Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson has put forward a functional theory of religion which holds that religious belief and practice are “good” for believers in biological terms. In his view, religious beliefs are attached to reality via this benefit, even though they are fictional in a strict sense. He claims that his group selection-based explanation…
Abraham Kuyper ’s approach to public engagement (his public theology) emphasizes both a “common” element as well as distinctive Christian identity. In this essay Vincent Bacote considers the contrasting approaches to public theology of Max Stackhouse and Ronald Thiemann and then offers a summary of Kuyper ’s public theology. The essay discusses that Kuyper’s work…
Steven McMullen notes that in recent years, a number of theologians and philosophers, following John Milbank, have drawn on continental post-modern philosophy to form a critique of capitalism and modern economics. Often called the “Radical Orthodoxy” movement, these scholars argue that the problems with capitalism lie not with its results, but its underlying metaphysics and…
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.
But we had reached a station. Those who were next to the windows told us its name: ‘Auschwitz.’ No one had ever heard that name. So says the young narrator in Elie Wiesel’s Night, a hybrid novel-memoir (he calls it his “deposition”) about his Holocaust experience. That simple observation is laden with emotion—for the narrator…
In this article, we will attempt to build a multi-dimensional vision of rehabilitation, based in Christian understandings of human nature, redemption, and community. By first exploring what rehabilitation means and why it is important, we will then survey three models of restoration and rehabilitation which can be instituted as programs offered within the incarceration system…
While the Bible offers a dazzling array of metaphors with which to think about the church, contemporary social scientists—informed no doubt by the influential Rational Choice Theory of Religion movement—often engage a market-based metaphor. With help from Gladys Ganiel’s Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland, this article demonstrates why this is an attractive yet deficient frame for examining…
In the first episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Philip Graham Ryken, Professor of Theology and President of Wheaton College. Ryken opens by defining how he Biblically and theologically understands evangelicalism, the global contexts in which evangelicalism exists, and the contributions that Wheaton faculty, staff, and graduates have made to evangelicalism. Although political and social polarization has impacted popular perceptions of evangelicalism in recent years, Ryken expresses his optimism for how Biblical and theological perceptions will endure and serve as a means for rethinking how Christians live and serve within political and social orders. Ream asks Ryken to talk through his calling to ordained ministry and how that calling intersects with his calling to serve as a faculty member and president at Wheaton. Ream and Ryken talk about Ryken’s habit of writing, from where the questions come that he pursues, how those questions are addressed in sermons delivered on campus in chapel and in various churches, and how those sermons often serve as the basis for chapters in books. Ream and Ryken close their conversation by discussing Ryken’s personal understanding of the academic vocation, how the academic vocation is nurtured and exercised amongst educators at Wheaton, and the ways that the relationship shared by the Church and the university are critical for the present and future health of the academic vocation.
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 forty-first episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Shirley Mullen, President Emerita of Houghton University. Mullen begins by talking about her understanding of the liberal arts, the long history they share in the Christian intellectual tradition, and critical role they play in Christian higher education. While acknowledging the challenges the liberal arts presently face, Mullen also contends that the gifts they offer are often deferred and, in turn, demand faculty members and administrators become more articulate about the long-term benefits of such a form of education. Ream then asks Mullen about her own experiences with the liberal arts, the education she received as a philosopher and historian, and the impact those experiences had on her service as a provost and as a president. While a president, Mullen also notes those experiences compelled her to think through the ways the Christian intellectual tradition can become captivated by socio-political forces on the right and the left, leading her to write Claiming the Courageous Middle. Ream and Mullen then close their conversation with a discussion of Mullen’s understanding of the academic vocation and how the Church and the university can work together to foster the virtues needed to cultivate, sustain, and advance such a calling.
To what extent can popular culture be understood as a collection of religions? Using a biblically informed appropriation of Paul Ricoeur’s theory of narrative as a threefold mimesis as his conceptual grid, Theodore A. Turnau explores how popular cultural texts can function as alternative religions. He focuses on two case studies: a group of romance…
A Scottish clergyman once described Australia as the “most godless place under heaven.” Although his comment was ill-informed, as a provocative statement it clues us in to something of a popular sentiment regarding the religiosity of Australia. Yet contrary to popular impression, it can be forcefully argued that Christianity in general, and evangelicalism in particular,…
This collaboration between a social work researcher with expertise in systems of care for those with disabilities and a literary scholar asks whether mimetic theory can shed light on relational dynamics surrounding children with intellectual disabilities. Data came from two sources: field experience with organizations in China and interviews with stakeholders of organizations in Michigan….
Economic growth is controversial. While economists tend to support it, in recent decades economic growth has been vigorously critiqued from multiple points of view, including from Christian theology and ethics. In this article Edd S. Noell and Stephen L. S. Smith analyze economic growth in light of both economics and Christian theology, and make a…
Over the past two decades, there has been a surprising resurgence of interest in, and appreciation for, the relevance of vocational exploration in higher education. Indeed, helping students see themselves as people who are called, and helping them discern how they might be called, seems increasingly timely, even urgent. This essay argues that vocational exploration…
The classic Protestant teaching about work has led evangelicals to view work as a vocation. In changing economic times, however, Scott Waalkes argues that we should rethink the classic teaching. He analyzes three “ideal type” views of vocation: a Reformational view, focused on “stations” or divine commands; a mystical view, focused on inner meaning; and…
When Samuel Huntington first published his “Clash of Civilizations?” article in Foreign Affairs in 1993, it was an attempt to map out the future lines of conflict in the wake of the collapse of the bi-polar world following the Cold War. In part this was a call to be mindful that just because the West…
In this episode of the Saturdays at Seven Podcast, Todd Ream interviews Russell Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today. They discuss his forthcoming book Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America and being caught in two alter calls. They also talk about current issues surrounding church-related universities and how churches can better support them.
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.
When Al-Qaida attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, Samuel P. Huntington was nearing the end of a distinguished career as a political scientist. He had been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences before the age of 40. Later he became president of the American Political Science Association. His…
