Seeing All Things in Relation to God

Authors

  • Mark Husbands Trinity Western University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/rst.27051

Keywords:

Evangelical Free Church, Christian academia, liberal arts education, moral reason, common good, theology of the intellect

Abstract

This essay argues that a theology of the intellect is key to understanding the being and calling of a Christian University. It seeks to provide an understanding of the unique foundation and shape of Christian learning by showing that the intellect is a divine gift. Christian thinking and scholarship begins with the mystery of the triune God because the principal object of Christian thinking is the triune God and God’s action in and through Christ. Setting the intellect within the history of God’s reconciliation of all things in Christ lays bare the underlying rationale for Trinity Western University’s guiding vision: “every graduate is equipped to think truthfully, act justly, and live faithfully for the good of the world and the glory of God.” 

Author Biography

  • Mark Husbands, Trinity Western University

    Dr. Mark Husbands, the 5th President and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity Western University, is an accomplished President, academic leader, and Christian Theologian. Motivated to create extraordinary conditions for students to connect their faith to the deepest needs and challenges of the world, he has worked to align mission, vision, and strategy to equip graduates for full and faithful lives of impact for Christ and his kingdom. Privileging Christ-centred, student-focused, innovative reform, Mark leads an  agile, strategic, global Christian University focused on academic excellence, student success, and the integration of faith and reason in teaching and scholarship at the Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral levels.

References

Calvin, John. 1845. Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.ii.15. The Calvin Translation Society, 1845.

Hanson, Calvin B. 1977. On the Raw Edge of Faith: The Miracle of Trinity Western University. Self Published.

Higton, Mike. 2012. A Theology of Higher Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gilson, Étienne. 1939. “The Intelligence in the Service of Christ the King.” In Christianity and Philosophy, translated by R. M. McDonald, Sheed and Ward. accessed online at https://camelotsdubondieu.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/etienne-gilson-the-intelligence-in-the-service-of-christ-the-king-1937/, September 4, 2023.

Griffiths, Paul J. 2005. “How Reasoning Goes Wrong: A Quasi-Augustinian Account of Error and Its Implications.” In Reason and the Reasons of Faith, edited by Paul J. Griffiths and Reinhard Hütter, 145–159. New York: T & T Clark.

Malik, Charles. 2000. The Two Tasks. Wheaton, IL: EMIS.

Marsden, George M. 1997. The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

———. 2021, The Soul of the American University Revisited: From Protestant to Post-secular. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

O’Donovan, Oliver. 2009. Common Objects of Love: Moral Reflection and Shaping of Community. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

O’Donovan, Oliver and Joan Lockwood O’Donovan, eds. 1999. “Augustine. City of God, XIX, 24.” In From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought 100–1625. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Erdmans.

Pascal, Blaise. “Pensées, 548.” In Gilson, Étienne. 1939. “The Intelligence in the Service of Christ the King.” in Christianity and Philosophy, trans. by R. M. McDonald, Sheed and Ward. accessed online at https://camelotsdubondieu.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/etienne-gilson-the-intelligence-in-the-service-of-christ-the-king-1937/ , September 4, 2023.

Wilkinson, Lynn, and David Enarson, “Oral history Interview” 1983. https://archivessearch.twu.ca/aud220-transcript-pdf, accessed September 9, 2023.

Wolfe, Alan. 2000. “The Opening of the Evangelical Mind.” The Atlantic Monthly. 55–76.

Ziegler, Philip G. Ziegler. 2007. “Gottesvergessenheit as Provocation and Summons.” in Doing Theology When God is Forgotten: The Theological Achievement of Wolf Krötke, 21–37. Berlin: Peter Lang.

Published

2023-12-18

Issue

Section

Articles: Faith-Based Education (Christian) in Canada Today

How to Cite

Husbands, M. (2023). Seeing All Things in Relation to God. Religious Studies and Theology, 42(1-2), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1558/rst.27051