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Christianity and the Soul of the University

Faith as a Foundation for Intellectual Community

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About

Many universities, founded on the principles of vigorous scholarship and steadfast Christian faith, have abandoned those roots, resulting in confusion, fragmentation, and ideological strife.

This book explores the role reflective Christian faith can play in unifying the intellectual life of the university. Contributors including Jean Bethke Elshtain, Richard Hays, John Polkinghorne, Joel Carpenter, and David Lyle Jeffrey analyze the character and practices of an ideal Christian intellectual community.

The Authors

  1. Douglas V. Henry

    Douglas V. Henry

    Douglas V. Henry (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is assistant professor of philosophy and director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University. He is the coeditor of Faithful Learning and the Christian Scholarly Vocation.

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  2. Michael D. Beaty

    Michael D. Beaty

    Michael D. Beaty (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy and vice provost for faculty development at Baylor University. He previously served as the director of Baylor's Institute for Faith and Learning.

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Reviews

"Christianity and the Soul of the University is a timely and important work that should be required reading for administrators and faculty at Christian colleges and universities. Each of the essays is uncommonly strong. Well written, thoughtful, and compelling, this is a book that both inspires and gives hope."--Paul J. Wadell, Catholic Books Review

"[The contributors] represent a variety of institutions, which is a plus. . . . The topic of the role of community for different types of Christian institutions is important and deserves much more attention. The essays in this volume can serve as a provocative beginning for this discussion."--Stanley D. Anderson, Christian Scholar's Review

"Though most of the contributors address the issue [of what it would mean for a university to reclaim its Christian heritage] from a distinctly Protestant perspective, much of their insight is equally integral to the ongoing struggle over identity on Catholic campuses. . . . Perhaps the book's most helpful contribution is its identification of essential qualities that will mark an intellectual community founded on the truth claims of Jesus Christ. . . . Facilitating an insightful conversation about the Christian university . . . is no guarantee that the insight will be embraced by the community and integrated into daily campus life. But the conversation is the foundation that makes tangible results conceivable, and it is the absence of conversation that is the surest sign of a Catholic university's secularization. For those interested in joining the conversation, or in deepening their understanding of its significance, this book is a great place to start."--Robert K. Vischer, America

"Henry and Beaty have directed these worthwhile essays toward any higher educator interested in connecting faith and learning. Some such collections lack a cohering vision, but this collection coheres, and the editors and authors deserve commendation. . . . Libraries should purchase Christianity and the Soul of the University. Despite its largely American flavour, readers from all continents will benefit by giving their attention to this book."--Ken Badley, Journal of Education and Christian Belief

"A major contribution to the rapidly growing body of literature on Christian higher education. It treats with insight and even creativity many of the most important issues in the Christian academy."--William Carey Ringenberg, Journal of Church and State

"The book's diversity of topics makes for a rich offering for the modern Christian scholar."--Victor V. Claar, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

"There is a commendable focus in various essays not only on how the relationship between faith and learning should be conceived but also on how it can be institutionally sustained. This focus provides the book with one of its strengths--an expansion of focus beyond conceptualizations of faith and learning in ideational terms to a focus on institutional, personal, and communal practices as constitutive of the concrete, historical actualization of Christian higher education. The various contributions are readable, engaging, well written, often lively and fresh, and offer considerable accumulated wisdom. The book can be recommended as a compact and helpful sampling of current developments in the ongoing discussion of Christian learning, one that shows encouraging signs of continuing constructive development. . . . I recommend this volume as one of the better collections of its kind. It should repay attention for readers wishing to stay current with discussions of faith and learning in higher education, or wishing to have their own self-understanding as Christian scholar-educators refreshed, affirmed, and challenged."--David I. Smith, Journal of Education and Christian Belief