The Society is served by an international Executive Committee, which is re-elected every four years.*
Our governing policies require that “Voting members shall be notified about these elections by [the Society member site] and by email on 2 separate occasions evenly distributed over the course of 2 months prior to the elections” (section 2.5.2). This announcement serves as the first of these two notifications by inviting you to nominate prospective Executive Committee members.
Nominations will end on 1 June 2025
(Accessible only by Full Members)
Get more instructions and nominate Executive Committee members here:
* A four-year election cycle represents a Society policy change. The previous election cycle was two years. The Executive Committee amended this policy because they decided that two-year cycles were too short to serve well the long-term needs of our Society. See Policy 2.4.3 in our governing policies. For a detailed explanation of this amendment, please email Society administrators at Contact@SocietyofChristianScholars.org, and we will be happy to discuss further.
Society Opportunities
Rest! Refresh! Retool! Return! – Hosting and Coaching Global Christian Scholars and Ministry Leaders
At a particularly busy juncture in his ministry, Jesus told his followers, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Drs. Andreas and Marny Köstenberger, Christian authors with a worldwide reputation, have launched a new ministry to global scholars, church leaders, and missionaries at Oak Tree Cottage in Wake Forest, NC. They offer short-term personalized retreats providing spiritual encouragement and scholarly inspiration from the warmth of their hearts and home.
Andreas and Marny have a 30-year track record of equipping Christian leaders in seminary and church settings and are Certified Christian Leadership Coaches (CCLCs). They offer hospitality, friendship, and stimulating conversation over delicious meals. Well versed in cross-cultural ministry settings, Andreas, originally from Austria, offers a deep angle on faith, life, and scholarship, while Marny, originally from Toronto, Canada, provides competent, discerning, and wise counsel.
Andreas and Marny met at Columbia International University, where they started out life as a couple. Having launched four adult children—two married daughters and two young sons—the Köstenbergers invite you to experience a stay in the comfortable guest suite of Oak Tree Cottage. To explore this opportunity, request a stay at oaktreecottage.org or inquire directly at mkostenberger@gmail.com. Generous donors have made it possible for this ministry to be offered free of charge. Come and stay awhile. You only need to get there!
Dr. Andreas J. Kostenberger
Society Library
New Study Guide Posted! In case you missed it, Issue 2 of the SOPHIA Study Guide Series, ‘Research as Worship’, is now available in English and French with Spanish and Chinese translations coming soon! Our goal is to develop a core set of study guides that address the fundamental aspects of each of the five areas around which the Society seeks to encourage scholars to have redemptive influence in the pluralistic university.
This month’s Library Reading Corner feature includes an annotated bibliography of five library resources under the library category of Spiritual Formation.
These resources provide further reading as a follow-up to the time of prayer held on 20 March 2025, which focused on learning how to practice Ignatian contemplation, led by Dr. Nita Kotiuga.
1. An Ignatian Prayer Adventure by Kevin O’Brien, SJ
Brief Description: This is an adapted version of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, which includes an eight-week retreat guideline that can be experienced both virtually and face-to-face. The timeline for this spiritual retreat is guided by the Christian tradition of spiritual renewal during Lent, but the exercises are applicable to anyone’s prayer and meditation regime.
2. Orientations for Spiritual Growth by John Veltri, SJ and Jean-Marc Laporte, SJ
Brief Description: This website provides access to a wide range of resources on Ignatian spirituality along with other resources that foster spiritual growth.
3. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola by St. Ignatius Loyola
Brief Description: The English translation of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, written originally in Latin during the 1500s, which have been adopted and included in many Christian and religious practices, despite being initially written for the Jesuit order. Given the various iterations today, it will be helpful to understand the original.
4. What’s Your Decision? How to Make Choices with Confidence and Clarity: An Ignatian Approach to Decision Making by J. Michael Sparough, Jim Manney, and Tim Hipskind
Brief Description: Many of the principles and ideals espoused by Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises have influenced the broader culture. This resource interprets and integrates its principles and ideals for general readers rather than specialists.
5. Title: Ignatian Retreat as a Correctional Treatment Method: A Qualitative Study about Prisoner’s Personal Growth by Reine Christiansson
Brief Description: This qualitative investigation explored ‘whether inmates can develop positive changes and inner resources during a 30-day Ignatian monastery retreat in a Swedish high security prison’. The conclusion of the research was that ‘the experience of the retreat resulted in important lifestyle changes and resources for continuous personal development for the future.’
Call for Book Reviewers
If you would like to write a 1,000-word review on one of the following books, please contact Dr Ron Lindo at rlindo@SocietyofChristianScholars.org for further details. Reviews will be highlighted and published in a special section of our Society member site.
We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan Peterson
Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as He Did by John Mark Comer
Healthy Christian Minds: A Biblical, Practical, and Sometimes Philosophical Exploration of Intellectual Virtues and Vices by Elmer J. Thiessen
Faithful Learning: A Vision for Theologically Integrated Education by Jacob Shatzer
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
Upcoming Webinars
Be sure to check the Webinars Page for third-party webinars that are often added on short notice and for updated presenters and topics that may be helpful in equipping you to bring the gospel to bear in your university context.
Work as Calling: Contributions from Psychological Science by Bryan Dik – Thursday, 15 May 2025 at 1400 UTC
Historically, Christians have thought about ‘calling’ in terms of salvation in Christ as well as a particular calling to an ecclesial vocation, such as a monastic order or office of the church. With the Protestant Reformation, many of the Reformers, including Luther and Calvin, sought to expand the meaning of ‘vocation’ to include everyday, mundane professions, as all of life was to be considered sacred. What are we moderns to make, then, of ‘vocation’ today?
Empirical research on work as a calling has grown exponentially over the last two decades; it is now a global and vibrant area of scholarship within the fields of psychology and organizational behavior. On Thursday, 15 May 2025 at 1400 UTC, Prof. Bryan Dik, Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University (USA), will discuss the results emerging from this research on calling from a Christian worldview and will address questions that are of major interest to Christians yet remain almost entirely overlooked within contemporary Christian discourse on calling and vocation.
In preparation for the webinar, take some time to read his 2023 article, ‘Understanding Work as a Calling: Contributions from Psychological Science’ in Christian Scholars Review.
Join the conversation and register today!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the Addenda are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Society of Christian Scholars.
