Christian Faith and Scholarship: An Exploration of Contemporary Developments (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Christian Faith and Scholarship: An Exploration of Contemporary Developments Donald L. Tucker Todd C. Ream and Perry L. Glanzer. Christian Faith and Scholarship: An Exploration of Contemporary Developments. ASHE Higher Education Report, Vol. 33, No. 2. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. 139 pp. Paper: $29.00. ISBN: 978-04702-28890. The premise of this brief monograph is sure to cause controversy or at least engender spirited debate about the nature of scholarship in the academy. Empirical reason, scholarly detachment, and scientific methods are traditionally understood as foundational presuppositions for quality research in modern American higher education. Todd Ream and Perry Glanzer present a growing body of research that is challenging this foundation. The book’s primary focus is on the recent resurgence of academic work incorporating Christian religious values into various approaches to scholarship. Their argument is that religious approaches to scholarship are not only legitimate but should be encouraged by the academic community. The academy will not only benefit from, but be enriched by, faith-informed scholarship. The authors explore important questions: Can research be value neutral? Is there a purely objective form of reason? What constitutes quality scholarship? Can approaches other than [End Page 557] traditional historical or scientific methods be used? Are religious perspectives legitimate? Can a scholar incorporate her or his Christian faith into research and publications? Do our institutional practices support such an effort? Ream and Glanzer begin with a look at “The Secularization of Scholarship in American Higher Education.” New frameworks in science and humanities transform the scholarly priorities of American universities. Over time, many institutions change from their original reliance on Christian values and denominational influences to a secularized base emphasizing critical scholarship and scientific naturalism. They review various definitions of secularization, but the basic premise they suggest is that “secular forms and understandings of reason are merely one among many competing schools of thought in the tournament of historical and academic narratives” (p. 23). Chapter 2, “Faith-Informed Traditions of Practical Rationality: Contemporary Approaches of Three Religious Traditions to Knowledge,” identifies how faith-informed traditions redefine what constitutes knowledge and reason. The authors quickly scan prominent approaches such as the emphasis on pure reason as the only foundation for truth and the “two-realm theory” that separates truths of knowledge from truths of faith. They then move into contemporary beliefs that embrace a plurality of truths. The examples they give include general models of faith and scholarship articulated from three religious traditions. The Catholic viewpoint, merging faith and reason through inquiry embedded in tradition, is counterbalanced by a Reformed tradition articulating the integration of faith and reason with the goal of acquiring a Christian worldview, while the Anabaptist perspective encourages scholarship shaped by the narrative of community. These three perspectives on the constitution of knowledge “challenge the academy to rethink its approach to religion and scholarship” (p. 40). Building on the premise that identity and tradition impact scholarship and that the influences from these identities cannot be minimized or removed, Chapter 3, “Faith-Informed Scholarship across the Disciplines,” identifies six areas of scholarly investigation influenced by personal identity: (a) the scholarly agenda and motivation for investigation, (b) the methodological approach to a subject, (c) the choice of what to study, (d) the interpretation of the findings, (e) the evaluation of those results, especially in terms of moral value, and (f) how these assumptions have historically shaped intellectual frameworks. The authors then cite three specific examples of how such an approach plays out in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Following this historical and theoretical framework, the authors move into the practical implications of this framework in Chapter 4. If incorporating religious faith were to be encouraged in academic scholarship, how would it impact institutional policy? How are new members (faculty, students, and administrators) socialized into a culture that encourages faith-informed scholarship? What type of scholarship or areas of investigation are acceptable? What is the impact on promotion and tenure criteria? “Faith-Informed Scholarship and the Practices of Networks and Institutions” describes how organizations and institutions specifically encourage a connection between religious faith and scholarship. In supporting and promoting these ideas, faith-informed scholarship as currently practiced relies on...