A couple of weeks ago our m u c h l o v e d Labradoodle, Toby, breathed his last. Every

day we are reminded of him: the postman strolls up the driveway absent his playfulescort, squirrels frolic on the back deck but no growling rebukes are issued, and gas logs illumine an empty bed by the brick hearth.

Despite Toby’s honored status, his domain was purposefully limited. Due to our allergies, we kept him downstairs. After scavenging off our countertops, we banished him from the kitchen. And, a fence kept him within the con-fines of our yard.

An odd parallel struck me recently. In an eerily similar way Jesus is sequestered from the heart of today’s university. Sure, He is per-mitted in the domain of the chapel, Christian

FRONTLINES§1

§2

A Window into America’s Universities April 2015 Faculty Commons-A CRU MINISTRY

student groups, and graduation prayers, but He is generally not welcome in the academic center of the university.

A host of philosophical and theological reasons exist for this. I am, however, puzzled by one trend: at times Christian scholars, like their secular colleagues, set limits to the domain of Jesus in the university.

Some Christian professors believe true scholarship requires it; would not Christian presuppositions be a complete violation of the academic spirit? Others cite a power differen-tial between faculty and students; Christian professors should avoid mention of “religion” from their position of power. Many know a Jesus of Sunday school, but have never consid-ered a Jesus of chemistry or sociology.

The problem with sequestering Jesus from the heart of the academy is Jesus. Paul wrote, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…. all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colos-sians 1:15-17). If Someone is before all things,

creates all things, holds all things together, and is the purpose for all things, it is difficult to imagine He knows nothing about biology or history, or that it would be our place to define His domain as just Sunday morning.

This discussion is complex philosophically, theologically, and practically. Yet at the end of the day, if Jesus is Lord of all, then one option not open to us as Christians is to wall Him away from the liberal arts, for example. The specifics of how to think Christianly in a secu-lar environment are challenging. Let us not, however, avoid those challenges via the “solu-tion” of sequestering Jesus from the university.

Since Toby has died I’ve noticed in certain places his presence is palpable—most notably in his old domains—but when I am on the road, or in a grocery store, I never sense his

The problem with sequestering Jesus from the academy.

Professors and students promote spiritual conversations on campus.

University of Alabama professor Dr. Phil Bishop invests in his students.

Instruction on the awe, intimacy, struggle, and practice of prayer.

Lessons from My Lab

Dialoguing with Atheists at UCSD

Master Mentor Tim Keller’s New Book on Prayer

§1 §2 §3 §4

Dialoguing with Atheists at UCSDMinistry Profile: Steve and Wanda Faivre, University of California, San Diego

Lessons from My Lab Rick Hove, Faculty Commons Executive Director

This year, the SSA recommended a professor who represents their viewpoint as a conversa-tion partner for the 2015 April Veritas Forum. His conversation was with Dr. John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. Although Dr. Lennox has debated

such notable atheists as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the style of conversa-tion versus confrontation at the Veritas Forum with a well-respected UCSD professor was a strong attraction for both professors and stu-dents alike.

“Can I Be A Christian and Win the Nobel Prize?” This question was recently posed at a Christian faculty luncheon at the Uni-versity of California,

San Diego (UCSD). Sponsored by Faculty Commons, these buffet luncheons are held quarterly at the Faculty Club on campus with an average of 20-25 faculty attending.

Faculty members share some aspect of their faith journey or how they have integrated their faith with their area of discipline and research. Because the luncheons provide a safe place for faculty to discuss their faith and their struggle to be salt and light on a secular campus, a live-ly Q&A generally follows.

A few years ago Lynette Corbeil, DVM, PhD, Professor of Pathology, shared with other fac-ulty at a luncheon how the Lord had blessed, built up and encouraged her over the years through participation in faculty prayer groups. She helped launch a weekly faculty prayer group at UCSD, where those who attend pray about personal and professional needs.

These men and women recognize that prayer influences the spiritual climate on campus—that light is often brought to the dark corners of the university as a result of this one hour with the Lord.

Since 2000, Steve and Wanda Faivre have given leadership to the Faculty Commons ministry at UCSD. They are encouraged to see Christian professors partnering with under-graduate student ministries to reach the whole campus through Veritas Forum outreaches.

Nearly 400 students and 15 professors at-tended last year’s Veritas Forum. Steve and Wanda invited student leaders from the Secu-lar Student Alliance (the atheist club) to attend and later treated them to lunch at the Faculty Club to get their responses to the event.

At UCSD God is using Faculty Commons to keep the person of Jesus Christ on the front burner in the hearts and minds of the entire campus community.

University of California, San DiegoUCSD is the third most influential biotech center in the United States. Added to the University of Califor-nia after WW II, UCSD is among the leading recipients of federal research funding and one of the most pro-ductive universities in getting its research published.• Total enrollment 31,052• Admitted freshman average high school GPA is 4.13• Has ranked first in the nation for five consecutive

years in research, civic engagement, and social mobility

• Recognized as one of the top 20 universities in the world and third best public university in the nation

• Professors have included 16 Nobel laureates along with MacArthur fellows, National Academy mem-bers, and Pulitzer Prize winners

UCSD’s Geisel Library is in the shape of a tree, and its walkway, the Snake Path, is coiled and paved to look like a serpent. The Geisel Library is named after Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Suess. Approximately 8,500 items from the Dr. Seuss Collection are housed there, including original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, manuscript drafts, books, audio and videotapes, and photographs.

presence. That’s a picture of the future of our universities if Jesus is ruled outside the do-main of, for example, the College of Arts and Sciences. Over time, no future student will sense Jesus had anything whatsoever to do with the arts and sciences.

Should this occur, it would be a great tragedy with dire consequences.

Thanks for partnering with us in Faculty Commons as we strive to address the substan-tive challenges of offering the hope of Jesus Christ to our universities and the world!

Executive Director of Faculty Commons since 2005, Rick has also directed the Rice and Duke ministries. He is a summa cum laude graduate of both Georgia Tech and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Rick and his wife Sonya live in Durham, NC and have three children.

Oxford professor John Lennox dialogued about faith, beauty, and morality with UCSD psychology professor Nicholas Christenfeld on April 13. You can view the event at veritas.org/forums.

A Common CallA conference for Christian faculty

Groups of Christian professors are meeting this spring in Orlando, Birmingham, Dallas, and State College, PA to explore their common call to have a Christian influence in the university and the world. See acommoncall.org for dates, locations and more information. Join us!

A woman professor at Rochester Institute of Technology leads a weekly Bible study for Cru students—over 20 women attend.

By delivering a Cru student’s “Thank-a-prof” note, our staff was able to have a gospel conversation with a University of Central Florida professor notably hostile to the faith.

A University of North Texas jazz professor went to Bologna with Cru students on spring break and played an outreach concert to help them meet Italian students.

Master MentorFaculty Profile: Dr. Phil Bishop, Professor of Exercise Science, University of Alabama

Frontlines is published by Faculty Commons, the faculty ministry of Cru.

• Editor: Bonnie McGee• Writer: Ceil Wilson• Design: Rich Bostwick

We want to hear from you. Please contact us via email at frontlines@facultycommons.org. Faculty Commons, 2001 West Plano Parkway, Ste. 2700, Plano, TX 75075; Ph: 972.516.0516; Web: www.facultycommons.com

§3

§4

Fast Facts:This spring, seven professors at UW-Eau Claire are meeting individually each week with our Faculty Commons staff for personal Christian discipleship.

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with GodBook Review by Earle Chute, Faculty Commons Representative, East Tennessee State University

know the awe of praising his glory, the inti-macy of finding his grace, and the struggle of asking his help…. Prayer, then is both awe and intimacy, struggle and reality … each should be a major component of our prayer over the course of our lives.”

In addition to his own journey of deepening prayer, Keller draws on the insights and per-sonal practices of many of the great masters of prayer throughout this book—Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Packer, Piper, etc.

The book is organized into five well-devel-oped sections: • Desiring Prayer—by bringing “heaven into

the ordinary, we see the world differently, even in the most menial and trivial daily tasks. Prayer changes us.”

• Understanding Prayer—having a conversa-tion and encounter with God. “We do not want just to know about God, but to know God, to seek his face and presence.”

• Learning Prayer—studying the Lord’s prayer, with insights from Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.

• Deepening Prayer—learning biblical medi-tation. “When we meditate and pray the gos-pel and its attendant truths into our hearts with the power of the Spirit, those long-ings are slowly satisfied and other things in life become gifts rather than gods, and we slowly but surely and radically change in our character and in all our relationships.”

• Doing Prayer—taking up “the discipline of regular, daily prayer.” Here we are instructed into the awe, intimacy, struggle, and prac-tice of prayer.

Investing in the MissionYour financial investment will help us build movements of professors and students to take the hope of Jesus Christ to the world. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us in this vital endeavor? All contributions to Faculty Commons are income tax deductible.Cash donations

Make check to Cru and mail to Faculty Commons; 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2700; Plano, Texas 75075. Or invest online: give.cru.org/2271527

Maximize your giving to help reach the world for ChristStocks, bonds and mutual funds held for at least a year, which have increased in value since the time purchased, will receive extra tax savings when used as a donation.

Gift and Estate DesignAt no charge, professionals at the Great Commission Foundation can help you and your financial advisor develop a strategy to meet your fiscal goals minimizing taxes and maximizing Kingdom impact.

If you need assistance, please contact our Director of Ministry Development, Rich McGee at 214-727-6084 or rich.mcgee@facultycommons.org.

Support Faculty Commons Staff As part of Cru, all of our staff trust God for their salary and ministry expenses. You can con- tribute directly to individual staff at give.cru.org by typing their name in the search box.

In this insightful new book, Redeemer Pres-byterian Church pastor Timothy Keller dis-cusses two different views of prayer. He writes, “Most now emphasize prayer as a means to experience God’s love and to know oneness with Him.” This is what he calls “communion-centered” prayer.

The second view is that “the essence of prayer is not as much inward resting but as calling on God to bring in His kingdom. Prayer is viewed as a wrestling match.” He calls this type of prayer “kingdom-centered.”

“Where, then, does this leave us? … We must

45 PhD candidates. When he finds students and young faculty who are interested in dis-cussing spiritual things, he includes Christian principles in his mentoring.

Dr. Bishop’s own mentor was Dr. Rae Melli-champ, one of the founding professors of Fac-ulty Commons. In addition to imparting time management and teaching skills, Dr. Melli-champ “truly challenged me about what it might mean for me to be a visible Christian presence on campus,” Dr. Bishop recalls.

In partnership with Cru’s global missions programs, Dr. Bishop takes his mentoring skills worldwide. Last summer he taught a seminar on writing for publication to PhD candidates and young professors in Bologna, Italy. This summer he will reach out to students in Rome and England.

“I believe that we professors have one of the greatest mission fields on earth,” Dr. Bishop explains. “We have the opportunity to exert great influence on future world leaders. And, each term our institutions deliver a new crop of students for us to influence. God can use faculty to change the world.”

The prospective graduate student seemed like a hopeless case when University of Ala-bama professor Phil Bishop first met him. A high school dropout with a rough upbringing, Eric was actually high on cocaine at the moment. Yet he had great potential. Dr. Bishop accepted him into the program, and the two men became good friends.

By the time Eric earned his PhD, he was a transformed follower of Jesus who felt called to minister as a university professor himself. Now he mentors his own students the way Dr. Bishop mentored him. “Phil Bishop’s willing-ness to live for God’s purposes as he went about his academic career helped lead to my peace in Christ,” Eric now says. “He taught me about everything a PhD requires and, more importantly, how to have a passion for God through prayer, evangelism, and godly ser-vice.”

Mentoring is a passion for Dr. Bishop. “Men-toring is actually part of our job description with advising graduate students and younger faculty,” he notes. With over 30+ years as a professor, Dr. Bishop has mentored more than

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. – I Timothy 2:11. Please ask God to “shine His face” (Psalm 67:1) upon our four regional faculty confer-

ences this spring.2. Pray that God would use Christian professors in the lives of the 110,000 Saudi

Arabian students who now study in the U.S.3. Ask God to give us wisdom and favor as we work on a book for faculty. Our desire is

that God will use this book as a catalyst to raise up Christ-following professors across the world.

Join with us in Prayer

Keller concludes with 58-pages of extensive and informative annotated bibliography and endnotes.

In my office I have a special place where I like to pray. It is a chair that was given to me as a gift from my oldest daughter. When-ever I go to that chair to pray, I begin to en-ter into the presence of God. There is nothing unusual about that chair, but the memory of past prayers and encounters with God and the urgency of current requests are always fresh

and evident when I kneel down to pray in that special place.

My desire to come to that chair more often to pray has been strengthened and challenged by this book. I highly recommend it for all those who desire to make prayer a more integral part of their daily practice.

Keller cites the 17th century poet George Herbert who called prayer “the Churches ban-quet.” May we all spend time at the banquet table!

April 2015By delivering a Cru student’s “Thank-a-prof” note, our staff was able to have a gospel conver-sation with a University of Central Florida professor notably hostile to the faith.A professor at Rochester Institute of Technology leads a weekly Bible study for Cru students with over 20 women attending.This spring, seven professors at UW-Eau Claire are meeting individually each week with our Faculty Commons staff for personal Christian discipleship.A University of North Texas jazz professor went to Rome with Cru students on spring break and played an outreach concert to help them meet Italian students.

Dr. Phil Bishop and his wife Brenda enjoy mentoring students and sharing their passion for Christ. They have been active partners in Cru’s global missions, including ministry in a university in Bologna, Italy last summer. They will be on Cru mission trips in Rome as well as in the United Kingdom in May.