Title

“Love and Learning: A Model for Pietist Scholarship,” in The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education: Forming Whole and Holy Persons

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

Guided by my tradition, the Pietist impulse within evangelicalism, I explore love as a lens for understanding what Christians do, and could do, with their scholarship, using cultural anthropology as a case study. First, I argue that the integrationist model is not very helpful for making sense of the work of Christian anthropologists, because of its emphasis on philosophy and its prioritizing of faith as the element of Christianity that is to be integrated. Second, I show how a Pietist perspective that focuses on love better illuminates the work of some Christian scholars, including anthropologists who contribute in the areas of basic research, mission and applied anthropology. This analysis carries broader implications, as I encourage a decentering of the integrationist approach in favor of a broader conversation that includes numerous Christian traditions and diverse ways of understanding what Christian identity may mean for the scholarly vocation.

Comments

Originally published as:

Paris, Jenell. “Love and Learning: A Model for Pietist Scholarship,” in Chris Gerz, ed., The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education: Forming Whole and Holy Persons, 67-84, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP), 2015.

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