Global Scholars professors have opportunities to make Jesus known in the classroom, and I am always so encouraged to hear about how they build relationships with students while embodying Christ’s grace and truth. I read a recent update from Pete and Patricia, who serve with Global Scholars in Africa. Pete teaches agriculture at an African government university, equipping students to tackle urgent issues of food insecurity across the continent. Many of his students come from 20 other African countries, and their research projects address over 25 key food-security crops. As those students graduate and return home, they are quickly placed in positions of leadership in agricultural science, thus helping to feed their own nations.
At the same time, Pete and Patricia are sowing seeds of faith. Pete writes:
Last year, one of our Muslim students from Sudan was desperate to bring his family to our country, to be with him, and especially to get them away from the violence there. As the Lord enabled us to help him financially and logistically, his family fled from their village the day before an attack in which houses were burnt and a number of people killed, including an uncle. This young man is very bright, and I have hired him part-time as my teaching assistant. My wife has provided the family with a place to stay at a very reduced rent. A sincere and moderate Muslim, he is comfortable discussing biblical themes and praying with us.
In our situation, we can be very free to speak about the Lord and our faith, both in the classroom and at home when students come for academic guidance, which often turns to discussing life issues and praying with them. Many take the initiative to stay in touch after graduation, even though they are scattered across Africa.
We have the freedom to pray at the beginning of class every day. I write a Scripture verse on the board and can freely include Christian concepts and personal spiritual perspectives when they are pertinent to the lesson. These may include Blaise Pascal’s wager (as an example of statistical reasoning), Mendel’s faith and careful science, how every person is created genetically unique, and the overwhelming complexity of the genetic system.
The ripple effects of Christian professors are tremendous. Your involvement in Global Scholars is resulting in true flourishing, both in the classroom and in the crop field.
Thank you for being part of this work. Please pray for Pete, Patricia, and other Global Scholars professors—that God would bless their teaching and relationships with an abundant harvest.
For Christ and the university,
Stan
The italicized names have been changed to protect privacy.
My guest on this episode of the College Faith podcast is Dr. Greg Ganssle, Chair of Talbot School of Theology’s Philosophy Department. In the mid-20th century, many in academia assumed that serious philosophy had little room for Christian belief. But in the past 50 years, something remarkable has happened: a quiet revolution in the philosophy departments of leading universities. In this episode, we discuss the revival of Christian philosophy and what it means for students today in all academic disciplines.
In this episode of the Thinking Christianly podcast, J.P. Moreland and I discuss Chapter 9 of my new book Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. We cover how we should understand the unity of the soul and body as it relates to spiritual formation, how this topic impacts our churches, and more.
Our November prayer calendar is now posted on our website. Download the prayer calendar to pray for professors, students, and current needs in higher education.
