Q: What do you mean by “academic integration”?

A: This is a concept that goes by different names: “integration of faith and learning”, “faith and scholarship” or “Christian scholarship.”

For the purposes of our group, academic integration refers to the project of integrating the Christian worldview with one’s academic discipline. It involves allowing Christian thought to speak into one’s field with critique and authority.

Q: Why do you think this is necessary or important?

A: It’s important because if Christ is indeed Lord over all the earth, then he should have preeminence even in the area of our scholarship. God is not honored by compartmentalized lives, in which a privatized faith has nothing to do with our jobs.

It’s also important in a missional sense. As religion retreated into the purely private sphere during the modern era, it was seen as having less and less to do with the “real world.” Not surprisingly, our time is marked by an almost complete disregard for religion as truth. By demonstrating the relevance of Christianity as means of reflecting on and understanding one’s field, Christian academics can contribute greatly toward changing what is plausible in our culture. Read more.

Q: Is the project really possible? Is there really a “Christian view of everything”?

A: Clearly some areas have more obvious contact points with the Christian worldview than others. In some cases, integration may not have a direct connection with what one does in one’s lab, for instance. But that does not mean that there are not deeper and extremely important issues to consider beyond mere practice.

We are not necessarily trying to nail down “the Christian view of x”, although we believe that there will be ample overlap between serious Christians with a high view of Scripture in the same or similar fields. Rather, we see our job as providing a vision for the project of integration as well as tools and resources for Christian academics who want to pursue this vision. Read more.

Q: With what organization is your group affiliated? What do they believe?

A: The Academic Initiative is a part of Faculty Commons, the faculty ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Visit FacultyCommons.com.

More specifically, read our statement of faith. Note: We seek to partner with orthodox Christians of all denominations and traditions. However, as staff members of Campus Crusade, we are required to hold to this specific statement of faith as a condition of our employment.