I’ve recently been trying to learn more poetry off by heart. We were required to do this once or twice during my undergrad degree, by a wonderful postgraduate tutor who introduced us to a huge range of modern poets, many of whom I still think about and read often. I Read more
Maybe you’ve wondered this too: how does my faith relate to my scholarship? It might be easy to affirm with the Apostle Paul that “in him [Christ] all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17, NIV). But too often, the assumptions in Western twenty-first century culture about what counts as a fact Read more
Christopher Watkin’s new book, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture, is receiving significant attention. I see it mentioned regularly in blog posts (like this one), email newsletters, and at academic and ministry conferences. With a Foreword by the late Timothy Keller, it’s Read more
Last week, the most recent Postgrad Initiative email was sent out which introduced the idea of “Cultural Apologetics for Academia.” “Cultural apologetics” as opposed to traditional apologetics was framed as “showing how academics in all disciplines can introduce the gospel in a winsome way.” This quote from Collin Hansen was included in Read more
My dear postgrad friends, We are quickly approaching the end of this academic year, according to our secular educational calendars. In our church calendar, we’ve just celebrated the cosmos-redeeming feast of Easter. And now we also come to this final installment of our reflections this year on the relationship between Read more
I’m kicking off a new series today which we hope will both alert you to another initiative in the field of Christian academic engagement, and provide us and you with food for thought as we engage with the resources that this initiative – IFES Europe’s Good News for the University – is offering.
Dear Martin/e, This academic year, I’ve been reflecting with you on the topic of questions when it comes to the life of a Christian engaged in postgraduate studies. I’ve been working with the assumption that I hear from many Christian postgrads that there is a perceived tension between faith and Read more
Dear Stephan/ie, Your question is such a good one: What difference does it make to my studies that I’m a Christian? I have also found that many churches (and even Christian ministries to students) assume that the only points of contact between scholarship and faith are evangelism and morality. But, yes, Read more
Dear Robert/a, I’m so glad you came to see me in my office yesterday. It was good to hear how the year is going for you. It was also good to see your courage on display – it’s not easy to approach your professor with questions like the ones you’re Read more
Dear Christian Graduate Student, In my last post, I encouraged you to begin the academic year with a sense of adventure when it comes to the research questions you entertain, formulate, and pursue. We can have freedom to be academically curious because we live in God’s Creation and Jesus calls Read more