A Little Respect for Dr. Foster

New York Times, Sunday March 28, 2015:

ONE sign of a landmark shift in public attitudes: A poll last year found that Americans approved more of gays and lesbians (53 percent) than of evangelical Christians (42 percent).

That’s partly because some evangelical leaders were intolerant blowhards who give faith a bad name. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson famously blamed the 9/11 terror attacks in part on feminists, gays and lesbians, and doctors who perform abortions. After an outcry, both men backed off.

Today, among urban Americans and Europeans, “evangelical Christian” is sometimes a synonym for “rube.” In liberal circles, evangelicals constitute one of the few groups that it’s safe to mock openly.

Yet the liberal caricature of evangelicals is incomplete and unfair. I have little in common, politically or theologically, with evangelicals or, while I’m at it, conservative Roman Catholics. But I’ve been truly awed by those I’ve seen in so many remote places, combating illiteracy and warlords, famine and disease, humbly struggling to do the Lord’s work as they see it, and it is offensive to see good people derided … 

The entire article can be found here. 

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Jesus in China: PBS interview with Zhao Xiao

Zhao Xiao is a prominent Chinese economist who has gained attention for arguing that China’s economy would benefit from the spread of Christianity. He wrote an essay in the Chinese edition of Esquire entitled “God Is My Chairman of the Board” which was based on a paper called “Market Economies With Churches and Market Economies Without Churches.” He later converted to Christianity. Here, he talks with FRONTLINE/World reporter Evan Osnos about what Christianity could bring to China, the relationship between morality and a market economy, and his own conversion to Christianity.

The interview was edited for clarity.

Evan Osnos: When did you begin studying the U.S. markets to write the article about Christianity’s influence on them?

ZHAO XIAO: I wrote it in 2002. During that time, I went to America to observe and study what kind of differences there are between the market economies of the United States and China. The one fundamental difference I discovered is that, in America, there are churches everywhere. On the other hand, in China — and I’ll crack a joke — there are bathhouses everywhere. So I wrote an article entitled “Market Economies With Churches and Market Economies Without Churches.” This is the first time in the 20 years of China’s reform and opening up that anyone in the field of economics undertook a comparison of different market economies from the perspective of morality and a moral market.

What did you learn in your research?

I discovered that there is a foundation of morality behind the American market economy. In China, on the other hand, we have concentrated a lot on economic reforms but have not paid much attention to that moral foundation. We still need a transition in the area of morality. Only then can this kind of organic transformation be a thorough reform.

The entire interview can be viewed here.

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Many thanks to all who’ve helped the Faculty Commons New Faculty Interview. 

From Political Science to Crop Science, Aerospace Engineering to Finance – over 50 new faculty have participated so far. 

We especially appreciate the feedback from those who would describe themselves as atheists or agnostics – and those from faith traditions besides Christianity. 

Please contact us if you’d like more information, or to see a copy of the compiled results later this summer. 

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Aletheia is a Christian academic journal being launched by a group of students at Cal Poly.  

Similar journals have been launched on a dozen East Coast universities – Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth – as well as UC Berkeley and the Claremont Colleges. Aletheia (ἀλήθεια) is the Greek word for “truth” and is the name chosen by students for the journal at Cal Poly. 

The journals are part of the Augustine Collective, a small but growing group of student/faculty Christian academic campus organizations. Click here for a link to their national website with more information.

A group of students began meeting February 19th to plan and begin initial planning and work on Aletheia. They would love faculty input. Please contact students leaders Anelise Powers or Caleb Gotthardt (emails in the image below) for more information. 

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The Alpha course is seven week series, seeking to introduce other to the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. It is described by its organizers as “an opportunity to explore the meaning of life”. It originated in London almost 40 years ago and is currently being run around the world by all major Christian denominations.

Cal Poly SLO – Alpha is being launched April 7th – Tuesday of 2nd Week – and will  be meeting in Bldg 10, Room 100 from 11:10am-12pm. 

While the event is geared towards students, faculty are more than welcome to attend. Food is one of the components of each event: if you’d like to help cover the cost of one of the meetings, please contact their faculty advisor Dr. Jodi Christiansen or student leader Melanie Reis melanie.j.reis@gmail.com

As you remember, please pray for the success of this event. For more information, please visit their Facebook Page.

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Please enjoy this video link from our Feb 12, 2015 Veritas Forum event featuring our guest Dr. Francis Su (Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College) dialoguing with Dr. Ken Brown (Philosophy, Cal Poly) on “Nurturing the Yawp: An Atheist and a Christian discuss Education, Achievement, and the Point of Learning”.

The evening – which was co-sponsored by the Veritas Forum, the Alliance of Happy Atheists, and ASI – was emceed by ASI President Joi Sullivan, moderated by Cal Poly Vice Provost Dr. Albert Liddicoat and followed by Q&A from the audience.

Afterwards Dr. Su and Brown continued to interact with audience members and answer questions. 

Many thanks to the faculty and student leadership that helped bring this evening together. Please contact us if you have suggestions on topics or speakers for future events. 

We hope you and your students will join us for a faculty response panel Wednesday February 18th in UU 220 as three professors share their thoughts on last week’s Veritas Forum. It’s our hope that students and faculty, from whatever religious (or non-religious) background, will continue to talk and reflect on how their worldview impacts their perspective on teaching and learning. 

A complimentary catered lunch will be provided. Space is limited: if you’re planning on attending – please rsvp by 11am Wednesday morning Feb 18th. Hope you can join us. 

Faculty Response Panel lunch 
Wednesday February 18th – 12pm-1pm
UU 220

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Thursday evening Feb 12th hundreds of students and faculty were at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center to hear Dr. Francis Su and Dr. Ken Brown discuss the motivation for education, achievement, and the point of learning. Many thanks to everyone who prayed for – or was able to attend – this event. We’ll share more – including a link to the recorded Forum – soon. 

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Some people ask “Why are we here?” in regard to life itself, life on earth, in a cosmic sense. At this year’s Veritas Forum we’re asking, “Why are we here?” in one specific way: “Why are we here at Cal Poly?” Why do we value education? Why have we focused the best years of our lives on teaching and research?” We want to explore these ideas, asking both a Christian and Atheist professor how they understand the purpose of education and learning, and how it interacts with their worldview.

What is a yawp? This clip from the 1989 film Dead Poets Society explains. English teacher John Keating (played by the late Robin Williams) quotes Walt Whitman: “I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world.” A yawp is an audible cry that expresses surprise or delight at the thrill of discovery.

Please join us Thursday evening Feb 12th 7:30-9pm in Harman Hall in Performing Arts Center featuring our guest Dr. Francis Su (Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College) dialoguing with Dr. Kenneth Brown (Philosophy, Cal Poly) on “Nurturing the Yawp: an Atheist and a Christian discuss Education, Achievement, and the Point of Learning.” The discussion will be moderated by Associate Vice Provost Dr. Albert Liddicoat (Electrical Engineering, Cal Poly) and will be followed by Q&A from the audience. This event is free and open to all students, faculty, and members of the Cal Poly community. 

Here’s a link to the Veritas Forum site with more info about our speakers, and the Facebook event page. 

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Thursday, February 12th 1-2pm in UU 220 the Veritas Forum is hosting a welcome lunch for faculty with our guest Dr. Francis Su.

The most important human pursuits arise from a quest for meaning. How does that fact shape the way we teach our subjects? How does it help our students become effective thinkers?

His talk, “The Quest for Meaning in Teaching,” will be followed by an opportunity to interact with colleagues on how the ideas shared could look in your own field. The talk has some deeply Christian themes, but has a wide appeal [he has given this talk to a secular audience] so please feel free to invite colleagues.

We hope you can join us. Please rsvp (see email above) by Thursday Feb 5th.

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