Much has been made about the need for Christians to be involved in what are sometimes labeled the “culture wars.” It is a hotly contested issue among Christians, to say nothing of what the secular world thinks of Christians being a part of the public square. But when it comes to Christians “meeting the world” and doing so as outspoken believers committed to their world view, there is probably no more serious effort than in the fields of philosophy and, in some places, the academy in general.
When people find out that I have been a student in the CU Grad Philosophy program off and on for the last few years, I tend to get that reaction that usually translates into, “how do you put up with all those wackos?” My salvation was even directly questioned once-not because of my attendance at CU, but because of my degree in Phil of Religion from a Christian Seminary.
Without commenting too much on those attitudes within Christianity, I would like to point out that there are people who are taking their faith and their academic professions seriously. A recent article in Christianity Today entitled, Masters of Philosophy, documents one of the spear-heads of this movement. Another, God and Man at Baylor, describes a turn to deliberate faith in the academy at large.
These are the kinds of places where the culture wars will be won or lost in the long run. The politics, law, moral sensibilities, psychology, science, and so forth, of the future are in large part created on University campuses today. If we choose to neglect our faith in these realms, we might be left with a future where we will be forced to neglect our faith in these realms.
1 comment:
Phil said "If we choose to neglect our faith in these realms, we might be left with a future where we will be forced to neglect our faith in these realms."
Tim replies "I saw an op-ed article in the July 5th issue of US News and World Report where the author talks about religion today. His claim is that most people prefer 'religion as a hobby', where you do it in private and it does not affect anyone around you. They don't care what religion you practice as long as you don't impose it on them.
His problem with that view is that most religions require their members to be active and share the good news with others, rather than just keeping it to themselves. His ultimate argument was you cannot say you are tolerant of religion and then also tell the members to keep it to themselves."
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