As I sit here in my office, trying to write another chapter for my PhD I find my mind wandering into bigger questions about Christian women in the academy. I’m sure loads of books could be written on the subject, but I shall just present a few of my thoughts in a few posts on the subject.
Christians in the academy – Today the idea of being a Christian in the academy has a number of challenges (like any work that we are to do, the Christian finds her/himself under attack and 'not quite fitting' because we don't quite fit in this world).
However, Christians can have an amazing presence in academic institutions as being a Christian academic (and doing academic work Christianly) opens up avenues to live out the gospel among very intellectual and often anti-Christian colleagues. For all those academics that think Christianity is simply an emotional crutch, an informed and intelligent Christian can help explode their facile categories (which is probably what they’re in the business of doing anyhow – exposing structures of oppression to open up texts and practices to for example, feminist, Marxist, postmodern, readings).
However, at points I feel that as a Christian, I should be doing something 'more worthwhile' with my life, helping more directly to alleviate poverty, for instance. While I completely believe that we can do our part to help alleviate poverty not only through cheerful giving but in the everyday choices we make about what products we buy and what business practices we support, there still exists a nagging feeling that the academic life is primarily selfish. I’m only in this position in life because I grew up in an upper middle-class milieu that expected I get a college degree and if interested, pursue graduate study. Here I am, in a foreign city, getting to spend everyday reading and writing – it’s absolutely thrilling. And yet, I wonder what’s the point of this? When there are thousands of Pakistani people living in tents with winter approaching, how come I get to sit here with sufficient heat and read of all things?
I then remember that Calvin emphasised that any true work – in any sphere – is part of one’s calling in Christ, a vocation. That there’s no such thing as “full time ministry” being restricted to pastors and missionaries, but that in whatever sphere we find ourselves we are to do our work to the glory of God. Christian academics should be the best academics out there -- same with Christian artists (another topic for another time), Christian businesspeople, and Christian homemakers. If the academic life – for whatever space of time – is my vocation then I need to complete my PhD not simply as an exercise (in sanity?) to get through but as working to the Lord. I need not be apologetic about my intelligence, apologetic that I don’t have children yet, because right now, I am here.
That’s a wonderful word, ‘here’. It helps me to focus on living in the present (rather than planning out my entire future – as if I could!) and realise that God holds my future, be it academic or otherwise. But for today, I can do my work by serving Christ in my office and trying to write to the glory of God.
It’s a hard vocation and often I honestly don’t feel up to it. I don’t feel intellectually rigorous enough to be taken seriously as a Christian. I don’t want to rock the boat too much either. I slip back into false dualisms of faith on one side and my intellectual life on another (or I mistakingly think that faith is only intellectual so that I ward of the anti-intellectual emotivism so common in contemporary evangelical culture). But I realise that God has placed me here, now, for a reason and so as long as he has me here, I shall ask for his strength to enable me to work in this academic life to his glory. Now, I better get to work.
Next up, Christian women in academia.
