Academic Freedom

As described in the post by Robert P. George, Princeton University formally adopted the principles of the University of Chicago report on academic freedom, which includes the following principles:

The ideas of different members of the University community will often and quite naturally conflict. But it is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Although the University greatly values civility, and although all members of the University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community.

Pope Francis on the Feast of St. Stephen

From Pope Francis’ Angelus address for the Feast of Saint Stephen, 26 December 2014:

To truly welcome Jesus in our existence, and to prolong the joy of the Holy Night, the path is precisely the one indicated in this Gospel: that is, to bear witness in humility, in silent service, without fear of going against the current, able to pay in person. And if not all are called, as Saint Stephen was, to shed their own blood, nonetheless, every Christian is called in every circumstance to live a life that is coherent with the faith he or she professes.

Where to stay in Blacksburg, Virginia

We can recommend two very different bed-and-breakfasts in Blacksburg, Virginia: The Huffman House at Creekside Farm in the mountains west of town and the Clay Corner Inn just a few blocks from downtown and the Virginia Tech campus. At both places we found friendly hosts, very comfortable rooms, and delicious breakfasts.

How to Find a Spouse

From First Things, an article by Betsy VanDenBerghe on what is truly important when looking for a spouse. She lists the five factors that John Van Epp (author of How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk), says are essential to consider in a relationship:

• compatibility in familial, religious, and financial values and priorities,
• communication skills like self-disclosure, mutual assertiveness, and ability to apologize,
• behavior in other relationships,
• patterns of family background, and
• a healthy conscience (neither underactive nor overactive).

The Way of Aporia

In her article Uneasy Grace, Meghan Sullivan discusses four approaches to resolving struggles between Christian faith and other evidence:

1. On the Way of Dilution, one gives up things one believes.
2. On the Way of Fundamentalism, one refuses to reason and dismisses the other evidence without thought.
3. On the Way of Separation, one keeps the two types of beliefs completely separate and does not try to reconcile them.
4. On the Way of Aporia, one accepts that one's understanding is limited and works to resolve the conflict while accepting both types of beliefs until understanding arrives.

According to Sullivan,

there are some conflicts that we never get to resolve in this life. At the heart of the Way of Aporia is a conviction that you shouldn’t ignore conflicts between faith and reason. They are bound to happen, especially if you have a valuable, thick faith. But you also should not give up important beliefs too quickly or too flippantly in the face of conflict. This is a perfectly respectable stance in other branches of inquiry. And it is perfectly respectable for Christians to assume.