Author Archives: mhick255

Mark Noll on Why the Atonement Matters for Christian Scholarship

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

> If, then, the **act of substitution** is a primordial human reality, the **seriousness of sin** is the essential human dilemma, the **divine initiative in salvation** is the basis for human hope, the **narrative movement of grace** is the primary shape for human knowledge, and the **complex nature of reality** is the inescapable challenge for human understanding — then the **human study of the world should reflect these realities.**

Mark Noll, [Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802866379/?tag=mikehickcom-20), pp. 70-71, emphasis added.

By “complex nature of reality,” Noll refers to the multiplicity of the atonement. Who put Jesus on the cross? Judas? Pilate? The priests? God? Jesus himself? Yes — they all did. Does God love sinners or punish them? He does both. Was the cross the worst moment in human history or the best? It was both at the same time.

The 5 Worst Candies Your Kids Brought Home Last Night

Posted on by
1
Sweet & Sour Twizzlers

Terrible. Just terrible.

1. **Dubble Bubble – “Original” Flavor.** In an emergency, Original flavor Dubble Bubble can be used to patch bicycle tubes. Even worse, they were *right next* to the Green Apple and Grape flavors at the grocery store. C’mon, people!

1. **Spider-Man “Candy Sticks.”** These are [candy cigarettes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_cigarette) that were discovered in a warehouse somewhere and repackaged to be politically correct. My children actually fought over the one box we received. Since I used the distraction to steal Fun-Size Snickers from their baskets, I didn’t stop them.

1. **Atomic Fireballs.** I love the taste, but I could do without the **adamantium-coating** and the mouthful of cinnamon-flavored saliva. Give me **Red Hots** any day. I bet dentists make a fortune off these things.

1. **Chocolate coins.** Do you know what I use these for? I tell my kids that they’re real coins and buy all their Butterfingers from them.

1. **Sweet & Sour Twizzlers.** Disgusting. Mushy on the inside, rubbery on the outside, with an absolutely horrible “sour” taste that wasn’t at all sweet. I took one bite and threw away the rest. It has to be a *really* bad piece of candy for me *not* to finish eating it. I have found loose Jelly Belly jelly beans under a couch cushion, and I’m not proud of the amount of self-discipline it required to throw them away.

5 Terrible Costume Ideas

Posted on by
Reply

In case you haven’t had time or money to create a good Halloween costume, here are 5 terrible costume ideas that won’t require any expense or advance preparation.

1. Time Traveler from the Future. We all know that changes to the past will change the future, right? So a time traveler from the future has to be very, very careful to blend in perfectly and do nothing out of the ordinary. This costume involves dressing as yourself and doing what you normally do, except you will be very, very careful about doing it.

2. Bigfoot. Don’t let anyone see you or take a picture of you all night long.

3. Someone Else. You know those clothes you have in your closet that you never wear because they just don’t look like something you would wear? Wear them.

4. Mafia Victim. Hang out with your friends as normal, but be a little bit too talkative about sensitive information. Partway through the night, disappear without leaving a trace.

5. Movie Extra. This one is extremely difficult to pull off. Wear clothing that blends in with the crowd and make sure that all of your reactions are appropriate for the moment. When you talk to other people, say nothing except “Peas and carrots, peas and carrots.” Whatever you do, don’t upstage the leads.

Emerging Scholars at Ohio State University

Posted on by
Reply
ESN Lunch at Ohio State

Nearly 20 ESN members gathered at Ohio State last Thursday.

Last Thursday, the Emerging Scholars Network hosted our **fifth** luncheon at The Ohio State University. These luncheons have been co-sponsored by the [Fellowship of Christian Faculty and Staff](http://www.fcfs-osu.org/), [Christian Graduate Student Alliance](http://www.osu-cgsa.org/), and [Student Christian Fellowship](http://scfosu.org/), which is the independent Christian Church student ministry at Ohio State.

We gathered three Christian faculty, a postdoc in the sciences, 10 PhD students, and even a couple of undergraduates. Our topic was “What I Wish I’d Known about Graduate School,” based on our recent [Emerging Scholars Blog](http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2011/08/what-i-wish-id-known-about-graduate-school-intro/) series, but more importantly, the faculty and students encouraged one another, build relationships, and discovered that there are **other academics at Ohio State who love Jesus**.

Why do we host these lunches? ESN’s mission is to **help Christian students become Christian faculty**, so that they will have a redeeming influence in higher education. Students who develop friendships with professors outside the classroom are more likely to become faculty themselves. Further, when we ask ESN members what they want us to do, **face-to-face gatherings** with fellow Christians are always near the top of the list. Finally, Jesus himself showed us that **sharing a meal together** can be more than “just” sharing a meal. These lunches provide an opportunity for cross-generational friendships, as well as encouragement for students and faculty who often feel isolated from both their colleagues and fellow believers. It’s also a chance for them to discuss **what it means to follow Christ within the university**.

*Praise God for the work he is doing through these simple gatherings.* I hope that lunches like these will spread to other campuses – in fact, a colleague at another major Midwestern research university is thinking about starting a lunch series himself. If you’re interested in learning more, [let me know](http://www.mikehickerson.com/contact/).

*Photo credit: Howard Van Cleave*