We live in a world driven by ideologies and worldviews empowered by social media platforms that give every human, regardless of age, social status, or educational qualification the outsized opportunity to express opinions of various kinds. Amidst this morass of perspectives, truth is considered relative and a function of power; reality is virtual.
The university is in a unique socio-cultural position to influence these ideologies and debates, but towards what end? Will pluralistic universities stand up for truth or will they inculcate and propagate this virtual reality? How might Christian academics embedded in this environment respond?
The contemporary situation within pluralistic universities requires urgent, theologically informed, transformational intervention for a sustainable peace. The world is in dire need of great minds who will embrace this worthy challenge of rethinking the political governing process and economic strategies of different national contexts, in a way that truly reflects such a sustainable peace that is attuned to national and global contingencies as well as historical and contemporary identities. If there has ever been a time when our world has needed cross cultural peace negotiators called by God and who are fully aware of their assignment to engage divergent cultures with an accurate biblical and theological mindset, the time is now!
On Thursday, 21 September 2023 at 1400 UTC, Dr Oladotun ‘Dot’ Reju, Founder and Chief Resource Person of the Center for Transformational Leadership, Jos City Nigeria and Global Representative and Professor of Transformational Leadership and Workplace Studies for Bakke Graduate University, will speak to these concerns and possible responses Christian academics, serving in pluralistic universities, might consider. He will explore questions like: How does pursuit of a sustainable peace fit within the Great Commission? How can the Great Commission inform our engagement with the pluralistic university towards this sustainable peace?
As part of the conversation, participants will also be invited to reflectively consider what policies could be influentially incorporated into the governing structures of our institutions of higher learning. We will also consider biblical ideas that could be integrated into our curricula that would foster the call of God in students’ lives and help them pursue peace and reconciliation in various contexts. In the end, we hope to understand how to integrate our pursuit of intellectual excellence with the practice of our faith; and how to provide insights into navigating differing perspectives while also promoting understanding and unity within the pluralistic university context.
Hope you will join us for this robust and challenging conversation. If you would like to read some of Reju’s writings, consider his Musings: Reflections of a Burdened Soul or his resources on the International Theology of Work Grant Program.
