Having its origins in and influence upon the academy, it seems fitting for ESN to publish a blog post on this highly influential academic movement and its reception in Christian communities. Some Christian communities engage Critical Race Theory (CRT) with great skepticism, some with indifference, and some welcome it. This post begins with a sympathetic outline of the origins and basic tenets of CRT as critical race theorists would explain them. This post will also describe some important points of tension and areas of … [Read more...] about Critical Race Theory: An Overview and Appraisal
academic culture
The Temptation of Knowledge and The Goodness of God
Before I begin a series on Lenten spirituality (come back on Ash Wednesday), it would be beneficial to tell you a bit about myself. If you're going to find truth in what I say, I suppose you'll need to see that Truth lives in me. I was raised in a strict Christian home where I, like many others, quickly lost interest in the gospel. Rather, I lost interest in what I misunderstood the gospel to be—that disgusting imposter of a gospel; that anathema of shame and guilt and hiddenness. At 18 I left home to “go to … [Read more...] about The Temptation of Knowledge and The Goodness of God
Bielo: How Do Evangelicals Read the Bible?
This summer, I'm reading —and blogging about —several books that reflect academic understandings of American evangelicals. The first of these is James S. Bielo's Words Upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study. Previously, I wrote about Bielo's discussion of Bible study as a social institution and how he decided to answer questions of identity about being a Christian and an academic.This week, I'm going to look at the actual act of reading the Bible in a small group Bible study. At the beginning … [Read more...] about Bielo: How Do Evangelicals Read the Bible?
A Tale of Two Christ(s)
Today, we have a guest post by Roy Joseph. Roy is an independent scholar who has taught previously at academic institutions in Pittsburgh and in the Chicago land area. Currently, he is working on a project on Creation and Cosmology and is deeply interested in issues of history and philosophy of science, theological aesthetics and creative writing as well. Please be sure to share your thoughts regarding "A Tale of Two Christ(s). ~ Tom An incendiary title of this nature might lead one to presume that this … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Christ(s)
What I Wish I’d Known: Balancing Life and Graduate School
Before joining ESN staff as a writer/editor in 2014, Hannah Eagleson wrote her series What I Wish I'd Known About Graduate School just after finishing her PhD in 2011. As promised in my last post, here I'm talking about some things I wish I'd known (or just done!) early on to balance my life and my graduate work. 1. Make worship central Graduate school can feel exhausting and terrifying. The pressure of continuing to produce and trying to impress professors and colleagues can make school seem like the … [Read more...] about What I Wish I’d Known: Balancing Life and Graduate School