“People Focused and Community Minded” ft. the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Romanita Hairston I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 10 Post

In the tenth episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Romanita Hairston, CEO of the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. Romanita starts by sharing her vocational journey in leading different organizations. Then, they discuss the “Murdock-ish” values of the Trust and how they practice that with their partners and beneficiaries. Lastly, they talk about how philanthropic organizations can support the Church and church-based educational institutions.

“Ecumenical Wisdom” ft. the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C. M. I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 9 Post

In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. They begin by talking about the “warming of relations” between Catholics and Protestants, as well as, how many Catholic colleges and universities started. Then, they discuss how Vatican II has influenced Catholic colleges and universities and how the Church and church-related higher ed institutions can be of greater service to each other.

“When Robots Climb Walls” ft. Westmont College’s Dan Jensen I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 7 Post

In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Daniel D. Jensen, the Westmont endowed Professor of Engineering and Director of the Engineering Program at Westmont College. Dan shares about getting into aerospace engineering and his transition from serving on the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy for 21 years to now teaching at Westmont.

“Enhancing Human Flourishing” ft. Baylor University’s Sarah A. Schnitker I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 4 Post

In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Sarah Schnitker, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University and Director of the Science of Virtues Lab. They discuss Sarah’s work studying patience and other virtues, as well as how religiosity and spirituality contribute to people’s virtue development. Sarah also shares about working with other researchers across different disciplines to meet the felt needs of various communities.

“The Christian Polytechnic University” ft. LeTourneau University’s Steven D. Mason I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 3 Post

In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Dr. Steven D. Mason, president of LeTourneau University. They discuss Steve’s journey to becoming an Old Testament scholar then provost and president at LeTourneau University, and also the uniqueness of LeTourneau being the Christian polytechnic university. Steve offers advice to younger colleagues discerning a call towards educational leadership, as well as how to start and manage STEM programs in Christian colleges and universities.

“A Comprehensive Gospel” ft. The National Association of Evangelicals’ Walter Kim I Saturdays at Seven Ep. 2 Post

In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd interviews Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Walter shares his faith journey which began with an inspiration from Star Wars, lead to serving congregations all over North America, and now drives him in his role as president of NAE. He and Todd discuss what it means to be evangelical and how Christian colleges can serve as examples to evangelical churches in engaging and transforming society.

Announcement – Saturdays at Seven: Conversations with Christian Thought Leaders Launches September 9, 2023 Post

As the publisher for Christian Scholar’s Review, I have the privilege of interacting with thought leaders serving in a variety of contexts including colleges and universities, foundations, associations, media outlets, and churches. Despite the challenging times we face in higher education, those conversations provide me with hope about the vocation we hold in trust and—sooner…

J. Robert Oppenheimer: An Autopsy of the American Academic Vocation, Part 5 Post

As recounted in the previous post, Oppenheimer fixated on a rather limited view of the academic vocation. While limited in scope, such a view allowed him to pursue noteworthy excellence. He experienced an especially triumphant phase between the time he accepted his joint appointment at UC Berkeley and Cal Tech and the time he resigned…

J. Robert Oppenheimer: An Autopsy of the American Academic Vocation, Part 4 Post

Based on the review of Oppenheimer biographies we offered in the last two posts, a set of common themes begins to come to the surface. These themes bring into greater relief how Oppenheimer developed a fragmented understanding of the academic vocation, and what we can do to cultivate a healthier version of it. First, all…

J. Robert Oppenheimer: An Autopsy of the American Academic Vocation, Part 3 Post

The vocational fragmentation we noted in yesterday’s post summarizing some prominent Oppenheimer biographies likely had deeper roots going back to Oppenheimer’s childhood. David C. Cassidy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer and the American Century offers important details concerning the impact of Oppenheimer’s upbringing on his sense of vocation. Cassidy contends that Oppenheimer’s parents considered it to be…

Cognitive Neuroscientific Theism Post

In Leap of Faith (Paramount Pictures: 1992), Steve Martin offers a modern take on Elmer Gantry as conman and revivalist Jonas Nightengale. In the movie, Nightengale’s bus breaks down while in the small town of Rustwater, Kansas. As he waits for it to be fixed, he decides to run a series of tent meetings complete…

The Challenges of Writing about Teaching Post

This piece is a slightly adapted version of a recent editorial written for the International Journal of Christianity and Education. [LINK: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20569971231161032] In the preface to his recent book Transforming Fire: Imagining Christian Teaching, Mark Jordan (2021) recalls his experiences as a young teacher who “found many books about teaching beside the point” and asserts that…

Faithful Writing Pedagogy in the Age of Generative AI: A Sabbath-­Grounded Approach Post

Before the public launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, discussions of AI in higher education were still relatively easy to avoid. While many people had begun to anticipate the impact of emerging AI technologies—some extolling the efficiencies promised by progressively sophisticated algorithms and others speculating apocalyptically about a world where these technologies gradually achieve…

Woke Sociology, Woke Jesus Post

In January, the Florida Board of Governors removed Principles of Sociology as a general education core course option in all twelve Florida public universities. The verdict came a week after the Florida State Board of Education had already unanimously voted to remove sociology as a core course offering in all twenty-eight Florida public colleges. As…

One Square Inch We Won’t Concede: Super Bowl Christians and Secular Liturgies, Part II Post

Social Class in the Super Bowl God’s wrath is kindled when the needs of vulnerable people in a society—widows, orphans, and strangers—are neglected and the “business as usual” of the wealthy takes priority. A Nielson survey found that more than 208 million viewers watched Super Bowl 2022. Nearly 90% of all people using a television…

The Evangelical Mind in the Digital Fields Post

It is hardly possible to examine comprehensively the state of the evangelical mind today without giving careful attention to the impact of digital media. The rise of digital media continues to disrupt and transform communications, education, business, entertainment, politics, forms of social organization, and more. Roughly half the global population today uses the Internet; in…