Intellectual Engagement
June 15, 2016
Dartmouth Students Call for Intellectual Independence
Students at Dartmouth are challenging two closely related, disturbing trends in higher education—the growth of bureaucracy and censorship. In a petition to the Dartmouth administration, five student government leaders and 1,200 signees expressed strong discontent with the ever-increasing number of non-faculty staff employed by the college. The number of non-faculty administrators has risen to 1,000 from 1999 to 2004 and then, despite faculty lay-offs, to 3,497 by 2015. This monumental staff increase has contributed to making the minimum cost $70,000 for a year at Dartmouth. June 8, 2016
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:9). Though we live in a world filled with discord, we should take His exhortation to heart and through our peaceful dispositions, let our neighbors feel the positive impact of our Christian faith.May 24, 2016
Courtney McEachon, Class of 2015
"I went from having no voice to wanting to be the voice of the pro-life movement."
Courtney McEachon '15 is a graduate of Yale University. Among her many courses and activities, she was a key student leader in the pro-life movement at Yale. In her efforts to bring greater visibility to the pro-life movement among college students, Courtney gained considerable insight into the role people of influence play in determining what constitutes "good" and "just" in society.
May 12, 2016
How to Train Your Bible Memory
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. — Psalm 119:11May 3, 2016
What Has Christianity Done for Us?
In an article from Christian Today, David Robertson expounds on the many contributions Christianity has made to the world, demonstrating that Christianity turned the ancient world upside down and laid the foundation for much of modern Western society, and that Christianity ushers in numerous positive changes in societies around the globe:March 24, 2016
Lead by Example: How to Create a Flourishing Culture
Building a thriving culture, whether within a single organization or on a larger societal level, requires time, patience, and serious dedication. A healthy culture is, after all, shaped by its leadership, so those in leadership roles and managerial positions – like it or not – can expect organizational effectiveness to be directly tied to their own values and attitudes.March 24, 2016
Why We Search for God
God seeks relationship with those who don’t yet know him. He seeks a deeper union with those who do. As we seek him, we can be confident that he is earnestly seeking us as well. –Leigh McLeroy
March 23, 2016
The Case for Confident Pluralism
With all the contestation surrounding religious freedom and difference in beliefs, there are certainly times where we might think that the world would be better without such conflicts, or any differences for that matter. But differences are what enrich our lives, sharpen our minds, and expand our creativity. December 23, 2015
Cultivate Friends You Disagree With
From Aesop’s animals seeking the wise owl to the people of Israel soliciting Solomon, the value of good advice has not diminished. However, one might argue that it can be harder to come by in a close-minded culture that silences dissent with the constant refrain of “do not judge me.” Nonetheless, one of the most brilliant scholars in academia – and Christian Union’s 2014 Christian Leader of the Year Award recipient – is regularly sought out by several major presidential candidates for his guidance, instruction, and wise counsel. November 16, 2015
James Davison Hunter on A Way Forward
To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World
By James Davison HunterHow does real culture change happen? Dr. James Davison Hunter, a sociologist who is the LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum, addresses Christian assumptions about power, culture, culture change, and public engagement in a 30-minute lecture followed by 30 minutes of Q&A...
This link will take you to the website of the Trinity Forum, which hosted this fascinating lecture:
Listen Now >
February 23, 2015
Q & A with Professor David Skeel
Making Sense of True Paradoxes
Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed David Skeel, the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania. A speaker at Veritas Forums on various college campuses, Skeel is the author of several books on law. He recently wrote his first apologetics book, True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World.How would you define apologetics?
At bottom, I think the Apostle Peter defined apologetics best, at least for Christians, when he admonished his readers to "always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). That's how I see apologetics, as trying to explain why I believe Christianity is true, especially for those who think an ancient religion like Christianity can't possibly make sense of the complexities of our contemporary world.
February 19, 2015
The Apologetics of Love
Considering Nietzsche and Jesus of Nazareth
by Jesse Peterson
At the risk of an absurd reductionism, I'd like to propose an audacious thesis: that in Western history there have been only two distinct ethical philosophies. Every other ethic ultimately falls under the banner of one of these two. The two stances are represented by two teachers: Friedrich Nietzsche and Jesus of Nazareth. Their fundamental disagreement? What it means to be human, and what it means to love.The Ethics of Nature
There could hardly have been a more fitting philosopher to follow on the heels of Darwin's mid-19th-century discoveries than Nietzsche. Nietzsche translated into ethical-prescriptive terms ("ought") what for Darwin had merely been biological-historical description ("is"). Darwin's "survival of the fittest" in the war of nature became Nietzsche's "will to power":December 30, 2014
Dave Kurz: Alumni Interview
Seeking God & Building Bridges
November 1, 2013
Religion and Intelligence
Analyzing the Analysis: Is the Narrative Changing?
By Jordan Monge, Harvard '12The following story was reprinted with permission fromChristianity Today.
My story is almost always met with surprise: How could an atheist convert to Christianity at Harvard, the bastion of secular intellectual elitism?
Now this reaction has some empirical justification. A recent meta-analysis of studies on religion and intelligence found that yes, overall, people with high IQs and test scores are less likely to be religious.
October 18, 2013
Debating the Goodness of God
Leadership Development Ministry Co-Hosts Event with Harvard Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics
Students of various faith backgrounds (and no faith backgrounds) gathered in Harvard's Science Center's Auditorium B on the first Sunday after the start of classes for a debate on the topic, "Can the Christian God Be Good in Light of the Suffering in the World?"For the second consecutive year, Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) and Harvard Community Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics (HCHAA) co-hosted a debate. HCFA is a leadership development ministry supported and resourced by Christian Union.
