The Two Tasks of the Christian Scholar is an outstanding collection of essays centered around the theme of Charles Malik’s 1980 address regarding redeeming the soul and the mind. Edited by our own AI scholars William Lane Craig and Paul M. Gould, the volume seeks to encourage Christian academics to glorify Christ in the secular university both in their academic research and their spiritual lives. Far from proffering a simplistic vision of the calling of a Christian academic, the book presents a deeply thoughtful, godly and concerned critique of the secular academy and how Christian scholars might successfully navigate the unfriendly waters there.
Perhaps the best essay in the book is the first one, Gould’s “Two Tasks Introduced” (here I must admit that I am a friend of Paul’s, and may not be entirely objective!) The interesting and original discussion here of what “academic integration” really means is thought-provoking and immensely useful for those concerned with questions such as “what exactly is Christian scholarship?” and “what is an integrated Christian life?” Gould makes a helpful distinction between “explicit Christian research” and “latent Christian research,” and how both can further Christian thought. “Explicit” Christian research is research that is asking “distinctly Christian questions” or “applying distinctly Christian concepts,” while “latent” Christian research supports or implies the Christian worldview without explicitly discussing it. Both are useful and necessary in the academy, Gould says. But he doesn’t rest there when describing the Two Tasks, as he includes the life and worship of the scholar in his definition. That is, in order to be a fully integrated Christian scholar, such a scholar must seek to glorify God with her life, how she treats and serves others, as well as standing up for Christ when necessary. These latter, practical areas are topics which, it must be admitted, are all too often forgotten in discussions of this type. Also included in this chapter is Gould’s sketch of the metanarrative of Scripture and what that implies for distinctly Christian scholarship.
The essays by Robert Kaita, a physicist at Princeton, and John North, English professor at the University of Waterloo, are also very thought-provoking reflections on the two tasks from the perspectives of the sciences and the humanities, respectively. Kaita places the Christian integrative life within Paul’s address at Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-34), and then discusses Intelligent Design with regard to Paul’s approach to his audience at Athens. Kaita makes quite useful observations about the term “theory” as it is applied in physics, and how that differs from its use in biology. This, he says, has interesting implications for the acceptance of Intelligent Design in biology. North, as well, makes very interesting observations about the Christian roots of Western literature, and how his teaching of such literature has led to many spiritual discussions with students. In fact, North says, it was his study of the Christian symbolism in Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” which led him to study English literature as a career. He encourages scholars to simply select certain texts and let those texts, which have Christian themes, speak for themselves in the classroom.
There are a number of other outstanding essays in the book as well. Walter Bradley, professor of Engineering at Baylor University, gives very practical suggestions in his essay about how to reach out with the gospel to students and colleagues in a secular environment. Charles Malik’s original “Two Tasks” address is reprinted here, and his son Habib Malik writes the introduction as well as an essay about the Two Tasks and “the clash of civilizations.” William Lane Craig and Peter Kreeft offer fitting tributes to Charles Malik as well. Overall, this volume is an essential one for the scholar who desires to glorify God in the secular academy through integrative research as well as richly-flourishing soul. Highly recommended.
Table of Contents
Contributors
Foreward: Reflections on Charles Malik
Habib C. Malik
1. The Two Tasks Introduced: The Fully Integrated Life of the Christian Scholar
Paul M. Gould
2. The Two Tasks
Charles Malik, 1980 Address
3. The Two Tasks Revisited: Being a Christian in the Era of Civilization Clashes
Habib C. Malik
4. Where Would We Be Today If We Took Charles Malik's Christian Critique of the University
to Heart?
Peter Kreeft
5. On Being a Christian Professor in the Secular Academy
Walter L. Bradley
6. Spherical Cows and Mars Hill: A Heuristic Approach to the Two Tasks
Robert Kaita
7. The Text's the Thing: Reflections from the Humanities
John North
8. Concluding Thoughts on the Two Tasks of the Christian Scholar
William Lane Craig
Reviewed by: Mark Hansard
