Some Christians have felt that this basic insight into the constructed nature of all human knowledge undermines the absolute truth of Christian doctrines, but I found that it only deepened my Christian convictions about the depravity of human nature and the grievous effects of the fall upon the way we learn and know. - David Vishanoff, “Sacrificial Listening,” Faithful Is Successful p. 215 [Read more…] about Sacrificial Listening (Scholar’s Compass)
Faithful is Successful
Faithful in Successful: Interview with Soo Chuen Tan
ESN continues its series of interviews with authors of Faithful Is Successful. You can read Chelsea Foster’s previous post on Soo Chuen Tan’s chapter in Faithful Is Successful here. Soo Chuen Tan grew up in Malaysia and attended college at Oxford, England. Soo Chuen later received a fellowship as a Harvey Fellow to Harvard University to complete his MBA. He decided to join the investment management field, but was challenged by certain ethical demands of the industry. As a result, five years ago he founded his own firm in order to manage money for non-profit foundations and individuals with endowments whose missions aligned with his spiritual foundations. He joined the Harvey Fellows advisory board in 2005, and now lives in Stanford, Connecticut.
1. ESN: You note in your essay that “it is critically important to sail by a strong internal compass . . . we must be able and willing to do the right thing even if this is against our best interests.†Do you have any practical suggestions or words of wisdom on how others might develop such convictions? [Read more…] about Faithful in Successful: Interview with Soo Chuen Tan
Faithful Is Successful: Learn to Discern (Scholar’s Compass)
“One does well to listen to the “quiet, still voice†of one’s conscience in daily decisions. When something does not feel right, it usually is not.†~ Soo Chuen Tan, “Investing As a Calling,” Faithful Is Successful (2014)
Reflection
Soo Chuen Tan seems to have found what many have spent years seeking . . . not wealth nor earthly wisdom, but peace in the will of God. It has taken me a couple of decades to get to this place. I left a highly secure job as a high school teacher in a beautiful suburban setting, teaching subjects that I loved most to share. Life was ideal and my income was strong. Yet, God had other plans. Within five years, my husband and I had four children and in the sixth year my mother had a paralyzing stroke the month before my husband was to start graduate school. I had decided that it was time for me to resign and to focus my commitments on my family. [Read more…] about Faithful Is Successful: Learn to Discern (Scholar’s Compass)
Success: Thy Will – Or My Will – Be Done?
What is your greatest fear as you move through your academic or professional training? (Seriously. Â Please take a moment and give it some thought before reading on.) [Read more…] about Success: Thy Will – Or My Will – Be Done?
Faithful Is Successful: Interview with Howard Louthan
ESN continues its series of interviews with authors of Faithful Is Successful, with Esther Harris interviewing Howard Louthan. You can read Esther’s previous post on Howard’s chapter in Faithful Is Successful here. In fall 2015 Howard Louthan and his wife Andrea Sterk will be assuming new positions at the University of Minnesota. They both previously taught history at the University of Florida. Howard specializes in the cultural and intellectual history of Renaissance and Reformation Europe with a particular focus on religion. His most recent books include Converting Bohemia: Force and Persuasion in the Catholic Reformation (Cambridge, 2009) and an edited collection of essays Sacred History: Uses of the Christian Past in the Renaissance World (Oxford, 2012). Howard and Andrea have a family of three children.Â
1. Esther: It was a pleasure to sense your clear vocational calling to history in your reflection. You say this ‘great love’ began as an undergraduate. Would you share with us if and how this scholarly love was fostered by your Christian faith back then?
Howard:Â I grew up in a very supportive Christian family in terms of learning. My parents worked hard to instill in us a real love for learning and perhaps most importantly a curiosity for the world around us. They were careful not to steer us in any one particular direction. [Read more…] about Faithful Is Successful: Interview with Howard Louthan