The Emerging Scholars Network Book Club is back! This fall, you are invited to join other ESN members in a discussion of Chris Rice's From Pandemic to Renewal. The book club will meet Wednesday evenings for an hour at 8 pm ET from October 11 through December 6 (skipping the Wednesday before Thanksgiving). For those who sign up for the book club, we will send you a free copy of the book. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in profound changes and disruptions to all of our lives. Anxiety rates are at record highs as … [Read more...] about Emerging Scholars Network Fall Book Club
ESN Book Club
3 Fall Reading Groups for Christian Grad Students & Faculty (Online)
3 Fall Reading Groups for Christian Grad Students & Faculty (Online) ESN is delighted to present 3 fall online reading group options. You can choose your area of interest and time commitment level: Scripture engagement (10 weekly meetings), faith & work for scholars (6 meetings, mostly in October), or environmental restoration (4 monthly meetings). Learn more and sign up to receive further details below! Option 1: The 30-Minute Bible Have you read the Bible and are not sure what it's all about or … [Read more...] about 3 Fall Reading Groups for Christian Grad Students & Faculty (Online)
Summer reading: “Welcome to the [Wright] Revolution!”
(N.T. Wright sings "Genesis" at Hearts and Mind, https://vimeo.com/4214987) Last week Mike asked what's on our various summer reading lists. I'm going to be reading some works by the story-telling minstrel Rt. Rev. N.T. (Tom) Wright, Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As some of you know Rt. Rev. N.T. (Tom) Wright has recently blessed a number of groups with singing as part of his speaking tour. On Saturday, I had the privilege of hearing him … [Read more...] about Summer reading: “Welcome to the [Wright] Revolution!”
Outrageous Idea 6: Building Academic Communities
The final chapter in George Marsden's The Outrageous Idea of Academic Communities Christian Scholarship [Oops! - Ed.] proposes that even the most impressive work of individual Christian scholars is not enough; Christian scholarship needs "a strong institutional base." Scholars, like everyone else, depend on communities. If like-minded academics do not form their own sub-communities, then they will be dependent entirely on the communities that already exist. These, of course, have little place for inquiry concerning … [Read more...] about Outrageous Idea 6: Building Academic Communities
Outrageous Idea 5: The Positive Contributions of Theological Context
Are there positive contributions to be offered by a theological context? George Marsden responds with a hearty yes. Why? Because he believes (or should I say thinks, understands, or perceives): Scholars do not operate in a vacuum, but rather within the frameworks of their communities, traditions, commitments, and beliefs. Their scholarship, even when specialized, develops within a larger picture of reality. So we must ask: What is in that larger picture? Is there a place for God? If so does God's … [Read more...] about Outrageous Idea 5: The Positive Contributions of Theological Context