Christian Scholarship illustrated by the Social Sciences
Dr Jonathan Chaplin gives an overview on how to approach a discipline from a Christian perspective, with examples drawn particularly from the social sciences.
The talk addresses what authentically Christian scholarship in a particular area might look like, and compares this with Feminist or Marxist scholarship.
Jonathan provides a summary of his talk in the following points:
Christian scholarship should be:
- Expressive of a Biblical worldview
- Authentically if not distinctively Christian
- Supportive of and generative of non-reductive paradigms
- Critical not confirmist
- Offered in service to humanity
Jonathan offers a working definition of authentic Christian scholarship:
Authentic Christian scholarship is a transformational vocation to acquire critically-oriented, systematic rational insight into, and to disclose truth about, some facet of created form and redeemed reality in the light of an intellectual framework responsive to the fulness of Biblical revelation in critical dialogue with others and in service to humanity.
© 2009 Jonathan Chaplin
