This article first appeared in Campus Calling, InterVarsity's Faculty Ministry monthly newsletter and is reposted here by permission. This represents my parting thoughts and hopes as outgoing ESN Director for Christian presence in academia. I suspect I’m not alone in feeling left out of many of the discussions going on in our various public squares—political or academic. Often, it seems only two options are on offer, neither of which I can fully embrace. And it feels like the embrace of the one is to join a “side” … [Read more...] about Becoming People of the Third Way
Christian Thought and Practice
Sinai and Synapses: Loving the Lord with all my mind and my neighbor as myself
One very clear memory from my freshman year of college is of a Sunday afternoon that I spent in the library trying to learn the details about the oxidative-phosphorylation, one chemical pathway in mitochondria (i.e., the powerhouse of the cell). I spent hours sitting with my notebook, pen, and biology textbook trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together. My initial motivation was trying to understand enough to pass the test I had the next day. But puzzling through the processes involved in passing electrons … [Read more...] about Sinai and Synapses: Loving the Lord with all my mind and my neighbor as myself
The Power of Beauty: A Call to be Transformed
It was a fairly normal day after hectic weeks. Although I had the feeling of not being at peace, my routine was still there. I turned on a Paul Tripp Podcast (with Joey Tomassoni) and started listening, just before opening my laptop. The name of the Podcast was 'The Spirituality of Beauty'. I was immediately hooked. As I listened, I stopped. I was transfixed, trying to understand the meaning of beauty, when it occurs, what do we mean when we call something or someone beautiful? Or is beauty just a crutch word to express … [Read more...] about The Power of Beauty: A Call to be Transformed
Summer 2024 ESN Conversations
I am thrilled to announce our summer of 2024 ESN Conversations. Dru Johnson will lead off in a special evening interview with ESN science writer Andrew Walsh on What Hath Darwin to Do with Scripture. The following week Jemar Tisby and Douglas M. Strong join in conversation about a diary found in a college closet and the insights into racial justice they uncovered, a story told in Awakening to Justice. Timothy Larsen joins us in July to talk about his annotating work on George MacDonald's Diary of an Old Soul. We wrap up … [Read more...] about Summer 2024 ESN Conversations
Five Tips for Academics on Communicating to Lay Audiences
As scholars, we train rigorously in our fields, and learn to communicate with each other, but not the people most impacted by our work. How can we learn to do better? The world and the Church need us. I’m an academic, but I spend more time writing for lay audiences than scholarly ones. I’ve done my share of academic writing, from undergraduate essays, to grant proposals, science articles, and poster presentations. I even teach students how to do this. As a science communicator, I’ve realized that there is a … [Read more...] about Five Tips for Academics on Communicating to Lay Audiences