Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

scot mcknight

Lent brings me back to reflections on loss, grief, suffering

2012 Lenten Reflection Series

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus” by Owen Gingerich (Walker Publishing Co, 2004)

Last week I began the 2012 series with Entering Lent: “I Want” in Higher Education. As you may remember, Kent Annan’s  After Shock saturated my 2011 Lenten reflection. With Kent’s recent visit to South Central PA and the deep chord which “I Want” struck not only with me, but also a number of the students with whom I watched it, I wondered if my 2012 reflections would largely draw from his earlier book Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle (InterVarsity Press, 2009). Although this may still occur, on Friday I began reading a new book.

I picked up a copy of The Book Nobody Read: A Closer Look at the Book that Moved the World by Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and of the History of Science at Harvard University and a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, at Hearts & Minds Books when dropping off materials from Scot McKnight’s Christian Scholar Series presentation en route to have dinner with and then hear Owen present on the fascinating adventures related in The Book Nobody Read. But that’s not the book I’m referring to 😉

As occurs in gatherings of Christian scholars and students, I connected with a number of people.* At the conclusion of the lecture sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Forum for Religion and Science and Messiah College’s Center for Public Humanities, my friend Ted Davis (who directs the Forum and is Professor of the History of Science at Messiah College) introduced me to Paul Nisly. Paul is a retired Professor of English at Messiah College with a specialty is Southern literature. He particularly appreciates digging into William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. In addition to being an academic, Paul serves as a bishop in the Mennonite Church.

“Sweeping Up the Heart: A Father’s Lament for His Daughter” by Paul Nisly (Good Books. 1992)

When introducing my work with the Emerging Scholars Network in South Central PA and the Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA at the Penn State College of Medicine, I related the various speakers which we have hosted over the past twelve months. Messiah College alumnus Janel Atlas was among those whom I mentioned. As some of you may know, Janel presented at both the Medical Center and the Elizabethtown Public Library on They Were Still Born: Personal Stories about Stillbirth (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010). Paul responded to Janel’s story and the work at PSU-Hershey by sharing some of his own loss. [Read more…] about Lent brings me back to reflections on loss, grief, suffering

Join the heavens in proclaiming the glory of God

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. . . . The sun bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat. — Psalm 19:1-2, 5-6

2012 CMDA Northeast Winter Retreat Sunset. Psalm 19 provided the direction for morning prayer.

A few weeks ago my three year old daughter responded to the sunrise by shouting out, “Mom! I see God at work!” “Hi God!”

How do you respond to the glory of God by which you are surrounded as you make your way to campus, around campus, in your academic endeavors . . . living moving, breathing, thinking, loving, righteously Deploying Vocational Power for the common good in a body “fearfully and wonderfully” knit together “in the image of God” in your mother’s womb?

Today (and each and every day), I encourage you to join me in taking time to observe God’s “craftsmanship.” I have found starting this practice first thing in the morning leads to a day framed by (and many times filled by) praise, thanksgiving, and the longing to invite others to “see” God at work through the lens of His Word which is more desirable than gold, even the finest gold . . . . sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb (Psalm 19:10)! Come, take, eat, and enjoy.
[Read more…] about Join the heavens in proclaiming the glory of God

What have you been reading over Christmas Break?

Inspired by What will you be reading? (Scot McKnight. Jesus Creed Blog. 12/17/2010), I’m curious what Emerging Scholars have been reading over Christmas break.  Just looking for titles.  But if you have some brief comments/recommendations (or link to a longer review), please include them.

Below are the books in my queue.

I’ve completed three titles. [Read more…] about What have you been reading over Christmas Break?

Week in Review: Jesus, Law, and N. T. Wright Edition

What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to  Tom or Mike.

1.  The Jesus We’ll Never Know:  Why scholarly attempts to discover the ‘real’ Jesus have failed. And why that’s a good thing (Scot McKnight, Christianity Today, 4/9/2010).  Responses: N. T. Wright: We Do Need History, Craig Keener: Jesus Studies Matter, and Darrell Bock: We Need Context.

This is what I said to myself: As a historian I think I can prove that Jesus died and that he thought his death was atoning. I think I can establish that the tomb was empty and that resurrection is the best explanation for the empty tomb. But one thing the historical method cannot prove is that Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification. At some point, historical methods run out of steam and energy. Historical Jesus studies cannot get us to the point where the Holy Spirit and the church can take us. I know that once I was blind and that I can now see. I know that historical methods did not give me sight. They can’t. Faith cannot be completely based on what the historian can prove. The quest for the real Jesus, through long and painful paths, has proven that much — Scot McKnight.

2.   Reporting on the Oral Arguments of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez (UC-Hastings):  After Media Weighs In, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in ‘CLS v. Martinez’ (William Creeley, FIRE, 4/19/2010), Court Weighs Rights Of Campus Religious Groups (Nina Totenberg, NPR, 4/19/2010),  Supreme Court considers California law school’s discrimination policy (Robert Barnes, Washington Post, 4/20/2010).  For transcripts of the oral arguments and more background on the case visit the Christian Legal Society (CLS) resource page.

3. Need more N. T. Wright in your life? The 2010 Wheaton Theology Conference — Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N.T. Wright — took place last weekend, featuring N. T. Wright, Richard Hays, Edith Humphrey, Jeremy Begbie, Kevin Vanhoozer, and others. Download audio and video from the conference website.

4. If you came to Following Christ 2008, you might remember the powerful interview with Harvard Law professor William J. Stuntz — delivered by video because Professor Stuntz is dying of cancer. Read this Weekly Standard’s report of a recent tribute to this “gentleman-scholar” at Harvard, including a toast from someone who might soon be a Supreme Court Justice:

At the dinner for speakers on the first day of the event, U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan, former dean of Harvard Law School, ended her toast to Stuntz by saying, “Bill, I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time,” a reference to his standard modest farewell to a colleague with whom he has initiated a conversation. When contacted for this article, Stuntz responded in character: “I am a little embarrassed because I don’t believe my work merits this much attention, but I took a lot of pleasure in it as it allowed me to see and interact with old friends.”

5. If you are anywhere near Orange County, CA, set aside May 2 for Dallas Willard’s lecture “The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge” at UC-Irvine. Here’s a brief description:

Moral knowledge deals with “the thoughts and intents of the heart,” with a person’s character, and with good and evil. But can the moral life really be a subject of knowledge, or only of tradition, sentiment, and opinion or “faith”? This talk will draw upon themes from Professor Willard’s forthcoming book, The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge.

Sounds like a great event. (HT: Joseff via Facebook)

Week in Review: Friends of Computers and Animals Edition

What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to  Tom or Mike.

1. Friend Request: Confirm or Ignore? (Tom Bartlett, Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/5/2010). Are “we” (are you) becoming more friendly due to increased use of the internet tools such Facebook? Is there a positive feedback loop of increased number of friends with whom one communicates and friendship? How do you define friend in the context of social media such as Facebook?  Is there a threshold for the time/energy expended in virtual versus face-to-face friendships.  Maybe it’s time to read the research instead of the summary ;-)  HT:  Gordon.

2.   Swing by the Mustard Seed Associates (MSA) for their series 2010-2020, New Challenges-New Possibilities:  Technology & Social Networking, e.g.,  Rosie Perera‘s thoughts on The 10 Commandments of Computer Ethics. Note (3/10/2011): MSA’s site has been under attack. I’ve substituted other links to the same material. Praying for full restoration of MSA’s valuable on-line resources.

3.  Christian Legal Society v. Martinez: Can Government Funds be Denied to Religious Groups on Campus? by David Masci, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, 4/6/2010.

On April 19, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will determine whether a public institution can refuse official recognition to a religiously-based organization that prevents those who do not share its religious and moral values from becoming voting members. The case arose in 2004 when a chapter of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) expressed a desire to register as an official student group at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law.

4. Science, Advocacy, and the What It Means to Be Human: “Can Animals Be Gay?” (Jon Mooallem, New York Times, March 29) raises some fascinating questions. This would be an excellent article to read and discuss with a campus group. Questions that you might raise:

  • What’s the connection between scholarship, advocacy, and application?
  • How do we determine good models for being human?
  • What do you do when your research is misinterpreted or misapplied?
  • How should Christians interact with topics like “heterosexist bias”?

5. Are you missing chances for Christian community? From Mike: I’m at the Stone-Campbell Conference today at Cincinnati Christian University, an annual academic conference for faculty and students at universities affiliated with the Christian Church, Church of Christ, and Disciples of Christ (“Stone-Campbell” churches).  So far as I can tell, there isn’t anyone here from a secular university, yet here are some of the plenary and seminar topics:

  • Scot McKnight (North Park U., author of Jesus Creed, Blue Parakeet, Embracing Grace) is the main speaker, addressing Spirituality in a Postmodern Age and Spiritual Disciplines for Today
  • Tomorrow, David Fleer of Lipscomb University will speak on The Challenge of Spirituality for Academic Scholars.
  • Seminars include:
    • The Relevance of the Philosophy of Science for Christian Faith
    • Finding God in the Midst of Crisis
    • Spiritual Direction in the Mentoring Relationship
    • 10 Things You Can Do Now to Get Published
    • Post Civil Rights Spirituality
    • Pursuing a PhD: Tips and Warnings

Wow! If you’re at a secular university, don’t those sound like great topics to discuss with your fellow Christian academics?

Books:

Tom’s almost finished with Brian Godawa’s Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination (InterVarsity Press, 2009) and it continues to be excellent!  Yesterday Tom couldn’t resist picking up The Comet and the Tornado: Reflections on the Legacy of Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture and the Creation of Our Carnegie Mellon Dream Fulfillment Factory by Donald Marinelli, Executive Producer of Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center.  Anybody else reading it?  Note:  For Tom’s take on the last lecture, click here.