Christian intellectuals could and should contribute more

Last updated on: August 31, 2016 at 2:50 pm by Jacob Lupfer

Christian intellectuals could and should contribute more 2016-08-31T14:50:10-04:00 Jacob Lupfer

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In response to Alan Jacobs’s excellent essay on the disappearance of Christian public intellectuals, Baptist seminary professor Owen Strachan makes a provocative and important claim:

It’s very, very difficult to land a top teaching post in many disciplines in leading schools without clear and demonstrable buy-in to some version of a scientistic, politically progressive, social-justice-framed, anti-foundationalist worldview.

Now, I concede this may be difficult in some cases, but I do not think it is as difficult as many conservatives suppose. More on that in a moment.

What strikes me on Strachan’s checklist of tenure-track must-haves is a commitment to scientism.

Scientism, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to an over-zealous belief in the power and inherent goodness of scientific technique and knowledge.

Having lately been compelled by some of the arguments against scientism (and against philosophical materialism), it occurs to me that this is an area where Christian scholars can significantly enrich and broaden an important academic conversation.

To the extent that Strachan is correct in saying that a scientistic worldview is built into the structure of mainstream institutions (universities), Christians have an interest, an opportunity, and perhaps a duty to challenge it. I am less bothered that, at this moment, a social-justice-framed political progressivism is dominant in academic culture. It does not seem to me that the Christian has any strong imperative to fight against that, either from the perspective of his/her own self-interest or through the lens of the common good.

Neither political progressivism nor social justice (nor anti-foundationalist philosophy, to cite Strachan’s other concern) poses a great threat, in my view. But scientism is, I think, mistaken and potentially quite dangerous. Indeed, after two world wars, a nuclear arms race, and disastrous/deadly regimes allegedly administered on the basis of technocratic expertise, scholars have spoken out against the excesses of scientism. Significantly, notable secular-minded intellectuals have sounded alarms. So have theists, of course, but this is one area where they can and should contribute much to an important cultural and academic debate.

So where are the Christian intellectuals who are thundering against the ravages of modernity’s excessive faith in science as mankind’s salvation? They’re out there. But, as Jacobs explained, they are largely among their own, talking among themselves.

Professor Strachan posits that they are being kept out of “leading universities” by anti-religion secular progressives. But just because they are not there in large numbers does not mean they are being forcibly excluded. It may be more plausible to suppose that the kinds of Christians who could, for instance, argue against scientism in mainstream academic debates, simply tend not to follow educational or vocational paths that lead them to tenure track appointments in philosophy at research universities.

As long as Christians (and here I’ll single out conservative evangelicals, because this is where I see it most) have relatively easier paths to secure positions in safe, friendly institutions (aided by side income from religious publishers and the Christian conference industrial complex), they might rather not want to do what it takes to earn a seat on panels at top philosophy conferences. This is especially true when they no longer affiliate with mainstream professional academic organizations and instead form and sustain a parallel set of organizations based more on uniform doctrinal commitments than mainstream norms of excellence in scholarly methods, research, and publishing.

To be clear, I do not see conservative Christian intellectuals finding (or even seeking) these kinds of positions en masse. But I certainly do not think it is impossible. Instead of complaining about what evangelicals didn’t get plum appointments at Ivy League universities, maybe a more productive course of action for Christians seeking mainstream intellectual respectability (or credibility) would be to look at individuals who have followed this path. Examine their ambitions, successes, challenges, etc. And think about what it would take to get more young Christian scholars into those positions. If it is even important for them to get there. Which it may or may not be.

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Alan Jacobs

Christian intellectuals

Owen Strachan

Philosophy

Scientism

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