Faithful Imagination in the Academy: Explorations in Religious Belief and Scholarship

In the past thirty years there has been a sea change in North American intellectual life regarding the role of religious commitments in academic endeavors. Driven partly by post-modernism and the fragmentation of knowledge and partly by the democratization of the academy in which different voices are celebrated, the appropriate role that religion should play is contested. Some academics insist that religion cannot and must not have a place at the academic table; others insist that religious values should drive the argument. Faithful Imagination in the Academy takes an approach based on dialogue with various viewpoints, claiming neither too much nor too little. All the authors are seasoned academics with many significant publications to their credit. While they all know how the academy operates and how to make worthwhile contributions in their respective disciplines, they are also Christians whose religious commitments are reflected in their intellectual work.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Introduction Part 2 Probing Linguistic and Moral Coherence Chapter 3 Words and Things: the Hope of Perspectival Realism Chapter 4 Can We Be Good Without God? Part 5 Questioning Assumptions Underlying Science Chapter 6 Can Scientific Laws Teach Us the Nature of the World? Chapter 7 Design in Nature: What is Science Properly Permitted to Think? Part 8 Truth-Telling and Truth-Searching Chapter 9 Reckoning with the Conquest of California and the West: Josiah Royce and American Memory Chapter 10 Better Media with Wisdom from a Distant Place Part 11 Imagining a World Chapter 12 Gender Partnership: A Care Theory Perspective Chapter 13 American Poverty Policy: Concerns about the Nature of Persons in a Good Society Chapter 14 Understanding God, Nature, and Social Structure: A Case Study of Great Barrier Island, New Zealand

About the Author :
Janel M. Curry is professor of geography and dean of research and scholarship at Calvin College. Ronald A. Wells is director of the Maryville Symposium on Faith and the Liberal Arts at Maryville College.

Review :
A dazzling display of the power of a Christian mind: top-notch authors at the top of their game. This book shows how fearless and honest Christians should engage the contemporary world. Faithful Imagination in the Academy takes the faith and learning discussion beyond the emphasis on argument to clear vision; beyond combative metaphors to dialogue; and beyond an apologetic tone to invitation. The book provokes intrigue and puzzlement through concrete examples of what scholars have actually tried to do, rather than speculating on what might be possible. First-order scholarship by Christian believers is no longer a rarity. Yet because of the multiplied complexities of existence, there is an ongoing need for learning that moves from general Christian perspectives to specific intellectual challenges. The chapters of this book show how convincingly that scholarship can be carried out. The book's breadth combines with the depth of its individual chapters to make a compelling statement.... First-order scholarship by Christian believers is no longer a rarity. Yet because of the multiplied complexities of existence, there is an ongoing need for learning that moves from general Christian perspectives to specific intellectual challenges. The chapters of this book show how convincingly that scholarship can be carried out. The book's breadth combines with the depth of its individual chapters to make a compelling statement.