In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Bruce Ashford, the provost and dean of faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bruce also teaches theology, is an elder at Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, and is the author of Every Square Inch and the brand new One Nation Under God: A Christian Hope for American Politics. We haven’t talked with many academics, and it was rewarding to hear from someone intent on educating leaders and focusing on learning in such a specific way. You will glean much for this episode. And as a bonus We listed a pile of excellent books, especially biographies.

BEST QUOTES

“If Christ’s lordship is as wide as creation then what we want to do in any sphere of life is try to bring that area under submission to Christ.”

“There is not one square inch of all creation over which the Lord Jesus does not say ‘It is mine.’”

“Every Christian college bloviates endlessly about how they integrate faith and learning.”

“You’ve got two kinds of people in the world: people who love the lord Christ and people who who don’t. Their hearts radiate outward in all they do either toward Christ or toward idols.”

“God’s revelation of himself should shape absolutely everything that we teach, even subjects you’d think it might not shape.”

“What is God’s creational design for this kind of activity?”

“What are the ways in which this field or business or sphere has been corrupted or misdirected by sin or idolatry?”

“How can I redirect my field toward Christ?”

“Every Christian has multiple callings.”

“Every Christian is called to a family, a church, a workplace, and a community. How do I do each in a way that is faithful?”

“I’m not primarily after perfection or success, per se. I’m after faithfulness.”

“My real test as a theologian has been teaching the bible to a five-year-old and a four-year-old.”

“It would have been helpful to select two or three leaders to emulate and really master their works and writings.”

“I don’t read a lot of fiction, so biographies fill that role.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

FREE Online Courses as SEBTS

Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engagement for Christians by Bruce Ashford

Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introdcution – Richard Mouw

Abraham Kuyper – James Bratt

Lectures on Calvinism by Abraham Kuyper

Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life by Collin Duriez

Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis by George Sayer

Richard John Neuhaus: A Life in the Public Square by Randy Boyagoda

Churchill by Paul Johnson

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson