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).
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