Much evangelism happens on campus — indeed, the college campus might be the central place where evangelism takes place in US culture — but I'd wager that very little evangelism happens within the academy, inside the formal and informal structures of scholarship, teaching, and academic service. At my church, I've just started teaching an 8-week series on evangelism to my adult bible fellowship. I'm using the following working definition of evangelism: Introducing nonChristians to the good news of Jesus … [Read more...] about Evangelism in the Academy
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A Beautiful Summation of the Gospel
For your reflection in the midst of Holy Week and in the days which follow: God created us to share in this relationship (between the Father and the Son) and gave us a share in the communion of the Trinity at creation. This is the primary thing that we lost through the Fall. God's promise after the Fall, around which one may organize the entire history and teaching of the Old Testament, was ultimately a promise that the Son of God would come to bring human beings back into a share in the communion of the … [Read more...] about A Beautiful Summation of the Gospel
Sharing the Gospel with Faculty Colleagues
As you may know, evangelism is a core value of InterVarsity, and InterVarsity's Graduate and Faculty Ministries (of which ESN is a part) has named "Evangelism and Service" as one of its four core commitments. But several of us within InterVarsity have been discussing the unique challenges for faculty who want to share the gospel with their colleagues. By extension, these challenges apply to those who want to become faculty, as well. Evangelism by an undergrad who expects to graduate within a few years, or by a campus … [Read more...] about Sharing the Gospel with Faculty Colleagues
Evil,Subjectivism, and the Gospel
The ESN Day Ahead ended well, and the main Following Christ conference has begun. I am assisting with the Humanities track, chaired by Michael Murray of Franklin & Marshall. In his opening remarks about human flourishing, Dr. Murray described the danger that ethical subjectivism poses to the gospel. If there is no right or wrong, if "evil" is an outdated concept and what we think of as "sin" is really just "bad manners," then the gospel no longer makes sense. God seems cruel and vindictive to send his only Son … [Read more...] about Evil,Subjectivism, and the Gospel