A Calling for Christian Professors

Daryl McCarthy decribes how his life was profoundly impacted a few years ago by a stranger who, in his university days, had himself been deeply influenced.

… a particularly brilliant professor galvanized his life and radically changed his worldview, his direction, his passion and his ambitions. The professor’s articulate lectures, his discipline, self-denial and devotion to the faith transformed this quiet student and he became deeply involved in religious activities and devoted much time to prayer and reading.  Through the mentoring of his professor—a man of deep faith—he became determined to make a difference in the world, to have an impact.

Actually “impact” is an enormous understatement.

The influential professor, you see, was Palestinian-born Islamic scholar Abdallah Azzam.  The school was the King Abdul-Aziz University in Jedda, Saudi Arabia.

By this point you’ve guessed the identity of the student: Osama bin Laden.

McCarthy is the president of the International Institute for Christian Studies. He is looking for the “Abdallah Azzams” of the kingdom of God, “Christian academicians” who will bring their faith-informed teaching to the universities of the world and make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Go here to read Dr. McCarthy’s absorbing paper. You will find it intriguing, challenging, and highly worthwhile. Here, to whet your appetite …

• Historically, universities have been centers of change, either for good or for evil.  … great reformers such as Hus, Wycliffe, Luther and Wesley were all academicians and well-recognized scholars.
• Marxism, communism, cults, fascists and Muslims have long sought to capture the minds and allegiance of university students.
• On most North American campuses, Christianity is not welcome.  But outside the Western Europe and North America, scores of leading universities are asking for Christian professors.
• “To change a country, teach the leaders.  To teach the leaders, go to the universities.”
• Observing a university classroom can be deceiving.  A professor is lecturing and students are listening and taking notes.  …  But don’t be fooled. Students’ lives are being changed by the classroom.  For better or worse, the university idea works.  The problem is, for the past several decades, it has worked best for atheism, agnosticism, liberalism and other world religions.
• The university works. Why else are Muslims investing $10,000,000 each year in Exeter and Newhall in the United Kingdom to establish centers of Islamic studies? (“Islam Goes to College,” Christianity Today, September 16, 1988.)

Photo by Chuck Felix at freedigitalphotos.net

McCarthy writes about his wife, Teri, visiting the Moscow High Party School with a friend who was teaching there.

As Priscilla took Teri on a tour of her campus, they entered a beautifully-decorated hall.  There, prominently displayed on one of the walls, was a massive bronze plague honoring some of their most noted alumni.  As Teri and Priscilla stood there reading the list they found the names of Idi Amin, the butcher of Uganda, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and Mumar Quadaffi of Libya.  Teri was struck by the question, “What difference would it have made in the world had these tyrants been taught by godly professors who proclaimed a biblical worldview?”

– Gary Brumbelow