Let's face it--us academicians tend to be like cats. We're independent and tend to be loners, so ministering to us as a group tends to be like herding cats. Some of this seems outwardly imposed by the various demands we face by our classes, research, service, administration, family, and possible outside consulting or other obligations. We get in a rut, and tune out extraneous things, even when we sort of want to be involved, out of the fear of adding 'one more thing.'
We tend to get our spiritual encouragement on the run, and much of our information off of the web. That's where the Scholar Redeemer comes in--to address issues from a Christian, academic perspective, and to facilitate an online community for us. While this blog is targeted for faculty, it is open to academic staff, graduate students, undergraduates and, well, anyone with an interest in this breed of feline.
The title is a play on words from the book of Ruth--the kinsman-redeemer, a title often used in referring to Jesus. The higher education system is one of the most influential in the world, and those of us in it have been particularly blessed with contributing to that influence, and like all worldly systems, is in need of redemption by Christ. As the ultimate professor, teaching all of humanity about Himself, he is the Scholar-Redeemer.
Please join in through comments and emails. If you find this helpful or encouraging, please tell others.
Soli Deo Gloria
Thanks Robb...I'll take the plunge (even thought cats don't like water). I would like to paraphrase from Ch 34 of Chuck Colson's book "How Now Shall We Live?" In the 1930's George Counts called on teachers to control the evolution of society by teaching students to become creators of new social values. Fredric Sommers of Brandeis said most educators no longer define education as the search for truth but rather empower students by alerting them to the need for struggle against patriarchy, racism, and classism. Weighing conflicting ideas passionately may have become a lost art in academia. If academia truly fosters free thinking based on reason, we should be free to articulate a meaningful expression of Christian Worldview thinking as "great defenders of reason".
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