Hans Madueme is Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College. North American evangelical academic institutions are at a fork in the road. Developments in the natural sciences have raised, and continue to raise, difficult questions about the viability of traditional formulations of Christian doctrine. Mainline scholars have long made their peace with the modern…
“…I have become a question to myself.” –St. Augustine, Confessions “For a human being, the unexamined life is not worth living.” –Plato, Apology of Socrates In Plato’s Phaedo Socrates expresses frustration with a materialist philosophy that renders him incapable of making sense of his own life, a life dedicated to a personal and civic good…
This summer I will take on the responsibility of chair of the Department of Computer Science at Calvin University. This part-time administrative role comes with many responsibilities: guiding the hiring and reappointment of faculty, scheduling classes, ensuring academic quality, managing budgets, and generally keeping the “trains running on time” in the department. To be sure,…
A couple of years ago, my son-in-law showed me ChatGPT on his phone. I had heard of it before, but didn’t know what it could do. It seemed pretty cool, and he was able to have it answer some questions and then even use it to write a short sermon that was somewhat suitable for…
In this special episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with David A. Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Hoag opens by discussing the investments Christian colleges and universities make in fostering relationship between faith and learning and how the CCCU is prepared to increase efforts to resource member institutions in relation to that priority. Those efforts include David’s appointment of John Addleman who will work with an advisory board to oversee the preparation of related programs and materials. Hoag then discusses the influences that mentors such as Dennis F. Kinlaw and authors such as Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and Ernest L. Boyer had on his calling to education. That calling and the service Hoag sought to offer compelled him to accept appointments at his alma mater, Asbury University, Greenville University, Trinity International University, and eventually as president of Warner University. Hoag then details his appointment as the CCCU’s president, the ways serving as an association president differs from serving as a university president, and his plans for how the CCCU can be of even greater service in years to come to its institutions. Hoag closes by explaining how he understands the qualities and characteristics of the Christian academic vocation and how the health of that vocation is dependent upon the health of the relationships colleges and universities share with the Church.
In this special episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with David A. Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Hoag opens by discussing the investments Christian colleges and universities make in fostering relationship between faith and learning and how the CCCU is prepared to increase efforts to resource member institutions in relation to that priority. Those efforts include David’s appointment of John Addleman who will work with an advisory board to oversee the preparation of related programs and materials. Hoag then discusses the influences that mentors such as Dennis F. Kinlaw and authors such as Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and Ernest L. Boyer had on his calling to education. That calling and the service Hoag sought to offer compelled him to accept appointments at his alma mater, Asbury University, Greenville University, Trinity International University, and eventually as president of Warner University. Hoag then details his appointment as the CCCU’s president, the ways serving as an association president differs from serving as a university president, and his plans for how the CCCU can be of even greater service in years to come to its institutions. Hoag closes by explaining how he understands the qualities and characteristics of the Christian academic vocation and how the health of that vocation is dependent upon the health of the relationships colleges and universities share with the Church.
Those of us working in the world of higher education often hear about the fragmentation of American universities. Many observers, inside and outside the university alike, have lamented that “multiversities” have lost any coherent educational center. Accusations abound of proliferating programs, endless elective options, growing preference for professional and pre-professional programs over the liberal arts…
On September 5, 2023, Houghton University held a panel discussion with seven faculty from a broad array of fields focusing on the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for Christian liberal arts higher education. The panelists included Brandon Bate, PhD, associate professor of mathematics; Peter Meilaender, PhD, dean of religion, humanities, and global studies, and…
Part guidance to young lawyers and law students and part Christian apologetic for the legal profession, Robert F. Cochran, Jr.’s new book, The Servant Lawyer, is a much-needed addition to the dialogue between the church, the legal profession, and the communities they both serve. The overall tone of the text is prescriptive. Cochran argues that…
Part guidance to young lawyers and law students and part Christian apologetic for the legal profession, Robert F. Cochran, Jr.’s new book, The Servant Lawyer, is a much-needed addition to the dialogue between the church, the legal profession, and the communities they both serve. The overall tone of the text is prescriptive. Cochran argues that…
Debates rage over the best direction for American conservatism, particularly in the wake of Donald Trump’s disruptive presidency. The three books reviewed here provide distinct diagnoses and prescriptions for American politics. Only one book, Yoram Hazony’s Conservatism: A Rediscovery, is primarily intended as a blueprint for American conservatism. Francis Fukuyama’s Liberalism and Its Discontents assesses…
If the thousands of global reports of “near-death experiences” (NDEs) are to be believed, they support much in Christian theology, including consciousness surviving physical death and the existence of a supernatural realm, a supreme being of unfathomable love, an intercessor named Jesus, and an afterlife with both glorious and ghastly destinations. Conversely, many NDE reports…
Over my thirteen years in Christian higher education as faculty, I have written about (and this is a conservative estimate) a dozen essays reflecting on my Christian faith and how it shapes my personal and professional life. In addition, I have served on numerous committees reading such essays crafted by job candidates and colleagues seeking…
Integrity in biology research is essential to positive, forward progress in our understanding of the created world. In this essay, Baker shares her perspective as a biology educator and researcher on the influence that Christian calling can have on the conscious decision to pursue and conduct research with integrity. She provides personal and practical suggestions…
In my research on Christian higher education, I have found that one of the most important differences between Protestant and Catholic institutions pertains to their executive leadership teams. Over half of U.S. Catholic universities have someone titled a Vice President for Mission on their executive leadership team. The importance of these positions was demonstrated a…
Communication was a crucial element of E. Stanley Jones’s effectiveness as a missionary, spokesman, and advocate in India and across the world. From friendship with Mahatma Gandhi, his influence on Martin Luther King Jr., to his founding of the worldwide Christian Ashram movement and Round Table conferences, Jones demonstrated that interconnectedness is a necessary aspect…
Utilizing the essays of Marilynne Robinson, this paper provides an alternative model to faith integration. Rather than a worldview approach, I argue for a sacramental imagination that helps re-enchant and reinvigorates the educational task. As opposed to two separate spheres of knowledge—human knowing and divine knowledge—a sacramental imagination via Robinson sees the divine reality in…
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Proverbs 25:2 (ESV) In Europe, at the turn of the twentieth century, great advances were being made in atomic theory. In 1904, the British physicist and Nobel laureate Sir Joseph John Thomson, who had discovered the…
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…
According to the Bible, the Kingdom of Heaven is not of this world: it is not centered in palaces and thrones, but in the hearts and lives of God’s people (Luke 17:21). It came to earth in the symbolism of the Jewish sanctuary (the Tabernacle and the Temple) where God’s presence dwelt. It assumed a…
