This post was written by Paul Gould on April 12, 2007
At one of our Christian faculty meetings this past month here at Purdue University we had a group of four German students speak. With perfect English, these students began to paint a picture of life as a Christian in Germany: the challenge and reality of postmodernism which has become thoroughly entrenched in this post-secular society; the “personal� and therefore “private� nature of spirituality in such an environment; the radical twin accusations of “cultic� toward anyone who actually attempts to share Christ in a faithful and humble manner and “intolerant� for anyone asserting exclusive truth; the mostly dead state-churches, funded by the government and the slow but sure rise of the “free-church� (i.e., non-governmentally funded) over the last decade.
As we interacted with the students, they were struck by an interesting fact – Christian professors in America are authentic people, and they want to be used to make Christ known. This was refreshing for the students because in Germany, professors are very aloof, impersonal and are often never even present. The students were encouraged. We were challenged. Students desire to know their professors – to know what they think about important issues, about how their personal life influences their scholarship and teaching, and that the professor cares enough to take a genuine interest in the lives of those he/she teaches.
Listening to these students, I was struck with the historical importance of Germany. Germany has given the world the Protestant Reformation, Adolph Hitler, Albert Einstein, the Holocaust, Communist Berlin, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Heidegger, Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Goethe, and of course, the Brothers Grimm. As these students shared what God is doing in Germany, I was reminded that as Western Europe goes, so goes Western Civilization. The reality is that Western Europe, and the great universities that sustain Western Europe, are dying. Not literally dying, but dying to Christ and to spiritual truth, Instead, postmodernism, radical Islam, the culture of death, and the confident pronouncement that Germany is a “post-Christian� nation form the cultural milieu in which this faithful group of Christians is seeking to labor for the cause of Christ.
What does this mean for us today? Well a couple of things. First, we need to re-double our efforts to reach out to Western Europe. – and to the universities in Western Europe. The great statesman Charles Malik said of the university in general:
The universities, then, directly and indirectly, dominate the world; their influence is so pervasive and total that whatever problem afflicts them is bound to have far-reaching repercussions throughout the entire fabric of Western civilization. No task is more crucial and urgent today than to examine the state of the mind and spirit in the Western university. – A Christian Critique of the University, published originally, 1982
I would simply add – no task is more crucial and urgent today that to examine the state of the mind and spirit in the universities of Western Europe. Second, we need to pray for Western Europe. As these German students shared with us, it is clear that God has not given up on Western Europe – after all God is alive and He is moving – and so we need to pray for a movement of God to awaken a continent that is both so rich in Christian history yet so determined to be so completely secular. Finally, consider how we ourselves can be involved in impacting Western Europe. If you are a professor, you may have opportunities to travel to Europe – ask God how He might use you on these trips.
In the faces of these German students, I saw both the hope of a future where Christ is boldly known and proclaimed once again in the streets of Europe and the strain of living a truly counter-culture life in a post-secular society. I also saw the faithful hand of God – if God can raise up such young and vibrant spirits in an environment such as Germany, surely God can do the same in our own universities and departments here in America.
This post was written by Paul Gould on March 13, 2007
I hear a lot of Spinoza’s thinking on campus today – of course hardly anyone knows they are parroting Spinoza –which just goes to show the importance of understanding what has come before. Hence the title of this blog – Antecedents. In 1670 as the Enlightenment was just getting into gear, Spinoza said this about belief in God: “The intellectual knowledge of God which contemplates his nature as it really is in itself…has no bearing on the practice of a true way of…faith…and that consequently men can go far astray in this manner without sinning” (in Theological Political Treatise). Spinoza was saying something we still hear today: “It doesn’t matter what you think about God, just be a good person and everything will work itself out.â€?
But this line of thinking is utterly false. Scripture reminds us many times about the importance of believing the truth about the true God, which moves us to worship. Today, as with Spinoza, faith is often viewed as subjective and private – but knowledge, facts and truth – well, to get that, we need to go to the scientist! Contrast that with A.W. Tozer, who says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” (in The Knowledge of the Holy). Tozer goes on:
“The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. “
Which brings me to Pearl Jam. While living in Southern California a few years ago, I went with a friend to a Pearl Jam concert. The minute the opening act finished and Pearl Jam took the stage, the crowd began to energize, rising an hour later to a crescendo as the audience (me included) screamed at the top of their lungs in unison, “I, I, I’m still alive….� And then it dawned on me – this is the secular equivalent of a church worship service. I was reminded of the truth found in Ecclesiates 3:11 – that God has set eternity into our hearts. We are by nature creatures who seek to worship that which is transcendent in our lives. But, if like Spinoza we think that it doesn’t really matter whether or idea of God is actually true, then there isn’t much of a difference between a Pearl Jam concert and a church service.
But we know better, Tozer again: “It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.�
I am convinced that A.W. Tozer, and not Spinoza got it right on this one. What is your idea of God? Have you been captivated by a sense of awe and wonder at the goodness and greatness of the God who created you? Perhaps this is a good time for all of us to pick up Tozer’s classic The Knowledge of the Holy, or J.I. Packer’s Knowing God, or Anselm or Augustine and be reminded once again of the God whom we worship and serve.
This post was written by Paul Gould on March 20, 2006
Why, as Christians do we engage in scholarship at all? Furthermore, is there any intrinsic worth to scholarship in and of itself, or does it just serve an instrumental value, helping the scholar to gain respect so he can share the gospel?
As is often the case, C.S. Lewis has some eloquent and insightful thoughts to offer in answer to these questions. In a lecture given in the fall of 1939 to students at St. Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford, England, Lewis describes the purpose of scholarship and learning as follows: “I mean the pursuit of knowledge and beauty, in a sense, for their own sake, but in a sense which does not exclude their being for God’s sake.�
Thus, while Christian scholarship is never an end in itself, it is also not merely something of instrumental value. Knowledge is an intrinsic good and scholarship, as the pursuit of knowledge, is as well. However, the pursuit of knowledge ought to be viewed as a subordinate goal; good in and of itself, but subservient to the ultimate goal of the glory of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31).
Lewis’ words were especially poignant because he was addressing students who were wondering why should they study and learn when Britain had just entered what promised to be a devastating war with Germany. I heartily recommend Lewis’ discussion on the importance and purpose of scholarship. The title of Lewis’ talk is “Learning in War-Time� and can be found in the book The Weight of Glory (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 2001).
This post was written by Paul Gould on February 16, 2006
The antecedents of cultural, political, and religious change are ideas that are discussed, advanced, and disseminated on the university campuses far before they reach popular expression in the culture. Let me share two voices from the past century that have seen the importance and influence of ideas.
First, on the eve of the Fundamentalist Controversy (as well as two world-wars), J. Gresham Machen warned, “What is to-day a matter of academic speculation begins tomorrow to move armies and pull down empires. In that second stage, it has gone too far to be combated; the time to stop it was when it was still a matter of impassionate debate� (“Christianity and Culture,� Princeton Theological Review 11 (1913):7.
Secondly, the economist John Maynard Keynes wrote insightfully, “the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be exempt from intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.� (The General Theory of Employment (New York: Hardcourt Brace, 1964), 383).
If Machen and Keynes are correct, and I think they are, then we would be wise to pay attention to the newest ideas ( or newest reformulations or rebirths of old ideas) that are taking place right now among university professors. What are the novel ideas debated in e.g., the fields of science, literature and history today? What impact are these ideas having on our culture now? In the future? And most importantly, for any new proposal that comes our way, we must never forget to ask one question: “Yes, but is it true?�
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