The proper balance of hope and critical thinking will best prepare us to address deeper societal challenges—like racism, poverty, and inequalities—facing our communities.Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 11
If politics applies truth to arrive at policies, and if science is a way of discovering truth, then the two will inevitably be intertwined.Read more…
Academic Writing as Christian Action (Masterclass in Writing, Part 12)
With today’s consideration of Academic Writing as Christian Action, Dr. Royce Francis wraps up his Masterclass in writing. I have been inspired by his weaving together of theological reflection and practical suggestions on becoming a skilled writer in general and within one’sRead more…
Reflection: Congregations, Neighborhoods, Places
Congregations, Neighborhoods, Places is “an attempt to think with congregations, particularly congregations in cities, about how social science can both help churches become more aware of themselves and of those who live around them” (19).Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 10
It makes sense to me that the mind is not fully reducible to the brain and its activity, and that mental states are causally meaningful. At the same time, it makes sense that the mind is mediated by the brain, arising from the numerous interactions of nerve cells and other biological entities, possibly as an outgrowth of sensory perception turned inward.Read more…
How Do You Talk About Faith with Secular Colleagues? (STEAM Grant Faith/Science Series)
The God-given ability to focus on problems and solve them creatively positions us as uniquely for evangelism as it does for research. Read more…
Characteristics of a Good Mentor: Seeks Understanding & Your Best Interests
A good mentor will be interested in how your upbringing and experiences influence your perception of the world and your decisions. . . . wanting the best for you doesn’t necessarily mean always telling you that everything you are doing is great. . . . Gaining perspective on your role in God’s bigger picture is one of the most valuable outcomes of a healthy mentoring relationship.Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 9
The Easter season is a natural time for Christians to reflect on miracles, as the resurrection of Jesus is the central miracle of our tradition.Read more…
Writing in Obedience and Love Leads to Worship (Masterclass in Writing, Part 11)
What this means is that when we write to pursue an area of inquiry in obedient and affectionate response to the call of Christ, our writing is an act of worship that reveals both us and God in the process.Read more…
The Day of Resurrection
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky, our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.Read more…
Characteristics of a Good Mentor: A Doer, Life Experience
To find a good mentor, it is important to have a strong sense of self. You need to know who you are, and what kind of person you want to become…Both mentor and student need to respect one another’s time, honesty, and commitment to the relationship.Read more…
Winsome Persuasion. A Teaser
The uniqueness of Winsome Persuasion is that it helps readers prepare to engage by laying the theoretical foundation for understanding what constitutes a counterpublic (section 1), discovering the rhetorical and philosophical tools necessary for engagement (section 2), and wrestling with issues specific to Christian counterpublics (section 3).Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 8
Evolutionary biology is a challenging topic; the history of the Christian church’s reaction to it, doubly so. Continuing a theme running throughout When Science and Christianity Meet, David Livingston identifies the human element as a major complicating factor. Read more…
Love (Masterclass in Writing, Part 10)
Your vocation, your calling, must be undertaken in love. It is a response to the call of the Holy Spirit into places you didn’t even know existed. He has selected a place for you in the body of Christ, and for us this includes academic inquiry.Read more…
Palm Sunday’s Short-Lived Praise (Scholar’s Compass)
Human praise is short-lived. Whether it’s my students, the conference organizers, or publishers, praise is not always on their lips. And we see the same happening for Jesus. Read more…
5 Characteristics You Probably Didn’t Know to Look for in a Mentor: Introduction
How can grad students identify good mentors? In this series, we’ll look at 5 characteristics that are useful to look for in a mentor. Keep in mind that it may not be realistic to find a single individual who exhibits all of these characteristics. You might need to look for a group of people . . .Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 7
As far as I can tell you are all the family I was born with, and to the extent it is up to me you are all also the family I choose.Read more…
Review: Thinking Through Creation
With Thinking Through Creation, Chris Watkin succeeds brilliantly in providing a short, clear and accessible volume that sets the reader on a path towards his stated goal of developing a biblical “interpretive grid” to understand culture (p.3).Read more…
Obedience (Masterclass in Writing, Part 9)
For the past 8 weeks, we have been reflecting on writing disciplines for an academic who believes in Jesus. But for the next four weeks, let’s talk about why your writing is important. I want to speak first about obedience.Read more…
Do I Really Need a Sabbath? (Scholar’s Compass)
The key to Sabbath is to trust God rather than ourselves. Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 6
How do you reconcile science and the Bible when one can be updated by new data and the other cannot?Read more…
Authority, Awareness, Attention Span (Masterclass in Writing, Part 8)
When writing, always consider the needs of your audience as more important than your own writing needs.Read more…
The Hope of Eternity
Our goal is to leave behind a physical and spiritual legacy that will bless those who come behind us.Read more…
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 5
If you can sing a children’s song about the Ark, you’ll probably agree with Janet Browne that the Noah story is “deeply embedded” in our minds and culture. A story so familiar and beloved must be addressed with care.Read more…