Artificial Cowardice

Tolkien fans might be interested in this news story about the complex simulation program that created the climactic battle scene in the Return of the King.

“For the first two years, the biggest problem we had was soldiers fleeing the field of battle,” Taylor said.

“We could not make their computers stupid enough to not run away.”

Now that’s artificial intelligence!

Christian Professors Help Out In Afghanistan

Rebuilding Afghanistan U is a fascinating story of how well-educated Christians can make a difference.

It talks about how the International Institute for Christian Studies sent professors to Afghanistan after the war against the Taliban to rebuild their higher-education infrastructure.

The group is very picky about its candidates’ credentials (a graduate degree is a must), experience, and Christian witness. Only one of 10 applicants gets accepted. When Communist countries ask CEO Daryl McCarthy for teachers, he says something like this:

“You want experienced, hard-working, ethical professionals? We’ll get them for you. In fact, IICS is so particular that we make sure that every one of them is a Christian.” Says McCarthy: “It’s fun to hear the foreign officials say, ‘Ah, yes, very good. That’s what we need.’ ”

The article is fascinating and well worth a read.

Dick Staub Interviews Mary Poplin

I just ran across a transcript of an interview with Mary Poplin.

Dr. Poplin is the Dean of the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University and she’s currently writing a book (title unknown) about integrating faith and academia. (see her faculty bio page)

You should really read the interview on Dick Staub’s website, but I’ve excerpted the most fascinating bits…
Continue reading “Dick Staub Interviews Mary Poplin”

The Importance of College Students

I just ran across an interesting article in the LA Times that I deemed worthy of comment: The nation’s leading lawyer [Jay Sekulow] for evangelical Christians was born and raised a Jew in Brooklyn, but decided in college that Christ was the Messiah. (read the whole article: Evangelicals’ Champion to Argue Case at High Court)

Sekulow has argued 11 cases before the Supreme Court and is the chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.

Jay Sekulow is an excellent example of what I keep telling people–college students are the leaders of tomorrow and they are uniquely open to rethinking their belief systems. Reaching students today changes the world of tomorrow.

Chi Alpha in Boston

The Boston Globe has a neat article that references the Boston area Chi Alphas:

“When I came to MIT, I was expecting it to be full of nerds — people who don’t really put together science and religion,” says Benjamin Brooks, a senior from Paterson, New Jersey, who belongs to the MIT chapter of the evangelical group Chi Alpha. “I was really surprised — and still am — by the volume of Christian fellowship here.”

and later The Boston University chapter of Chi Alpha holds regular “The Gospel According to The Simpsons” gatherings.

The article is called God on the Quad and talks about the evangelical presence on the Boston campuses.