Not long ago I wrote an Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) blog post about my experiences on the tenure track, sharing my concerns about whether I would get tenure and contemplating my priorities. I wanted to think through whether tenure even should be my primary goal, and what I would give up to achieve it. It was encouraging to me to see that I’m not alone, and that others feel some of the same pressures I do. Thank you to those who commented.
Looking back, though, I realized that I made some generalizations that I probably should have qualified, and that my tone at times came across as both arrogant and whiny. In my essay, I suggested that as a Christian, it’s hard to meet the university’s standards, since my values don’t always correspond to the expectations of my institution. I also expressed my frustration with the pressure I have felt in Christian circles that view excellent work as part of my Christian duty. But this isn’t the whole story. In many ways—dare I say most?—my faith has helped me to do better work than I may have done otherwise. [Read more…] about Success, Failure and the Protestant Work Ethic