Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

Pride

Daniel: Notes for Bible Study Groups, Part 4

Small Group 2Drawing from her own study of Daniel, the knowledge gained while serving as a teaching assistant for Prof. Iain Provan’s Regent College course on Daniel, and the insights gained through talks Carl Ellis gave at an InterVarsity conference, Kathy Cooper has compiled study notes for InterVarsity groups exploring Daniel. These notes are designed to be “plug and play.” While we’ll make some further study suggestions for those with extra time, these notes are designed to provide the basis for leading a thoughtful discussion about how Daniel applies to graduate student or faculty life even if a group has little extra prep time. These notes were designed for leading an inductive bible study discussion, but can be adapted for various bible study contexts. This is the final post in the series. For the first entry, click here. For the second, click here. For the third, visit this link. 

ESN is glad to share material by experienced InterVarsity staffers for campus groups this year; for more on what we’re sharing on the blog and why, see our fall blog lineup preview post. [Read more…] about Daniel: Notes for Bible Study Groups, Part 4

“Your crooked heart”: Literary Study and Spiritual Formation (Scholar’s Call)

Lear in the Storm O'Neal November 2015

John Runciman, King Lear in the Storm, 1767

Act III of Shakespeare’s King Lear gets to me every time. Lear, spectacularly blinded by pride and bereft of power in his old age, having foolishly exiled one daughter and exposed himself to betrayal by the other two, retreats into a storm with his Fool and descends into madness, shaking his fist at nature, railing, “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!” [Read more…] about “Your crooked heart”: Literary Study and Spiritual Formation (Scholar’s Call)

Review: March Madness ’14 Finals, Dialogue . . .

Integrating faith & field vs. Realizing justice in action

Ready for finals . . . graduation?

Yes, we’ve made it to the finals of ESN March Madness ’14. I have learned a lot as we have wrestled with the question:

What is the most pressing issue for the Christian to engage when journeying in higher ed?

Please share your vote and invite others to do likewise. Winner will be announced on Good Friday (4/18). Note: If you haven’t voted in ESN March Madness ’14 (and invited others to do likewise), now is the time to engage to make sure your vote is heard.

As I’ve shared before, this tourney is influencing our priority of focus as we prepare for Fall 2014. If you have a desire to address a particular topic or recommend a possible contributor (e.g., book to be reviewed, book reviewer, interview, offer a reflection), please let me know.

Engaging in the conversation . . .

Below are a few pieces which really caught my attention and yes, there are more on ESN’s Facebook Wall 🙂 Please do not hesitate to share your must reads in the comments section below, on Facebook, via email, etc. . . . [Read more…] about Review: March Madness ’14 Finals, Dialogue . . .

Brief Reflection on “The Great Sin”

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. Harper Collins, originally post in 1954.

Just finished reading C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy with one of my girls. What did she learn?

  1. To listen to the Lion, i.e., God
  2. Beware of pride
Mere Christianity. by C.S. Lewis. MacMillan. Originally published in 1952.

How about these as Lenten lessons? In my April 1 reading of  The Business of Heaven:  Daily Readings from C.S. Lewis (C.S. Lewis, Walter Hooper. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1984), I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’ focused thoughts on “The Great Sin” of pride/self-conceit (Mere Christianity. MacMillan, 1975, Book III, Chapter 8). Below’s a challenging section:

According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

Does this seem exaggerated? If so, think it over. I pointed out a moment ago that the more pride one had, the more one disliked pride in others. In fact, if you want to find out how proud you are, the easiest way is to ask yourself, ‘How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize me, or show off?’  [Read more…] about Brief Reflection on “The Great Sin”