt. I
During the month of March, here at InterVarsity’s Emerging Scholars Blog, we offered a distraction away from the tomfoolery of the NCAA and held a little tournament of our own. “What are the best Christian books of all time?” we asked.Read more…
Fame, Glory and the Struggle of a Christian Academic
As a student in the secular academy — wait. No. If Plato was right (and I think he was spot on here), then whether a student of the secular academy or a fireman or a pastor, I am lured by ever-glisteningRead more…
White Martyrdom and the Unpersecuted People of God
To be a confessing Christian is to be one who longs to act, think and be more like Jesus, and one who, along that journey of transformation, admits deep need for God’s power, grace and body. Lent is a timeRead more…
Story, Lent and The Life of Pi
Last week I wrote about The Oscars and Lent. I wrote that these two phenomena share more in common than is usually suggested. Today I want to move in for a closer look–at the stories themselves. If this annual cultural ritualRead more…
A Christian Reflection on The Oscars and Lent
On Sunday night more than 1,000,000,000 people participated in the cultural festival that is the 85th Oscar Awards Ceremony. I can’t even begin to imagine the impact that Hollywood has on our culture’s development, and if there’s an opportune timeRead more…
Why Should You Celebrate This King?
A point often overlooked when we talk about Lent is its celebratory nature. Throughout the week we remember our complete need for healing, but doing so makes our rejoicing all the more honest. During the week we are reminded thatRead more…
Shoot Christians Say: Lent and Ash Wednesday
Lent is Church language. For countless jaded Christians the word implies little more than hypocrisy and self-righteousness. For others it’s that time of year to give up coffee or baked goods for a few weeks. When some think of it, thisRead more…
The Temptation of Knowledge and The Goodness of God
Before I begin a series on Lenten spirituality (come back on Ash Wednesday), it would be beneficial to tell you a bit about myself. If you’re going to find truth in what I say, I suppose you’ll need to seeRead more…