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Resources for ESN Members

Summer 2023 ESN Conversations

At least for some, the summer is a time with a little extra bandwidth. Time for vacations, catching up on research, reading a good book, or just sitting out on a lounge chair with a cool drink. At the Emerging Scholars Network, we also believe that stimulating conversation around the intersection of our faith and the concerns of our personal, academic, and societal lives can be refreshing and renewing. And one of the things we love best about these conversations is not only that they are live but that you have the chance to engage with the authors we interview. We think we have a fantastic lineup of conversations scheduled between now and September

ESN Conversation: On Getting Out of Bed with Alan Noble

May 17, 2023, 1 pm ET

We aren’t always honest about how difficult normal human life is.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed.

Alan Noble (PhD, Baylor University) is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, cofounder and editor in chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and an advisor for the AND Campaign. He has written for the Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and First Things. He is also the author of Disruptive Witness and You Are Not Your Own.

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: Being God’s Image with Carmen Joy Imes

June 20, 2023, 3 pm ET

What does it mean to be human? This timeless question proves critical as we seek to understand our purpose, identity, and significance. Amidst the many voices clamoring to shape our understanding of humanity, the Bible reveals important truths related to our human identity and vocation that are critical to the flourishing of all of creation.

Carmen Joy Imes seeks to recover the theologically rich message of the creation narratives starting in the book of Genesis as they illuminate what it means to be human.

Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, she is the author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Bearing YHWH’s Name at Sinai and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. 

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: All God’s Children with Terence Lester

July 20, 2023, 12 pm ET

The more you understand someone’s history, the better you can see their humanity. This is true for individuals as well as for society at large. Race relations have suffered because of the erasure of important Black history and cultural context. As we fill in the gaps of our collective knowledge, communities can grow in understanding, empathy, and solidarity. Terence Lester’s story will help fill some of those gaps.

Terence Lester (PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, Union Institute and University) is a minister, speaker, community activist, author, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, a not-for-profit organization focused on poverty awareness and community mobilization. His books include When We Stand, I See You, Getting Past Stuck, Simple Prayers for Hurting People, and Identity Theft.

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: Nourishing Narratives with Jennifer L. Holberg

August 17, 2023, 12 pm ET

We make sense of our world, pattern our lives, and reflect on what is ultimately significant through language and the words that compose our stories. In Nourishing Narratives, writer and professor Jennifer Holberg engages with words from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O’Connor, and Marilynne Robinson, while also offering some of her own stories to reflect on the importance of story to our lives and our faith.

Jennifer L. Holberg (PhD, University of Washington) is professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and codirector of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing, the home of the Festival of Faith and Writing. 

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: More Than Things with Paul Louis Metzger

September 14, 2023, 3 pm ET

We live in a culture of commodification. People are too often defined by what they do or own; they’re treated as means to an end or cogs in a machine. In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another’s personhood.

Paul Louis Metzger (PhD, King’s College London) is professor of Christian theology and theology of culture at Multnomah University and Seminary and director of The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins. He is the author of numerous books, including Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church and Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths, and coeditor of A World for All? Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology.

Register for this Conversation

One of the other benefits of participating in conversations is that the authors’ books are available at a special discount through our co-sponsor, InterVarsity Press. Of course, we understand if you are unable to attend the live conversation due to schedule conflicts. Recordings of the conversations are posted shortly after the event on our YouTube channel, to which we hope you will subscribe. There are currently 44 videos available on the channel.

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Spring 2023 ESN Conversations

Our crocuses and daffodils are up after an unusually warm February. While it was fun to be out in short sleeves (in Central Ohio), this also just didn’t seem right. It makes me interested in what our guest for our March ESN Conversation will have to say. But with spring’s early approach, I also thought it would be fun to share with you our whole line up for ESN Conversations. We have some outstanding guests joining us. Here’s the schedule with links to register today.

ESN Conversation: Following Jesus in a Warming World with Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

March 15, 2023, 12 pm ET

Have you ever looked at the effects of climate change and the apathy of so many around you and wondered, “What are we missing here?” Climate activist Kyle Meyaard-Schaap understands this feeling from personal experience. But in his years of speaking to and equipping Christians to work for climate action, he’s seen the trend begin to shift. More and more young Christians are waking up to the realities of climate change. They want to help, but they’re not sure how.

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap is vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network. 

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: Non-Toxic Masculinity with Zachary Wagner

April 18, 2023, 12 pm ET

Dismissals such as “boys will be boys” and “not all men” are ingrained in our world. And the purity culture of our youth sold the same excuses with a spiritual spin. Can we break the toxic cycle and recover a healthy identity for men? In “Non-Toxic Masculinity,” Zachary Wagner tells men, “If you are in Christ, this is your problem—and you should be part of the solution.”

Zachary Wagner is an ordained minister and editorial director for the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is currently pursuing a PhD in New Testament at the University of Oxford. He lives in Oxford, England, with his wife and three children.

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: On Getting Out of Bed with Alan Noble

May 17, 2023, 1 pm ET

We aren’t always honest about how difficult normal human life is.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed.

Alan Noble (PhD, Baylor University) is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, cofounder and editor in chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and an advisor for the AND Campaign. His book is a deeply personal narrative on the difficulty of life, and the witness to God and to life’s goodness sometimes expressed in the simple act of getting out of bed.

Register for this Conversation

ESN Conversation: Being God’s Image with Carmen Joy Imes

June 20, 2023, 3 pm ET

What does it mean to be human? This timeless question proves critical as we seek to understand our purpose, identity, and significance. Amidst the many voices clamoring to shape our understanding of humanity, the Bible reveals important truths related to our human identity and vocation that are critical to the flourishing of all of creation.

Carmen Joy Imes seeks to recover the theologically rich message of the creation narratives starting in the book of Genesis as they illuminate what it means to be human.

Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University.

Register for this Conversation

Special discounts will be available for the books by our guests. The conversations will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel, but if you join us, you get the chance to personally interact with our guests. I hope you will join us and others in the ESN community!

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Sign Up: Feb 18 Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant Workshop

Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant Workshop

Date/Time: Feb 18, 2023 11:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)


Are you interested in applying to the Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant this year? (Deadline March 15).

Join us for an online workshop on making a strong application to this and other grants. David Vosburg and Jennifer Hawk, past grant recipients will share their experience and practical tips as will Denise-Margaret Thompson, director of the Black Scholars and Professionals ministry of InterVarsity. Hannah Eagleson, Grant Director, will moderate.

Browse our announcement post for more detail on the 2023 grant.


Register: https://tinyurl.com/CSFLGWorkshop

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American Scientific Affiliation Strengthened with Local Engagement

The Emerging Scholars Network, as a “digital first” initiative of InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministry, has always encouraged our members to engage in local, in-person communities, including the many student and faculty groups connected with InterVarsity across the country. If you want to find a local group, go to our “Find a Community” page. Our partners with the American Scientific Affiliation also host a network of local chapters across the country for Christians in the Sciences. We are grateful to Dana Oleskiewicz, Director of Chapters and Affiliates with the ASA for this article profiling the opportunities for engagement with other scientists on a local and disciplinary basis. We commend these groups!

During the 80-year history of the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) there have been regional groups of members who gather regularly to explore science and faith issues. These ASA chapters offer local coordination that fulfills the ASA mission of peacefully integrating scientific discovery with a belief in Jesus Christ. The affiliations of the ASA likewise are groups of members that congregate specifically around a scientific discipline of common interest such as biology, geology, and engineering.

There is a total of 36 chapters located regionally throughout the United States and Canada. A few of the chapters are run entirely by university students. These member groups partner with the ASA national office in Topsfield, MA, on programs such as during the ASA 2023 Winter Symposium (January 28) with local watch parties or hosting virtual follow-up conversations. Some chapters hold an event once or twice a semester, while others do so monthly. Many of these gatherings are held at Christian universities within the chapter region. Chapters provide a structure that strengthens the ASA and broadens the outreach capability of the organization.

The Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation (CSCA) gives leadership north of the U.S. border, serving as a sister organization to the ASA. Close coordination between the ASA and CSCA has been productive over the years in connecting scientific scholars in professional activity offering conversation that spans great geographic distances. In fact, the ASA/CSCA annual meeting this summer will be held at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, July 28 – 31, 2023. We are excited about celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CSCA!

Christian Women in Science (CWiS) is another ASA affiliation. This group provides support to women scientists who value a Christian faith, done so through regular meetings, seminars, promotion of women scholars, and professional awards. A significant increase in women attendees at the ASA 2022 annual meeting illustrates the success of this affiliation. There has also been a revitalized interest in the Affiliation of Christian Biologists (ACB) under new leadership, with the hope of engaging early- and late- career biologists using seminars, blogs, meetings, etc. Finally, we are pleased to announce the brand-new formation of the Affiliation of Ministers and Theologians. Clergy and scholars of theology have always been members of ASA. This new affiliation will formalize their participation.

ASA remains committed to fostering these efforts by region and by discipline, delivering support towards engagement in meaningful ways. We welcome your involvement! Contact Dana at dana@asa3.org or 330-466-5631 for more information about ASA membership and how you can join a chapter near you or affiliation to which you might be interested.

Also, it is not too late to register for the American Scientific Affiliation’s 2023 Winter Symposium on Scientists and the Church, Saturday January 28 at 1 pm ET. Walter Kim, President, National Association of Evangelicals and Jessica Moerman, Vice President of Science and Policy, Evangelical Environmental Network will explore how we might have better discussions about science and faith in the church. Invite your pastor and other friends from your church!

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New Seminary Now Course: Together in Ministry

Healthy mixed-gender collaboration is necessary for every ministry. However, partnerships between men and women have been distorted. How can leaders return to the Genesis ideal of co-laborers in today’s ministry contexts? What should mixed-gender partnerships really look like?

Seminary Now, InterVarsity Press, and Missio Alliance have a course on how to practically engage with the opposite sex in ministry. If you want to have a lasting and thriving ministry, this course is for you! Learn how to cultivate healthy partnerships and friendships that lead to human flourishing and multigenerational impact.

This course is based on Senior Fellow Rob Dixon’s book “Together in Ministry,” and is co-taught with Lisa Watson-Rodriguez, National Director of Missio Alliance, and Layla Van Gerpen, an Associate Regional Director from InterVarsity.

Sign up to get three courses to this session for FREE!

Learn more and sign up here

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