Category: secularism

Belief and Belonging at Calvin University: How Does a Denominational University stay Vibrantly Christian?

May 27, 2020

A shorter version of this article appeared in The Christian Courier June 8th 2020. It involves changing faculty requirements at Calvin University, but it has implications for all Christian institutions of higher education: how best to nurture a faithful Christian faculty with a common identity and purpose? How do you navigate between the polar extremes … More Belief and Belonging at Calvin University: How Does a Denominational University stay Vibrantly Christian?

If we are all wired for God–why is atheism the modern option?

December 18, 2019

In my last post I explained John Calvin’s contentious claim that everyone is somehow wired for God–a phenomenon he called the sensus divinitatis. But it leaves our modern mind with a number of questions. For one, a logical pushback would be: if everyone is hardwired for God, why are there so many atheists through history … More If we are all wired for God–why is atheism the modern option?

Diverse Diversity in the Public University: A Book Review of Wolterstorff’s “Religion in the University”

September 5, 2019

Wolterstorff’s goal: to establish the place of religion in the public university in a liberal democracy. Not its legal or moral place, but its place within the role-ethic of a scholar in such a context. … More Diverse Diversity in the Public University: A Book Review of Wolterstorff’s “Religion in the University”

Dying to the Genius of Youth: Andrew Root vs. John Seel on the Future of the Church

August 26, 2019

I just had an article published with The Christian Courier in which I review some recent books on youth, faith, and church. The subject, of course, is close to the heart of the university, as it is dedicated to the formation of youth for wisdom and service in society. To be for higher education is … More Dying to the Genius of Youth: Andrew Root vs. John Seel on the Future of the Church

The Corpus of James K. A. Smith: Worldview Made Flesh

June 17, 2019

Dr. James K. A. Smith has been called both an “academic rock star” and “a faithful guide” and I want to commend his postliberal Biblical vision for creaturely life to you. I have been following him for years, trying to keep up with his prolific writing, identifying him as a post-boomer peer who offers a fresh paradigm and practice for Christians. I would describe him best as a provocative public intellectual: a self-described “philosophical theologian with interest in socio-political realities” who teaches at Calvin University in Michigan. … More The Corpus of James K. A. Smith: Worldview Made Flesh

Christian Worldview 101

June 1, 2019

Worldviews are the way we view the world and its moral order. G. K. Chesterton maintained that while it is important for a landlady to know the income of her renter, it is more important for her to know his worldview. “The most practical and important thing about a man,” he said, “is still his view of the universe.” … More Christian Worldview 101

Dialogical Pluralism for Secular Universities

May 10, 2019

Blog Intro Post #2 Global Scholars has historically focused on sending professors to publicly-funded universities rather than Christian colleges and seminaries. This was not because there were other agencies already pursuing the worldwide establishment and resourcing specifically Christian institutions. There were. But it was a vision for a Christian academic voice within the national research … More Dialogical Pluralism for Secular Universities