How does evangelism relate to academic study? As evangelicals in student ministry we know that sharing the gospel is important, but what about going to lectures, libraries and laboratories? Is all of that merely a means to an end? Do we tell our students that they should just do the bare minimum required to pass their degree, and spend the rest of their time on church and local student group involvement? Or should we encourage them to really commit themselves to their studies too? But if we do that, how do we avoid conveying the message that evangelism isn’t important? How do we connect the two parts of life in a way that is faithful to Scripture, and doesn’t set us on a path towards liberalism? 

This module will introduce theological and philosophical building blocks required to think biblically about the relationship between evangelism and academic study (and work more generally). It will look at the philosophical roots of the West’s sacred-secular divide, and how it can affect the way in which we interpret Scripture. We will see that Scripture tells a better story, one that does not posit the relationship between evangelism and academic study as a zero sum game. Instead, it teaches that the two can enrich each other if both are brought under the Lordship of Christ: if we bring God’s word to bear on our coursework, our studies are enriched, and if we study in that way, our evangelism is enriched too. 

The key is, as always, to make the gospel central to this integration of our faith and our studies, so that we don’t end up proclaiming a social gospel. How can this be done? That’s what this module will explore.