Two weeks ago, James Sire addressed a question from me about learning from artists and writers who have a different world view than my own. In his response, he mentioned Alan Jacobs's A Theology of Reading, which I have been reading and blogging through lately. I'd like to expand a bit on Jim's reference to Jacobs's book with a few examples of charitable reading. Throughout the book, Jacobs offers “interludes,” which are essentially case studies of different styles and methods of reading. “Interlude D: Two Charitable … [Read more...] about Reading Pagans (and Christians) with Charity
virtue
A Christian Theology of Mentoring: History, Scripture, Virtue, and Discipline
Christians are characteristically convinced of the importance of mentoring because of the deep way it is embedded in their faith. Understanding God as Trinity presses on us the conviction that loving relationships are at the center of reality. We note that Jesus' own ministry was centered on the mentoring of the Twelve, and especially the Three. This focus on the intensive formation of a “school of thought and practice” accounts in large part for the durable power of Jesus' influence. Further, the maintenance of … [Read more...] about A Christian Theology of Mentoring: History, Scripture, Virtue, and Discipline
Evangelical Scholarship and the Pursuit of Excellence
A Review of Andreas Köstenberger's Excellence When posted, guest contributor and ESN member David Leonard had recently completed a Ph.D. in philosophy and was teaching a wide range of courses at several universities in the Twin Cities. His project at the time involved developing a taxonomy of the intellectual virtues to be used in college-level philosophy courses. David's scholarship on virtue gave him particular insight to review the book under consideration, Excellence: The Character of God and the … [Read more...] about Evangelical Scholarship and the Pursuit of Excellence
Review: Mark Noll’s Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind
Thank-you to InterVarsity colleague Tom Trevethan for giving the Emerging Scholars Network the permission to republish his review of Mark Noll's Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, originally in the Faculty Ministry's Lamp Post. Note: Mark Noll was the featured speaker at the 2012 Midwest Faculty Conference. Many thought of Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind as a sequel to The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans, 1994), which began with the biting observation and lament, "The scandal of … [Read more...] about Review: Mark Noll’s Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind
Have Colleges Given Up on the Meaning of Life?
I periodically dip into my ever-growing "to read" pile and select a book that I should have read several years ago. So, a few weeks ago, I started on Anthony T. Kronman's defense of the humanities and critique of contemporary higher education, Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life. Kronman served for a decade as the Dean of the Yale Law School. Since 2004, he has taught in the Yale Directed Studies program, which is a one-year "Great Books"-style program for … [Read more...] about Have Colleges Given Up on the Meaning of Life?