Apologetics & Anthropology

Dave Tetrick, a former student of mine who is with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, told me he values his Westmont education now because of how it has enabled him to learn how to understand those he has been called to serve. He said his philosophy course on “The New Atheists” provided an opportunity to understand and appreciate those with whom he doesn’t agree. When I discuss the New Atheists with students, my emphasis is on an apologetical defense of belief in God. What Dave told me convinces me that an “anthropological” understanding of unbelievers would also be valuable.

Work: Job, Career, or Vocation?

How should we think about our work? At the “microscopic” level, it is a series of actions ordered to a particular end. This definition applies to the simple tasks we perform during our workday. But these tasks add up to a project and a series of projects can constitute a job. We think of a job primarily as a means of making money. When a job is a career, we consider it as a more permanent and more meaningful mode of employment. But when our career becomes a means of fulfilling our vocation, it becomes a way to serve God.