Scholar
I am a passionate advocate of intellectual rigor. In his timeless sermon “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart,” Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke words that set me on a lifelong pursuit of intellectual excellence:
“Rarely do we find people who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”
My professional objective involves offering rigorous “thought leadership” on the role of religion, higher education, and culture in promoting local and global justice, peace, and reconciliation. My scholarship includes three books, numerous essays, and web articles, which explore how religion can be a political and cultural force for either the perpetuation of cultural chauvinism or the social liberation of oppressed people. The pursuit of knowledge should enlarge the boundaries of our thinking and our capacity for compassion.
“Rarely do we find people who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”
My professional objective involves offering rigorous “thought leadership” on the role of religion, higher education, and culture in promoting local and global justice, peace, and reconciliation. My scholarship includes three books, numerous essays, and web articles, which explore how religion can be a political and cultural force for either the perpetuation of cultural chauvinism or the social liberation of oppressed people. The pursuit of knowledge should enlarge the boundaries of our thinking and our capacity for compassion.