Christians in the university very often feel like outsiders in both their churches and their institutions. In this series, I take a look at the different aspects of this situation of being doubly marginalized.
Life as a Christian in the university hurts, from both sides. Fellow Christians and fellow scholars react to us with distance or even hostility, simply because they do not understand the commitments that we hold closely that they do not share.
I think part of the issue on the church's side is that "careerism" has become a popular phobia among Christians (somewhat akin to eating meat sacrificed to idols in the 1st century church). Academics are of necessity very career-minded, since we have to largely be self-driven to be of use to our institutions. I think perhaps this drive is often misunderstood by other Christians, who sometimes perceive it as self-centeredness.
When have you felt misunderstood? How do you think Christians can encourage each other to pursue their callings as an act of faith? How do you think Christian academics can better communicate themselves to their fellow believers?
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