This past weekend ACHEA – the Australian Christian Higher Education Alliance – held their inaugural conference in Parramatta west of Sydney (shout-out to Rayna, the wonderful Airbnb host who saved me from a baguette-and-butter dinner with a delicious home-cooked meal!).  Eastern College – the mob I’m doing my Masters through – is part of ACHEA, and I was encouraged by my course coordinator to submit a paper for presentation at the conference.  While much of the conversation was well above my head and on a topic I am unfamiliar with (delivering higher education), it was a helpful and very gracious introduction for me into the world of academia.

The paper I submitted was accepted, and so I presented a paper called ‘what only the poor can teach’ – a potentially provocative title and topic for the Christian Higher Education scene, asking the question whether current modes of educational delivery at Christian campuses align with God’s apparent preference for revealing himself in the biblical narrative through the people we’d typically pick last.  This paper was based on a previous small study I had undertaken called the road to transformation, a one way street?

The feedback I received from those present was encouraging and helpful; it was suggested that I do some reading on ‘grounded theology’ and dig into some of Rene Girard’s work on the concept of ‘scapegoating’.  I also received an offer to co-author a journal article, and so I need to do some thinking about whether the academic world is something I have something to contribute to.

Anyway.  It was a helpful introduction for me into the world of academia; they’re a highly intelligent, deep-thinking, well-read but gracious mob – well at least these guys were anyway 🙂  Have a read of this if the intersection of theology, modes of education and God’s self-revelation interest you: What only the poor can teach