Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

cancer

Science in Review: Taxi Cab Science

Photo of taxi cab
I’m generally looking forward to autonomous cars, but taxis do bring people together who would otherwise never chat. (Photo by Unsplash)

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a science writing workshop organized by Christianity Today. I wrote a few pieces for their e-magazine The Behemoth and since they are now looking to expand their science coverage in their main magazine, they kindly invited me to participate. I appreciated the opportunity to reflect in a more focused fashion on my role as a science communicator, on the promotion of science versus the practice of science, and on what readers want and need from science coverage. After a day and half of contemplation, I only had to get into the cab to the airport for a chance at practical application.
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Thank you. You can rest Dallas Willard.

Dallas WIllard. Photo from
InterVarsity alumni – Dallas Willard (Gordon Govier. 5/14/2009, http://www.intervarsity.org/news/intervarsity-alumni–dallas-willard).

I write after a good cry. Dallas Willard died this morning after announcing stage 4 cancer on Monday. You can read more here.

For those who don’t know, Dallas was a longtime philosophy professor at USC. He was a great voice for Christianity and his writings will continue to influence new generations of Christians. His book Spirit of the Disciplines was influential in my life, helping me to see that following and becoming like Christ is our life’s work. I became a disciple by reading this book.

At the end of my first semester on campus at USC I stopped in my tracks one day with the conviction that I should visit Dallas’ office and share more of my heart with him. We had met a couple of times earlier in the semester, but I had only been able to introduce myself briefly.

I had an apple left over from my lunch and I grabbed it and walked to Dallas’ office while I sifted through the thoughts I wanted to communicate. He was in his office and only had a few minutes before class. He was standing and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while reading something on his desk. He welcomed me, the interruption. [Read more…] about Thank you. You can rest Dallas Willard.