Thinking Faith blogs

The secret society of Christian postgrads

Posted by Richard Gunton in Faith-in-Scholarship blog on Tuesday 2nd April 2019

When God's Spirit brings about a movement of change, it often seems to begin in disparate places and diverse ways through people who don't know each other.  For example, a remarkable number of broadly Evangelical organisations for cultural engagement seem to have sprung up in England in the 1980s – of which Thinking Faith Network (originally WYSOCS) is one.  Now in our own time, I believe God is doing something important for Christian engagement in academia in Europe – starting with Christian doctoral students.

Tags: 
Christian postgrad groups
resources

Reflections on 'Developing a Christian Mind' 2019

Posted by Alicia Smith in Faith-in-Scholarship blog on Saturday 23rd March 2019

Last weekend in Oxford saw the second of this year's Developing a Christian Mind conferences - an annual pair of events inviting postgraduate students to consider and deepen the intersection of their academic work with Christian faith. 'Seeking Wisdom' is split into multiple disciplinary streams (this year, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Philosophy & Theology) to enable more specific conversations to take place on how Christians think and work in particular academic fields.

Tags: 
Christian postgrad groups
events
literature

Announcing the Society of Christian Scholars

Posted by Richard Gunton in Faith-in-Scholarship blog on Thursday 28th February 2019
Society of Christian Scholars banner

We like to advertise other initiatives that share a similar vision with Faith-in-Scholarship, and today I want to tell you about the Society of Christian Scholars.  Actually this organisation hasn't been officially launched yet: it's due to come into existence tomorrow, on 1 March. 

This initiative's purpose is prominently stated on its About page. "The Society of Christian Scholars equips missional Christian academics to have a redemptive influence for Christ among their students, colleagues, institutions, and academic disciplines."

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news
resources

Desiring the Kingdom, James K.A. Smith

Posted by Alicia Smith in Faith-in-Scholarship blog on Monday 18th February 2019

James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker Academic, 2009)

'A Christian University Is For Lovers', runs the provocative title of the final chapter of this book, James K.A. Smith's first sally in his three-part 'Cultural Liturgies' project. Lovers of what? - you might ask. Of knowledge? Of the life of the mind? Of theology?

Tags: 
book reviews
Christian university

Dangerous Faith in Infinite Progress

Posted by Mark Roques in RealityBites blog on Wednesday 6th February 2019

Story

Picture it. Your name is Vladimir and you are working in a Soviet chemical factory in the 1930's. Suddenly the workers stop working and they start to sing a hymn. Not to God but to ‘electricity’. They sing as follows:

Electricity can do anything. It can dispel darkness

and gloom. One push of a button and clickety-click

out comes a new man.

Tags: 
idolatry
worldviews

Fools for Christ

Posted by Georgina Prineppi in Faith-in-Scholarship blog on Monday 28th January 2019

As academics, we don’t like looking foolish. We are trained to provide evidence for assertions, and refrain from making them if we can’t provide justification for what we think and believe. But as I have been working through 1 Corinthians over the past few months, I have been convicted and encouraged by Paul’s call to ‘foolishness’.

Tags: 
academic life for Christ
devotion

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