Some challenges to Christian postgraduates and academics

Get involved with a Christian peer group on campus. (i.e. a weekly Bible study or prayer group with your academic/professional peers).

Attend some undergraduate Christian group events. It is a great encouragement for them if you are there.

Be known as a Christian.

Engage your brain with the Gospel and all its ramifications. Develop a Christian perspective on your discipline.

Put family, personal integrity, and ministry before career.

Being Right at University

On Friday I have been asked to give a talk for a group of Christian postgraduates and academics, "Being a Christian at University". I have not settled on the talk yet but here are a few preliminary thoughts.

In some ways being a Christian at University is no different from being a Christian in others contexts. In other ways there are unique opportunities and dangers. I looked at Romans which prompted the following thoughts.

There is no need to be ashamed of the Gospel. It saves sinners. (1:16) Physics, biology, philosophy, and economics are wonderful and fascinating. But, they cannot save us.

The world we live in and study (God's creation) testifies to the greatness and power of God (1:20). Christians should see this greatness in what they learn and research and praise God. But, some men will ignore this testimony.

People will suppress the truth (1:18)[whether it is about God or different scholarly views than their own] because of their sin. We should not be surprised when they do.

People will serve and worship the creation and creations of the creature (Science, Nature, Art, Music) rather than the Creator (1:25).

People will claim to be wise but believe foolish things [quantum consciousness, postmodernism, multiverses,..] because of their sin (1:21,22).

Intellectual and personal integrity cannot be separated.

People will believe what they want to believe rather than what the evidence before them suggests they should believe.

We all desperately want to be Right, whether it is about our morality, political views, latest scientific theory, or interpretation of the Bible. We want to justify ourselves, not just our views, but our very existence.

The only thing we can really be right about is being Right with God. This is not something we can achieve, either by cleverness or by effort. It is a gift from God, through Jesus Christ (3:24, 6:23).

How should Christian academics and postgraduates live? Just like Christians in other areas of employment. Because of God's mercy, be a "living sacrifice". Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (12:1,2)

Advice for Christian undergraduates

The new University year begins on monday. This evening I have be asked to speak briefly at our church, which has a lot of undergraduates, and offer advice for new Christian students.

A few years ago I spoke at a morning on Science and Christianity, organised by our church. Videos of the talks are all online here. At that event I did an interview with Bernard Mostert, about his experience being a Christian undergraduate. I thought he gave particularly articulate answers to questions such as:

What do you wish you knew when you started university?

What do you wish you had done different?

Several helpful points Bernard makes are

-there are cohesive rational arguments for the truth of Christianity

-Christian students have nothing to be afraid of at university

-don't expect atheists to be convinced by these arguments

-beware of pride. the goal is not to win arguments but to glorify Jesus

Loving God will all your mind

Donald Hay is an economist who was the Head of the Division of Social Sciences at Oxford University, from 2000 to 2005. Since "retirement" he has helped develop an excellent program for Christian postgraduate students at Oxford, Developing a Christian Mind. It challenges and helps the students to integrate their Christian faith with their academic life. In this talk to the Graduate Christian Union at Oxford, Donald Hay presents the challenge.

The pleasure of physics research

My Oxford colleague, Professor Andrew Briggs is currently visiting me. Andrew was graduate student in physics at Cambridge when the Cavendish laboratory moved location. Over the entrance to the old laboratory James Clerk Maxwell, the first Cavendish Professor had engraved (in Latin) the words of Psalm 111:2. Professor Sir Brian Pippard, then the Cavendish Professor, recounted in a short history:

The great oak doors opening on the site of the original building had carved on them, by Maxwell's wish, the text from Psalm 111 Magna opera Domini esquisita in omnes voluntates ejus. Shortly after the move to the new buildings in 1973 a devout research student suggested to me that the same text should be displayed, in English, at the entrance. I undertook to put the proposal to the Policy Committee, confident that they would veto it; to my surprise, however, they heartily agreed both to the idea and to the choice of Coverdale’s translation:

Andrew Briggs was that "devout research student." The translation of Psalm 111:2 is:

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein

Talk on thriving as a Christian while a postgraduate student or postdoc

An outline of the text of the talk I gave to a group of graduate students is here.