Meet the Prof

If you’re looking for an exciting, dramatic conversion story, you won’t find it here! Not that I was a perfect child all my life or anything, but as the grandchild of a Methodist preacher I did grow up in a Christian home. I went to church just about every Sunday, walked the isle of the Rockmart Methodist Church at age 8 to make a public profession of faith, and have never really doubted God’s existence. My wife and I met at a Methodist youth summer camp (Glisson) in the north Georgia mountains.



I suppose the furthest I wandered from the faith was my college and grad school days, when my prayer life pretty much died on the vine. I recall having the impression that my prayers were not rising beyond the ceiling, & I got to the point where I really could not in good conscience pray "Thy will be done," because I wanted my OWN will. I experienced many of the typical intellectual doubts that students

confront (though, as I said, I always held to belief in God).



The so-called “Death of God” theologies of the 1960s were the climate in which I was swimming, and they nearly drowned me. It was an exciting time to be on a college campus, where lively debates between radical theologians & the more traditional ones were constantly being discussed, but it did not feed my soul.



However, becoming a parent certainly gave my spiritual search a new urgency, and at age 30 I had a powerful experience of God’s reality in my life. At a discipleship weekend retreat with the youth group we were serving as chaperones, we were challenged to try a 30-day program of spiritual disciplines--early-morning prayer & scripture reading, tithing, meeting weekly with a group of companions on this path, witnessing, & practicing acts of unselfish generosity. From that day til the present my wife & I have tried to remain faithful to those spiritual disciplines & they have revolutionized our lives.



As a young teacher-scholar, I was strongly motivated to do research & write for publication. Fortunately, my primary area of interest has been religious writers of twentieth-century France, so the work I’ve done on Jacques Maritain, Simone Weil, Georges Bernanos, & others has been used by God to teach me some important lessons about His truth. After my encounter with the reality of God, I asked Him to use my writing as a way to honor Him.



In 1998 a few colleagues and I established a Faculty/Staff Christian Fellowship on our campus. Colleagues from several faculties (liberal arts, engineering, medicine, etc.) meet weekly to share their faith & encourage each other to live out our faith with authenticity in the academic community. In other words, we strive not just to teach our classes effectively but to serve our students and colleagues with the servant attitude of Jesus.



On a mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, I had a dream that I was sure came from God. I saw myself on my home campus hosting a group of scholars & religious leaders from across racial & denominational lines who were gathered to address the theme of “Building the Beloved Community.” In February of 2005, the first annual “Building the Beloved Community Symposium” was held on our campus, and in 2008 we plan to host the fourth in the series. Our city is now working with new vigor on achieving racial harmony & justice. The Symposium, of course, cannot take all the credit for such progress, but it is encouraging to play a role in bringing our community together in unity and hope.



As Director of the Center for Faith, Learning & Vocation at Mercer from 2004-2011, I organized workshops, led seminars, and encouraged colleagues to explore the relationship between their personal faith and their professional work. It is invigorating to live with a constant awareness that my own calling can be renewed & redirected by God at any time.



I look forward to following His lead in the days ahead. I’m continually challenged by conversations in the classroom with my students and interactions with my colleagues on campus. Being a lifelong seeker of truth is a great adventure, and I’m grateful for the pilgrims who share it with me.