This post was written by Mark Hansard on March 28, 2008
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) publishes a series of introductory student guides on areas of interest in the humanities to round out a student’s education in Western civilization with traditional canonical works which may not be required reading in some secular academic settings. From American history to classics studies to philosophy, these little guides are quite useful in aiding students as they navigate their university studies in order to achieve what would today be considered a “classical education.”
For example, Mark C. Henrie, in A Student’s Guide to the Core Curriculum, offers eight areas of study which students can pursue to lay a foundation for Western thought, including classical literature (Homer and Virgil), ancient philosophy, Shakespeare, the Bible, modern political theory, and others. In the chapter on studying Bible, there is a brief discussion of the historical-critical method and how this skews study of Scripture in many religion departments. Henrie helpfully recommends that, for believing students, they become involved in a church or para-church organization that could help them navigate these issues in such a course.
Additionally, the guides often include wonderful asides that are useful for forming a student’s soul. For example, Henrie’s introduction includes a brief description of Aristotle’s view of intellectual friendship, in which friends discuss with each other thoughtful insights that they can “present to others for testing.” This, he says, “is the surest means for connecting pleasure with true education.” Bravo. How wonderful it would be if today’s students occasionally turned off their video games to have a stimulating intellectual discussion that might turn out to be life-altering.
It seems to me these guides might also be useful for the scholar who wishes to read more broadly, perhaps in fields outside his own, and gain some knowledge of the classical view of such fields. These little books are merely 100 pages each and can be read in one sitting. The downside, of course is that they are very broad, very basic, and thus necessarily very general. They proffer a certain view of each field which they do not defend, but merely authoritatively state. Nevertheless, I have found them quite useful in rounding out my own education in areas which I could only take a brief introductory course as an undergraduate.
This post was written by Randy Newman on March 17, 2008
Many people are shaking their heads as they read about now-resigned New York Governor Elliot Spitzer’s entanglement in a prostitution ring. People marvel at “how he could be so stupid.” They’re asking each other, “Didn’t he know this would ruin his career and his marriage?”
But stupidity was not his problem. And if our worldview can only explain his actions as a mental lapse or intellectual weakness, we fail to grasp what really happened. And, tragically, we would be susceptible to falling into similar traps (even if less expensive ones).
Academicians, especially, may misread this mess as merely intellectual, since they spend so much time analyzing thought and living in the world of ideas. (Some have even tried to explain Spitzer’s behavior in terms of evolutionary psychology and genetics.) But we need far more insight than just an answer to the question, “what was he thinking?”
For starters, we must acknowledge that Spitzer did not attain his high ranking in the legal and political worlds with a low I.Q. He is an intelligent man with cognitive capabilities beyond most people. Nor is he ignorant of the world of crime and sleaze. If examples alone could prevent such things, this man would have certainly been immune.
His problem flows from a sick heart not a weak brain. His soul needs tutoring more than his mind. He failed to take heed of the many warnings against the power of power. His success in prosecution seduced him to thinking he could do anything, with anyone, at any price.
As people marvel at the hourly cost of hiring one of those prostitutes, they may fail to see that it was indeed the very price, something most people could not afford, that was part of the lure. The very act of dropping thousands of dollars for one hour of sex was more intoxicating than the sex itself. To quote another intelligent man who succumbed to moral temptation, he did it “because he could.”
Our secularized culture tends to reduce these kinds of events. He wasn’t thinking. When we do that, we deceive ourselves into believing we could never do anything like he did because, “I would never be so stupid.” But ignoring our heart and the power of sin could pave the way for something just as “stupid.”
Our Christian worldview, which sees human life as a complex intersection of intellect, emotions, will, and a host of spiritual dynamics, does a better job for preparing us for temptations that can ruin our lives. As we read the articles about this man’s fall, let us not deceive ourselves but rather, let us guard our hearts and feed our souls on things more substantive than power, sex, and pride – especially a pride that would make us think we’re too smart to make “stupid” mistakes.
This post was written by Randy Newman on March 10, 2008
Finding books or other materials to give or lend to intellectually minded non-Christians poses a constant challenge. Many of the hot-selling items just won’t connect with professors, grad students, or others who take the life of the mind seriously. Of course, the old standby, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, still engages and challenges. But it is a bit dated and, as such, cannot interact with crucial events of recent times, such as September 11th, the Tsunami, or the current rise of books by atheists Dawkins, Hitchens, et. al.
Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, has just written a very helpful tool for us that can open up doors for evangelism and dialogue in new and exciting ways. His book, The Reason for God, models evangelism to a postmodern audience for Christians to follow and offers a challenging presentation of the gospel for non-believers to consider. The book’s subtitle, Belief in an Age of Skepticism, lets the reader know right from the start that he’s responding to Dawkins and Hitchens but does so from an initiating posture, rather than a defensive one.
You can see a clip of Keller’s rationale for writing the book at: www.reasonforgod.com.
The book’s two parts work well for gradually building a compelling case for the gospel without overstating or insulting a thoughtful skeptic. In fact, the word “humble” kept popping into my mind as I read the first half of the book, a series of answers to common obstacles to acceptance of Christianity. As Keller respectfully considers the objections many people ask – the exclusivity of Christianity, the problem of evil, hypocrisy in the church, the ugliness of hell, and several issues related to the Bible – he challenges the reader to consider that their objections may be just as faith-based as the Christianity they reject. He urges people to “doubt their doubts” and see that they have arrived at their position with no more “scientific,” or “provable,” or “objective” bases as the most ardent of believers.
The second half of the book presents positive reasons to give the gospel a second chance – clues for God’s existence, evidences of our inability to not believe in god, etc. and discussions of essential Christian doctrines in ways that are free from clichés and full of current cultural references. His chapter on the problem of sin, the issue that we seem to have the hardest time explaining to postmodern people, is truly a masterpiece and challenges any reader to rethink and, ye even, repent.
Keller rightly identifies our universal tendency to turn to other sources of satisfaction, comfort, meaning, and our own versions of salvation as the root of our problem. In a style that is both winsome and challenging, he concludes the chapter on sin with these words: “Everyone has to live for something. Whatever that something is becomes ‘Lord of your life,’ whether you think of it that way or not. Jesus is the only Lord who, if you receive him, will fulfill you completely, and, if you fail him, will forgive you eternally” (173).
I’m quite fussy about books to give to professors and other thoughtful friends. I don’t want to be embarrassed by an author who erects straw men or belittles the reader. I also don’t want the reader to be able to dismiss arguments that just won’t stand up to scrutiny. This eliminates a lot of popular items. Keller’s book will stand up to the toughest objections and does so in a compelling, winsome way. I’m looking for the best deal I can find on the purchase of a case or two of this important new tool in reaching out with the gospel.
This post was written by Patrick Rist on March 3, 2008
With the death of William F. Buckley (1925 – 2008) last week, America lost one of its most colorful and eloquent political commentators. Buckley’s political conservatism was always anchored in his conservative Catholicism – a fact that led to his break with atheist Ayn Rand in the 1950s.
Although not all Christians (especially Christians in academia) agree with Buckley’s political vision, are there other lessons that we can take from his life? I believe that there are many, and I’d like to offer some possibilities:
– Although not an academic by profession, Buckley was an intellectual, and was driven to learn. I once read an article about him that said he admitted being unwilling to cross the street without a book or magazine, lest traffic keep him immobilized for ten seconds.
– Much was made of his use of arcane words – even a word-a-day calendar was marketed under his name. It was hard to say how much of this vocabulary was a desire to show off, and how much of it was just part of who he was. Nevertheless, words are part of our inheritance, and like any inheritance should be preserved, not squandered. Buckley made a point of preserving the richness of our language.
– The payoff for the reading and learning for Buckley was that he was a prolific writer – evidently being able to write as fast as he could type. And the majority of even his thrice-weekly newspaper columns were of the highest quality prose and reasoning.
– But perhaps the greatest lesson from Buckley’s life is that even though he had passionately-held beliefs and convictions, and ardently defended those beliefs in the public arena, his public conduct and even his rhetoric was always gentlemanly (with a notable exception being an on-air row with the execrable Gore Vidal).
Increasingly, I seem to encounter Christians who are unwilling to hold positions strongly enough to defend them – ostensibly for fear of giving offense to non-believers. Or Christians who are so angry at the surrounding pagan culture that they are unwilling (or even unable) to engage in dialogue with those who don’t share a common starting point with them.
Buckley’s eloquent style, laced with wit and maybe a little satire, will long stand as an example for us to emulate. While standing firmly on his convictions, he had the confidence to engage in debate in a gracious yet straightforward way. We have come a long way from Buckley in his heyday, to figures like Ann Coulter (or Al Franken).
As evidence of Buckley’s friendly manner, he had longstanding friendships with people on the opposite side of the political spectrum. One of these was the liberal economist, John Kenneth Galbraith. It was Galbraith who, while speaking at a dinner given in honor of Buckley, said that while Buckley’s TV show, Firing Line, was a fine program, the real drama on it each week was whether or not Buckley would be able to part his hair with his tongue.
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