I have long thought that the only reason this issue is not more forcefully addressed is because immigration affects “those people,” and that the politicians families and friends are not affected.Read more…
Book Review: Introverts in the Church
Adam’s admission of his own construction of a one-dimensional image of leadership—the most effective leader being a high-paced, always outward-oriented extrovert—is something I personally resonate with as an introvert, and I believe all leaders and leaders-in-training should reckon with and seek to correct.Read more…
Snapshots of “Freedom All the Way Up”
God created the universe(s) to provide the space and conditions for the emergence of habitable bio-niches in which agape-capable beings would eventually emerge to live in agape-love relations with God and with others. Earth is one such emergent bio-niche, and Homo sapiens are an instance of such emergent agape-loving beings. In other words, the telos (purpose) of the universe is to be birthing-space, nursery, and home for agape-capable beings in relationships and actions of agape-love towards God and others. – Christian Barrigar, Faith All the Way Up: God and the Meaning of Life in a Scientific Age, 21Read more…
Science in Review: Seeing the Random Forest for the Trees
We talk a lot about science here, but science isn’t just talk. I thought maybe we could roll up our sleeves and try a little science.Read more…
The Value of Immigrants to the United States. Part 9 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
I appreciate that Soerens and Yang do not make economic claims central to their book, but I also appreciate that they have examined some of the most common economic claims related to immigration. Read more…
Faith and Reason, Part 3: Aquinas
Scholars who study Aquinas are divided about whether he believed that some propositions about God, for example, statements about his existence, can be adjudicated through reason alone, or whether they also require faith. Read more…
Engaged Learning: How Can It Help?
Physics professor Brian Lane gives us some approachable methods for improving student learning. Read more…
Science Corner: Pack Your Genes for the Cruise
What would it take to preserve all vertebrate life, and to what end?Read more…
Faith Across The Multiverse Book Club Event
What inspired you to write Faith across the Multiverse? “Inspiration came from many directions, including the story I tell in the book about making a spontaneous connection between math and theology during a group Bible study. But I think the biggest one was spending time chatting with comic book fans and seeing how many of them took for granted that being intelligent or scientific automatically ruled out belief in God. . . .”Read more…
Concerns About Immigration. Part 8 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
While in Chapter 5 Soerens and Yang discuss what the Bible says about “welcoming the stranger,” in this chapter they present some of the concerns that many have when it comes to extending more generous immigration policy.Read more…
Welcome to Fall at ESN
As everyone settles into fall rhythms, we wanted to give you a quick preview of the rest of the semester at ESN.Read more…
Science Corner: The Word for ‘Gene’
I think it’s worth remembering that roughly 100 years ago, no language had a word for ‘gene.’Read more…
Thinking Biblically About Immigration. Part 7 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
The long and short of Chapter 5 is that God takes special concern for the foreigner and stranger because of their unique vulnerability.Read more…
The Emerging Scholars Blog: A 10-year Experiment in Building Online Community
The Emerging Scholars Blog has been a wonderful experiment in creating an online “third place.” My hope and prayer is that the Blog will continue to grow, adapt and thrive . . . Read more…
10/6: Veritas UTK Panel at Conference on Rhetoric and Religion
Professor Emeritus John Hardwig and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA staff Julian Reese will discuss how an atheist and an evangelical Christian, through the Veritas Forum at UTK, forged a mutually productive rhetorical partnership in the context of a major public university. Read more…
Science Corner: Throw Open the Gates of Science
The quality of our science will increase proportionately with and as a direct consequence of the diversity of our scientists.Read more…
Immigrating the Legal Way. Part 6 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
As we try to understand the issues surrounding immigration, sometimes the complexities of the US immigration system can seem hard to follow. Today, Royce offers a clear and approachable description, drawing on Welcoming the Stranger. Read more…
Snapshots of “Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?”
I recommend Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles? An MIT Professor Answers Questions on God and Science by Ian Hutchinson (and related videos) as a resource for personal questions, conversation, an interactive discussion group, and / or presentation preparation.Read more…
Taking the “Selfie Challenge”
It probably does not surprise you that I understand selfies (and digital communications in general) as “a form of autobiography–not just where we’ve been and what we’ve done but also what it all means” (90).Read more…
Science Corner: Summer Science News Round-Up
We’ve had a busy summer–traveling, going to the movies, releasing a book–leaving less time to talk about current research. And there have been several recent stories making the rounds in Christian circles. They touch on questions many of us haveRead more…
A Nation of Immigrants. Part 5 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
Your thoughts, emotions, and responsible actions will not be simple, because you do not face simplicity. We face complexity. And God is asking you to exercise discernment as you follow him into responsible action as we face this moment in our nation.Read more…
Summer Snapshot: Weaving Threads of Promise
This summer, God has met me in a new way: in the contrast of writing poetry and scientific articles.Read more…
In June or January: The Myth of Summertime (Summer Snapshot 2018)
William Carlos Williams once wrote, “In summer, the song sings itself.” Isn’t that a lovely idea? It certainly captured my mood back in May as I danced around the proverbial maypole and looked over the vast expanse of the summer months blooming ahead . . . Read more…
Science Corner: Giving Thanks for 6 Years of ESN Science Blogging
Next month will be 6 years that I’ve been blogging about science and related topics for the Emerging Scholars Network. Which means that just about exactly 6 years ago, Tom Grosh called me up and invited me to write forRead more…