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“The Christian Mind” Project

To hear the podcast (20 min) click here.

Before he died in 2023, Tim Keller recognized the need for what has become The Christian Mind Project. 

He knew that the people who shape culture most significantly are intellectuals and elites.  These individuals and thought leaders teach at institutions like Cornell, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. 

But in many subject areas, like the social sciences and humanities, Christians are severely under-represented.  One might say that there is anti-Christian bias in those places. 

Christian Askeland is heading up a project to recruit, mentor, and educate the best Christian minds for positions like this.  He stopped by to talk with David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast. 

Who Is Christian Askeland? 

Dr. Christian Askeland holds a PhD from Cambridge University and is one of the most consequential Coptic scholars in the world. 

He was with us before on The Stone Chapel Podcast to discuss the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.  Learn more about him by following the link to that podcast found below.

He is currently Senior Researcher at Museum of the Bible. And he is Director of Education for Inspire, an evangelical outreach that attempts to recruit promising Christian undergrads for careers in the academy.

The Christian Mind Project

Askeland and Capes discuss a major project being launched by Inspire to do something about the disturbing lack of evangelical Christian presence in influential places. 

In April 2024, a weekend symposium of college leaders and foundations will gather at the Lanier Theological Library in order to address the problem.

As you will learn, there is no quick fix.  This is a project that could and should last a century.  The Anti-Christian bigotry in elite institutions will not give way quickly or easily.  A sustained effort is needed.

More Resources

To hear Christian Askeland’s podcast on the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife,” click here.

For an important article on the subject of the need for The Christian Mind Project by Tim Keller, read this.

You can find a transcript of this podcast here.

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

You can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

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“Hostile Environment” with George Yancey

To hear the podcast (21 min) click here.

On April 20, 2024, Dr. George Yancey will deliver a lecture at the Lanier Theological Library.  He stopped by “The Stone Chapel Podcast” to talk about that lecture and a book he published in 2015. 

His lecture will present his research on anti-Christian bias in culture. And he will offer a few ideas on how to deal with it. 

Who is George Yancey? 

George Yancey is a professor of sociology at Baylor University.  He is an African American Christian sociologist.

He says he faces more hostility in academia because he is a Christian than because he’s black. Thus, he has spent a good bit of time investigating anti-Christian bias on a societal level. 

Hostile Environment

In 2015 Dr. Yancey wrote a book entitled Hostile Environment: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Christian Bias. It was published by Intervarsity Press.  

His research indicates that anti-Christian bias in the United States is real.  And those who have this bias are more likely to be wealthy, powerful, well educated, and white. 

It is, he says, every bit as real as Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.  He often uses the term “Christianophobia” to describe this phenomenon. He realizes that some prefer “anti-Christian bias.” 

In this podcast we discuss how anti-Christian bias in America is different than anti-Christian bias around the world. 

In the American culture there is less risk of physical harm, and more of societal harm in the workplace, in the media, in the arts, and in higher education. 

The bias, he believes, can be addressed, but it will not be corrected quickly.  It is a long term project. 

What Scholars say about “Hostile Environment”

Here is what Kelly Monroe Kullberg says about his book:

“Yancey urges us to get in the war in an honorable way, adding our courage and insight for cultural survival and renewal.  At times we’re to fight fire with fire. That might mean calling out bigotry and hate where you see it.  Love speaks.  Love tells the truth.  Love risks.  Love does not fail.”

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Biblical Authority with John Walton

To hear the podcast (11 minutes) click here.

It has been the contention of Dr. John Walton that the authority of Scripture is located in the intention of the human authors as represented in what they wrote. In this conversation he explains what he means, in part by contrasting it with some other possible models. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related work is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.

Check out related programs at Wheaton College: 

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48rJ38H

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3vpeW3b

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Hermeneutical Illiteracy with John Walton

We’ve heard of biblical literacy, but if we don’t know what to do with the Bible once we’ve read it, we might be suffering from hermeneutical illiteracy. The lack can be especially apparent in approaches to the Old Testament. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related work is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief. 

To hear the podcast (9 min) click here.

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48mVHG2

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/490LOxR

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Christ as Image and Reconciler with Dan Treier

Colossians 1:15-20, which many think was an early Christian hymn, is one of the uniquely rich and intense expressions of the identity and work of Christ. Daniel J. Treier models a wise union of exegetical care and theological sophistication while reading this passage. Prof. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology and Director of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College & Graduate School. His most recent publication is Lord Jesus Christ (New Studies in Dogmatics).

Check out related programs at Wheaton College:

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3tlYW1e

To hear the podcast (8 minutes) click here.

For an M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Tvez18