{The following excerpt comes from Matt Hoven, J.J. Carney, and Max Engel, On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport (Cascade/Wipf & Stock: Eugene, OR, 2022), 115-7. Used with permission from Wipf and Stock Publishers. Available for purchase at wipfandstock.com, Amazon.com, and elsewhere}. The vast majority of elite athletes practice superstitions—despite the fact that…
In the second episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Francis S. Collins, physician-scientist and former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Collins begins by describing the day in November 2020, when he and his colleagues at the NIH unblinded the data related to the clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine and found its efficacy rate was 94.5%. In addition to describing his response and the responses of his colleagues to what was an unprecedented success, Collins offers details concerning previous scientific achievements upon which he and his colleagues depended when making such a successful vaccine in such a short period of time. Ream then asks Collins to step back and describe how he came to embrace serving as a physician-scientist as his vocation. While Collins was fortunate to work with several mentors while a medical student, a doctoral student, and an undergraduate, he offers the greatest credit to a high school teacher, Mr. House, who introduced Collins to scientific research as being comparable to being a detective. Collins describes his hopes for his most recent book, The Road to Wisdom, and his desire for people to come together during such a polarized season. Collins then closes by describing his work with operatic-soprano Renée Fleming and how the relationship shared by music and science enhances human health and flourishing.
In the forty-seventh episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Michael W. McConnell, the Richard and Mallery Francis Professor of Law, Director of the Constitutional Law Center, and Senior Fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. McConnell starts by offering details concerning how his preparation for the sixteen cases he argued to date before the Supreme Court differs from his preparation for the cases he argued before other appellate courts. Ream and McConnell then discuss how McConnell’s calling to the study and practice of law emerged and how clerking for Skelly Wright with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and for William Brennan with the United States Supreme Court impacted McConnell’s vocation as a legal scholar. Their conversation then shifts to McConnell’s most recent book (co-authored with Nathan Chapman), Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience (Oxford University Press, 2023), cases McConnell argued concerning the Establishment Clause, and how the views of the courts—especially the Supreme Court—changed over time concerning this critical component of the Constitution. Ream and McConnell then close by discussing McConnell’s understanding of the academic vocation and how the his service to his students is still what he values the most.
In the twenty-seventh episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Barry H. Corey, the President of Biola University. Corey opens by discussing his transition from being a senior administrator at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts to the presidency of Biola University in Southern California. Now in his seventeenth year at Biola, Barry reflects upon the opportunities and challenges both of those institutions face in their respective regions when it comes to cultivating Christian discipleship. Ream and Corey then talk through how Biola as a multi-denominational institution identifies the theological commitments that animate it and, in turn, shape the curricular and co-curricular educational experiences it affords its students. Of greatest focus is Biola’s ongoing commitment to revisiting the “Workers’ Register and Articles of Faith” or “The Red Book.” Ream and Corey close their conversation by talking about the relationship Biola shares with the myriad of churches that populate Southern California and how Biola’s health and the health of those churches relate another.
In the twenty-second episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with W. Bradford Wilcox, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation University Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. Wilcox begins by discussing what constitutes a family-friendly institution and what colleges and universities can do to make good on such commitments. While Wilcox points to policies as being important, he also notes one should observe the landscape of the campus and note whether children are welcomed and present. Wilcox discusses the influences that led to his transition as an undergraduate student of government to sociology and, in particular, sociology as a means of understanding the well-being of families as his life calling. As an example of those efforts, Wilcox discusses his most recent book, Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilizations. He then closes by sharing his thoughts concerning the virtues sociologists need to develop and the ways those virtues enhance their ability to assess the opportunities and challenges families are facing.
In the forty-eighth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Cathleen Kaveny, the Darald and Juliet Libby Millenium Professor of Theology and Law at Boston College. Ream opens by asking Kaveny about her efforts concerning interdisciplinary scholarship, how such efforts break down siloes often defining academe, and how the challenges plaguing society often transcend those siloes. One critical component of interdisciplinary scholarship that Kaveny stresses is the full appropriation of questions that arise from any set of relevant disciplines. Doing so, however, demands the exercise of various virtues including humility and the recognition that one may need to seek the assistance of colleagues. Ream and Kaveny discuss Kaveny’s education and the freedom she found to transcend those siloes as an undergraduate at Princeton as well as a joint J.D./Ph.D. student at Yale. Kaveny then explains the debt of gratitude she owes to several teachers as well as Judge John T. Noonan for whom she clerked for how they shaped her sense of vocation.
In the forty-sixth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Marc O. DeGirolami, the St. John Henry Newman Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person at Catholic University of America. DeGirolami opens by addressing the current state of conversations concerning human flourishing, what those conversations offer yet also where those conversations may fail due to a lack of theological and philosophical depth. Ream and DeGirolami then talk through how DeGirolami came to appreciate the ways the education he received and the experiences he encountered fostered his calling to study and practice law. They talk through DeGirolami’s eventual appointment to Catholic University of America as well as his short-term and long-term plans as the Co-Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person. They then close their conversation by discussing how DeGirolami has come to define the academic vocation as a legal scholar and what he believes the university and the Church owe the next generation of legal practitioners and scholars as they prepare for lives of service.
In the forty-fourth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with John Inazu, the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. Inazu begins by discussing the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, why its components prove valuable to so many people, and why the debates surrounding those components may bespeak something positive about citizenship in the United States. Ream and Inazu then discuss Inazu’s commitment to the study and practice of law, how it emerged, and the mentors and readings that impacted it. Such an understanding of the practice and study of the law then led Inazu to write his recently released Learning to Disagree as well Uncommon Ground which Inazu co-authored with Tim Keller. Ream and Inazu then close their conversation talking about the academic vocation, Inazu’s understanding of such a calling, and the virtues that prove critical to its exercise.
In the thirty-sixth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Charles Taylor, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at McGill University. Ream and Taylor open by exploring the relationship shared by perceptions of selfhood and perceptions of how societies organize themselves. Taylor then addresses what happens when misalignment between the two occurs as various perceptions of selfhood come into conflict with one another in common social and political spaces. Ream and Taylor then discuss Taylor’s calling to academic philosophy yet how that calling was never entirely divorced from Taylor’s commitment to public service. For example, Ream and Taylor discuss Taylor’s service as co-chair of the Québec Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences. After discussing the impact Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Edmund Husserl made on Taylor’s thinking about selfhood, Ream and Taylor explore how Taylor identified and framed the questions he pursued in works such as Sources of the Self and A Secular Age. Following up on these works, Ream asks Taylor to explore the significance of Taylor’s most recent works, The Language Animal and Cosmic Connections. They then close their conversation by discussing Taylor’s perceptions of the academic vocation along with when and how scholars can be of service as public intellectuals.
In the thirty-third episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Michael D. Wilder, Dean of the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College. Wilder opens by addressing the ways music contributes to the cultivation of an imagination and how music is inherently part of human flourishing.
In the thirty-first episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Amos Yong, Professor of Theology and Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. Yong begins by addressing the contributions theologians from various Asian American backgrounds have made in recent years. As someone from Malaysia and China, Yong adds details concerning his own growth in understanding the critical role of place in theology. Ream and Yong then discuss how Yong’s Pentecostal background contributed to his theological habit of inquiring about the role of the Holy Spirit in a myriad of areas including the relationship shared by theology and science, theology of disability, and theology of higher education. Yong noted that when he completed his Ph.D. in the 1990s, few theologians sought to discern the role of the Holy Spirit in such areas. Such questions, however, are now frequently asked along with a host of others. Ream and Yong then conclude their conversation by expanding upon Yong’s understanding of the relationship the university and the Church share as detailed in Yong’s recent book (with Dale M. Coulter), The Holy Spirit and Higher Education: Renewing the Christian University.
In the twenty-ninth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Douglas A. Sweeney, Professor of Divinity and Dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. Sweeney begins by talking about the unique space Beeson fills in theological education as a confessional, evangelical, and interdenominational institution. He then goes on to talk about how that unique space is enhanced by Beeson’s commitment to offering an incarnational experience for ministerial formation through in-person teaching, small class sizes, shared worship experiences, and common meals. Ream and Sweeny then transition to talking about Sweeney’s own preparation for leading such an institution as a result of his experiences at Yale University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. A key component of that preparation in Sweeney’s life is his study of Jonathan Edwards and ways Edwards faith prompted him to pursue truth regardless of where it may reside. Ream and Sweeney close their conversation by talking about the relationship Beeson shares with Samford’s other professional schools as well as ways it seeks to offer continuing education for laypersons.
In the twenty-eighth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Michael D. Hammond, the President of Gordon College. Hammond opens by discussing his loyalties as an avid baseball fan and his experience of throwing out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game. He then discusses the discernment process he undertook and the critical role mentors played as he made the transition from a department chair to a dean, to a provost, and now to a president. Ream and Hammond discuss Hammond’s leadership style and how that style has contributed to the considerable rise in engagement and morale at Gordon even though morale and engagement have declined across higher education in recent years. They also talk about how that leadership style pays dividends during the season of political, social, and even religious fragmentation presently plaguing the United States. Ream and Hammond then close their conversation by exploring how the Christian academic vocation is understood and exercised at Gordon and the unique opportunities that come with its exercise in New England.
In the twenty-sixth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Jessica Hooten Wilson, the Fletcher Jones Professor of Great Books at Pepperdine University. Wilson begins by detailing what qualities define a great book and what a great book asks of the readers who encounter it. While some books may yield useful information, Wilson contends a great book demands that readers find themselves within an unfolding story and, in turn, ask how they understand themselves and the world differently because of such an experience. Ream and Wilson then discuss the state of English departments, how such departments define themselves, and how those definitions translate into offerings that fail to form students well beyond the narrow strictures of a discipline. With an enhanced understanding of the value of language and literature in place, Wilson reflects upon the lessons she has learned as a public intellectual, especially lessons related to the usage of various social media platforms. Ream and Wilson then close their conversation by discussing how the engagement with the great books serves as a bridge between the Church and the Church-related university.
In the thirteenth episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Heather Templeton Dill, the President of the John Templeton Foundation. Heather talks about her vision for the foundation to be a global catalyst that inspires awe and wonder as a result of its focus on investing in efforts to ask the big questions. They also talk about the impact that Heather’s grandfather, Sir John Templeton, and her father, John M. Templeton, Jr. had on the vision and culture of the foundation. They then close by talking about how Church-related colleges and universities can be spaces in our society which cultivate an ability to ask the big questions as well as foster the virtues educators and students need to pursue possible answers to those questions.
In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Karen Swallow Prior, noted author, compelling teacher, and public intellectual. Todd and Karen first discuss evangelicals’ role in the Victorian age and its literature, as well as, Karen’s vocational journey as an English professor and public intellectual. Karen also talks about her social media, specifically Twitter and Substack, where she’s been able to share her thoughts and research on the intersection of Christianity and culture. Lastly, they discuss Karen’s newest book: The Evangelical Imagination.
In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd interviews Shirley Hoogstra, the president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), on her role in representing Christian higher education institutions, today’s challenges facing the Christian higher education, and the relationship between Christian education and the Church.
In the twenty-third episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Helen M. Alvaré, the Robert A. Levy Chair in Law and Liberty and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law. Alvaré opens by discussing the impact of the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, how debates concerning abortion shifted to the states, and the impact of that shift on families and childhood well-being. One of the commitments Alvaré also discusses is how her pro-life commitments and her commitments as a feminist are inextricable from one another and thus even reinforce and strengthen one another. Alvaré then shares details concerning her formation as a steward of the law which includes study as an undergraduate at Villanova, law school at Cornell, and graduate work in theology at Catholic University of America. She also unpacks how her service to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops during the 1990s impacted how she exercises her commitments to serve as a legal scholar and public intellectual. Those lessons then also inform efforts such as her most recent book, Religious Freedom after the Sexual Revolution. Alvaré then concludes by discussing the virtues legal scholars need to strive to cultivate and how those virtues can be aligned in ways that serve the Church and its efforts to put families and children first.
A 2018 volume on Mainline Protestantism opened by asking the question, “Is American mainline Protestantism a relic of a bygone era, the religious equivalent of Howard Johnsons’ Restaurants or Sears, a former giant now fighting for cultural relevance?” On one hand, one could argue that things are not quite that bad at the moment in…
On Friday, the largest-scale exploration of the American academic vocation will hit theaters. With a rumored marketing budget of $100 million, few of us likely avoided the campaign NBCUniversal unleashed in recent weeks for Christopher Nolan’s next film, Oppenheimer. Viewers of Wimbledon and Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, for example, were repeatedly introduced to snippets…
