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Writing Short Stuff

Reading these daily postings has become a refreshing ritual for me. As someone who likes books and long essays, I have been a faithful reader of the Christian Scholars Review since its beginning in 1970. Yet, as the blog has developed, the format of short daily pieces has come to be something I cherish. Early…
October 30, 2026
Blog

The Problem with Siloed Religion Departments, a Lack of Incentives, and Christ-Animated Learning

Earlier this year, an article by the well-known Christian sociologist Christian Smith made the rounds. Entitled “Why I’m Done with Notre Dame,” Smith chronicled his frustration with the University of Notre Dame’s priorities and administrators' lack of effort in promoting its Catholic mission. I found his description of what happens at the University of Notre…
October 29, 2026
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A Conversation, So-Called

FIRST: I’ll tell you what I’d like to see in my classroom: genuine Socratic dialogue. SECOND: You’ve been reading too much Classical Education hype. What makes you think that’s the answer? FIRST: Formally, it just works. You’ve got to admit that Plato is so much more engaging than most philosophers, mostly because he wrote dialogues!…
October 27, 2026
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The Logic of Belief: The Design of the Universe

We do this thing at LeTourneau as we interview people for faculty positions – “Tell us about your faith journey.” Some call it giving your testimony. Many candidates branch off along two main paths: (1) I've always been Christian, since I was a small child - I can't remember anything else; or (2) they relate…
October 26, 2026
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The Rational Structure of Creation: What Organic Chemistry Reveals About the Logos

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,sustaining all things by his powerful word. – Hebrews 1:3 Organic chemistry reveals a world of remarkable order. Whether one examines the molecular handedness of amino acids and sugars or the predictable mechanisms governing substitution, elimination, and addition reactions, the natural…

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Artificial Intelligence, the Comfort of Knowing, and the Unease of Prayer

Conversations surrounding the practical use of artificial intelligence in student academic work seem to be less straight-forward than those having to do with plagiarism.This is not to say considerations about plagiarism should be one-dimensional. For thoughtful considerations dealing with these topics, I highly recommend Rachel B. Griffis, “Plagiarism as the Language of Ownership: Aligning Academic…
March 31, 2025
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How Are Men Fallen? Evaluating a New Toxic Masculinity Scale

Just as both men and women are created in God’s image, we are also both fallen. Moreover, there can be sex differences among men and women (often simply in terms of percentages and not absolutes) in the ways they demonstrate virtue and vice. What that means and what the redemption of masculinity and femininity might…
March 28, 2025
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The Joy of Administration

April is still a ways off so, no, I’m not trying to pull anyone’s leg. I really do find joy in academic administration…let me explain. My administrative work began as a department chair about 10 years ago when my dean asked if I’d consider serving. Honestly, I was a bit wary of some percolating challenges…
March 24, 2025
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Christian Higher Education Enrollment and Race/Ethnicity

My Canadian wife works extensively with international students at Baylor. Recently, she got to know two different Nigerian students. At one level, one would think that these international students from the same country would love to get together with one another. Yet, that view is premised on North American racial, ethnic, and national categories. It…
March 21, 2025
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Recognizing Self and Others in an Age of Generative AI

In recent years, it has been our technology that has “recognized” us. Our smartphones and laptops are unlocked by fingerprint readers, virtual assistants, like Siri and Alexa, are activated by our voices, and facial recognition technology scans our faces in various security contexts. Recognition and identification technology became prominent, especially with the rise of modern…
March 19, 2025
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Seeing the Unseen: Authentic Leadership Within Faculty Struggle

If you’ve read my last two blogs (see here and here), you know what I’m all about: Authenticity and the undergraduate disabled student community. That is my thing. And, since stretching out my baby research legs after my dissertation a few years ago, my passion for this underrepresented population has only grown. I was on…
March 18, 2025