For as long as I have been aware of political goings-on, lawmakers have used scientific research in an attempt to score points about government waste. It's a pretty easy game to play; any robust array of research funding will include some grants for high risk projects, niche studies, or ambitious moon shots. And if your audience has an implicit assumption that funding science basically amounts to buying obvious practical applications of utility to many, it's that much easier to find projects that will fail that … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Scrutiny of the Bounty
academic freedom
Academic Freedom and the Freedom of the Christian Academic
Bob Trube, the Director of the Emerging Scholars Network, offers this reflection on academic freedom and Christian freedom as an "op-ed" for the ESN community, welcoming both comment and consideration of how then we might live in this contentious time. _______________ The Chronicle of Higher Education posted an article this week titled "Academic Freedom Is on the Ropes." The article describes the dilemma of faculty in today's academy as "caught in a pincer grip from the political right and left." It is conceivable … [Read more...] about Academic Freedom and the Freedom of the Christian Academic
Week in Review: World Cup Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here's a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you'd like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike. 1. Faith and Freedom (Inside Higher Ed, June 9): Our brothers and sisters to the north are facing an interesting debate. The Canadian Association of University Teachers (the largest Canadian faculty association) has begun a campaign to … [Read more...] about Week in Review: World Cup Edition
Week in Review: Jesus, Law, and N. T. Wright Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here's a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you'd like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike. 1. The Jesus We'll Never Know: Why scholarly attempts to discover the 'real' Jesus have failed. And why that's a good thing (Scot McKnight, Christianity Today, 4/9/2010). Responses: N. T. Wright: We Do Need History, Craig Keener: Jesus … [Read more...] about Week in Review: Jesus, Law, and N. T. Wright Edition
Christians and Conflict in the Academy
I'm going to try to link two current stories involving Christianity and the academy, and I'll be the first to admit that the attempt might not work. A big disclaimer: I am not an expert on either of these, so I'm going to provide some links at the bottom of the post. Today, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case CLS v. Martinez, in which a university and a Christian student organization disagree about who —legally speaking —has the right to belong to a student organization as a public university. Last … [Read more...] about Christians and Conflict in the Academy