Last fall, I defended my Ph.D. dissertation, and in May I attended my graduation at Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus. My studies were challenging, especially since I was changing my discipline, from engineering to Science and Technology Studies (STS), which is built around a core of history, sociology, and philosophy. Fortunately, I had some advantages as a “non-traditional” student. First, I was accustomed to research and writing after a long, successful career as an engineer. Second, my STS interests ran deep. And … [Read more...] about How Did You Do It? Faith and My Dissertation
secularism
Book Response: Christ and Culture Revisited, by D. A. Carson
As part of his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Ministry to Emerging Generations (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), Tom's written a number of book responses and given several short presentations (personal and group). In this series he not only "shares the wealth," but also looks forward to your feedback as he refines his project: An argument for vocational discernment for graduate studies in the context of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (Stay tuned to learn more!). Earlier posts on the program: Ministry to Emerging … [Read more...] about Book Response: Christ and Culture Revisited, by D. A. Carson
Takeaways from “Is Reality Secular?”
Welcome to the third post in a series in which we explore with Mary Poplin her 2014 publication Is Reality Secular? Testing the Assumptions of Four Global Worldviews? (InterVarsity Press). In earlier posts Mary provided: perspective on why she wrote Is Reality Secular? a brief snapshot of the four global worldviews she writes about in Is Reality Secular? In this piece Mary Poplin responds to my question, "What do you desire to be the top takeaways for readers of Is Reality Secular?" In future posts Mary … [Read more...] about Takeaways from “Is Reality Secular?”
The Future of ESN
This is my final post on the Emerging Scholars Blog. Well, my final planned post, anyway. Tom insisted that I leave the door open for guest posts in the future, but I won't be writing here every Tuesday as I have for the past few years. For my final post, Tom asked me to offer some thoughts about how far ESN has come and where it might be going in the future. I became involved with the Emerging Scholars Network because I wished it had existed when I was an undergraduate. I've told this story many times, but I … [Read more...] about The Future of ESN
Religion, Education, and the Meaning of Life
Over the last couple of weeks, I've been sharing my reflections on Anthony Kronman's 2007 book Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life. While I believe that his core argument is insightful, it's marred by a few blind spots. Originally, I was going to address Kronman's treatement of religion as one of his blind spots, but I've decided that his handling of religion is so problematic —and so harmful to his case —that it deserves its own post. Here's a brief summary of … [Read more...] about Religion, Education, and the Meaning of Life