A recent absence, and a look ahead
Checking in amid a busy semester of teaching, service, and scholarship
It has been a minute (okay, much longer than a minute) since I’ve shared something on this platform. There are a few reasons for this, but it’s mainly due to two things: First, getting back into the groove of teaching after my sabbatical; and second, pouring what writing I have been doing into the Uneasy Citizenship book manuscript.
That said, there’s a lot that’s been happening in my orbit. Last week I was able to supervise a group of students at the Midwest Model United Nations, in St. Louis, Missouri. Our students—representing both Canada and the United Arab Emirates—spent hours over four days in different committee meetings, drafting resolutions, tweaking clauses, sentences, and even individual words, and bargaining with other delegations to achieve favorable results in international diplomacy.
We’re also in the midst of hiring a new Vice President of Academic Affairs, and I’m honored to be serving on this committee along with several of my colleagues across the university. We’ve had tremendous stability in leadership for nearly two decades, but are now approaching a season of retirements and strategic reorganization. It’s exciting, but terrifying.1
I’m excited to have been chosen to be part of the Center for Christianity and Public Life’s inaugural cohort of Public Life Fellows. There are 12 of us from around the country, each with different experiences and interests that should lead to a really enriching program. We’re scheduled to meet in person three times over the next year, including in Washington, D.C. for a conference on Christianity and the common good. I’m sure I’ll have much more to share about this fellowship as it progresses.
Lastly, here are three books I’m looking forward to in the months ahead:
Digital Liturgies, by Samuel James. From the publisher: “With ample advancement in internet technology, people can answer billions of questions instantly, connect with long-distance family and friends, and discover what is happening worldwide in real time. But can something that seems so good lead to corruption for those pursuing godly wisdom?” Count me among those excited to read how Samuel—whose Substack is a must-read—interrogates this inescapable question.
On Getting Out of Bed, by Alan Noble. Alan is one of my favorite current authors on the human condition, especially in our fragmented and distracted moment. His latest book promises to examine “the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world,” arguing “the choice to carry on amid great suffering—to simply get out of bed—is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God.”
The Ballot and The Bible, by Kaitlyn Schiess. Kaitlyn’s first book, The Liturgy of Politics, reflected on the possibility (and challenge!) of political and cultural engagement as an act of worship. From what I can tell, her next book focuses on how the Bible has been used—both well and not so well—to justify and support political positions in the past, and how Christians do so confidently in the future. It should be a thoughtful, practical, and timely book.
Please pray for JBU as we make decisions in the months (and years) ahead that will resonate for decades.