ABSTRACT:

In this post, I share how I struggled with dualism—the false separation between the sacred and the secular—and how discovering the concept of faith integration transformed my perspective on librarianship and life. I explain that integrating faith and learning means submitting every area of my life, including my professional work, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and I explore how both epistemology (how we know what we know) and the doctrine of revelation (how God reveals truth through both creation and Scripture) are foundational to this process. I reflect on how general revelation, seen in the order and structure of creation, and special revelation, found in Scripture and Christ, both shape my approach to serving others in the library. Ultimately, I argue that true faith integration goes beyond simple professionalism or courtesy; it calls me to practice radical love, patience, and service, even when it’s difficult because these actions reflect God’s character and grace in every interaction.

FULL ENTRY:

I often see a challenge in integrating faith and learning. The same challenge appears when integrating faith into almost any aspect of life. This challenge is called dualism. In the context of the Christian faith, dualism frequently assumes a chasm between the private and the public, between the natural and the supernatural, and between God’s work in the spiritual realm of our soul and spirit and God’s work in the physical arena. Because of this dualism, I often assumed that while the spiritual has a bearing on my personal life, it has little to no bearing on other aspects, like my professional endeavors. This assumption drove me crazy. In a somewhat infamous idea (often taken out of context), many use a statement made by the early church father, Tertullian, to justify this separation or dualism. Tertullian (n.d.) rhetorically asked: “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” (chapter 7), implying that Athens and Jerusalem (what some today assume to be identical, respectively, to “secular” and “sacred”) had no commonality and subsequently should not be joined. However, the idea that God’s salvation impacts our souls (sacred) but has little bearing on the rest of our lives (which some consider to be “secular”) brews problems. Dualism often infers that God’s work is limited to the spiritual and personal arena, making one’s faith challenging to apply to many arenas of life, including librarianship. The Lordship of Jesus Christ demands that faithful librarians look at life differently, or as Abraham Kuyper (1988) fervently stated, “(t)here is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” (p. 461).

It was an “aha” moment when I had my first exposure to faith integration. I began to see the possibility of submitting every square inch of my life (family, church, work, personal endeavors) to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Faith integration countered the dualism I had incorrectly assumed, and fortunately, the idea of dualism quickly shattered. I was astonished at how easily my presupposition of dualism was crushed. Much of what I practiced and learned about librarianship began to connect with my Christian faith. The context for exploration regarding what faith integration might look like in librarianship seemed ripe and ready for harvest. Why did this connection come quickly for me? In an essay by Daniel Estes (2019), he notes that two critical components undergird faith integration: epistemology and revelation. When I started my work trying to understand how my faith should drive librarianship, a fair amount of work in epistemology resulted. Librarians deal with information, and there is much dialog on the connection between information and knowledge/wisdom. While epistemology was a reasonably new field, my theological background familiarized me with the dialogs, making it easy to jump into the conversations. I connected the dots even further thanks to my recent reading of Estes’ (2019) essay. I began to see how my understanding of the doctrine of revelation, specifically general revelation, in addition to epistemology, played a critical role in my faith integration journey.

The concept of information often has strong connections with knowledge. Subsequently, for Library and Information Science, a connection between how one sees epistemology and an ability to do faith integration makes sense. However, in his essay, Estes (2019) implies that understanding epistemology has a bearing on all disciplines. He suggests that understanding epistemology is critical to one’s ability to see any discipline through a perspective of faith. How does one’s understanding of epistemology drive the integration of faith and learning in all disciplines? We are all familiar with disciplinary silos; they are typical in many contexts (including Library and Information Science). Disciplinary silos often come about when disciplines lack connectivity to other academic disciplines. As a result, some argue that academic disciplines can lose their vibrancy and applicability to real-life scenarios. Disciplinary silos develop naturally. This is because disciplinary mastery often requires a certain level of expertise. Subsequently, in pursuing a discipline, scholars often fail to generate familiarity with how other disciplines work. They lack an understanding of how other disciplines attain knowledge and grow and develop. The extensive amount of research and writing done in almost all disciplines often fortifies disciplinary silos and challenges interdisciplinary work. Disciplinary silos frequently assume that different disciplines lack commonality, and, again, the depth of disciplinary work often warrants (although falsely) such an assumption. Disciplinary silos cause one to ask, using Tertullian’s language: “What does English literature have to do with chemistry?”

It should be noted that compared with other disciplines, Library and Information Science is often seen as the odd man out regarding interdisciplinary work. The nature of many jobs related to librarianship asks us to be familiar with a broad range of disciplines, making mastery of one (as is common in academia) a challenge. Assuming that disciplines lack commonality challenges the concept that one discipline can offer any insight to another. From this perspective, one question is how theology (often only seen as another discipline or falsely presumed to simply be a “preferred religious expression”) should drive my understanding and practice of Library and Information Science. However, a premise of Christian epistemology (and, subsequently, of how Christians should practice research) is that “all truth is God’s truth,” which drives one back to the idea that all truth comes from God. This infers that all disciplines (even disciplines lacking remote similarities) should find common ground because all truth comes from the same root: God. Acknowledging this is critical for integrating faith and learning because these epistemological bases are often foundational to a discipline. Faith integration frequently cannot occur if one lacks the epistemological premise that all truth is God’s truth and subsequently lacks a warrant for connecting theology and theological studies with their discipline. Theology provides epistemological grounding (i.e., “all truth is God’s truth“) that assumes that knowledge from multiple venues can still have a unified source. This assumption helps one further understand their discipline (hard sciences, teacher education, psychology, sociology, accounting, etc.) and confirms that the connection between disciplines is not only possible but beneficial.

I noted above that both epistemology and the doctrine of revelation were critical for the integration of faith and learning. Let me provide a brief overview for those unfamiliar with the doctrine of revelation. The doctrine of revelation is self-explanatory; it discusses how God reveals himself to humanity: how do we know God? There are two standard components of the doctrine of revelation: general and special revelation. General revelation argues that God makes himself known to humankind through nature, history, and even our personalities. However, due to the sinful nature of humanity, individuals fail to recognize God’s self-revelation through these entities in and of themselves (Erickson, 2015, p. 34). As a believer in Jesus Christ, I look at the sunrise and am amazed by the glory of God displayed in the beauty of it. I look at my family and am grateful for their blessing and all that God has taught me and continues to teach me about himself through them. I look at myself and acknowledge that God’s grace and mercy are new every morning. God uses ordinary things to teach the extraordinary (general revelation). However, the fact that I am a follower of Jesus Christ (my response to special revelation) makes me recognize God’s work through his creation, relationships, and myself, also known as general revelation. Unfortunately, these aspects of general revelation can be very easily overlooked.

On the other hand, special revelation infers that individuals need more than just nature, good relationships, and general history to know God. Romans 1:19-22 expresses this well: “For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…” (ESV). In other words, the sinful nature of humanity tends to mess up our ability to understand and comprehend general revelation.

Special revelation includes historical events through which God speaks (such as God’s revelation of himself at Israel’s exodus from Egypt [Exodus 12-14]), divine speech, the incarnation of God in Christ, and specifically Scripture. When I read the stories of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and their subsequent disbelief, I often wonder why they acted so foolishly. They saw and experienced much of God’s revealing of himself (special revelation) but did not trust God. However, after stating this, I am reminded that I also see much of God’s general revelation and quickly reject it. For example, I frequently see humanity’s work in medical arenas. While I am often quick to show praise and appreciation towards those involved (which is often well deserved), I quickly forget that such a discovery is a product of God’s general revelation. Again, Scripture is a primary (but not an exclusive) means through which God reveals himself to humanity and the primary (again, but not exclusive) means of special revelation.

So, let’s get back to the point of this entry: how does my understanding of the doctrine of revelation help me understand faith integration? Scripture does not explicitly address many components of life, including many components of Library and Information Science. For example, neither Scripture nor divine speech explicitly guides how a reference interview should be framed in a Christian worldview. However, Scripture states truth (such as loving one’s neighbor) and establishes theological premises (such as the order and structure of creation) that affect how one might do a reference interview. These theological premises (in this context, special revelation and general revelation) are foundational to practices performed during a reference interview (regardless of the individual’s religious context or lack thereof). For example, in a reference interview, one frequently expects a librarian to be kind and respectful to a patron, displaying love for their neighbor. If this is the case, is simply being kind to a patron an example of faith integration? Is faith integration manifested when I simply treat a patron respectfully and smile as they ask for help pursuing a topic? While I do not want to dismiss the incredible value of a patron, nor am I aiming to argue that it doesn’t matter how we treat another individual, I believe that faith integration is much more profound. It needs to be directed by much more than general courtesy and professionalism. Why? Because of general revelation.

General revelation supposes that God’s character is evident in many facets of creation. Psalm 19:1-2 speaks well to this when it states: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (ESV). One example is how when God created the heavens and the earth, God brought order and structure to it: night and day, land and sea, heavens and earth, etc. The essence of structure in the creation narrative assumes that God is a God of structure and order, and the fact that we can use the disciplines of mathematics, physics, geology, etc., to build structures that can sustain an earthquake confirms that we can create things that align with God’s order and structure.

Similarly, God’s general revelation speaks volumes to Library and Information Science. In the context of the reference interview, general revelation can guide me to treat an individual kindly and with respect. The simple premise that one should treat people in manners identical to how they want to be treated (i.e., the golden rule) can quickly provide a premise for treating a patron respectfully in a reference interview. While the golden rule itself is not general revelation, one can often use reason (e.g., that they have seen the golden rule as effective in prior circumstances) and conscience (e.g., a general awareness that treating others with respect is good) to understand the validity of such a statement. In other words, general revelation often plays an indirect (but critical) role in how we act. If I had no understanding of general revelation, I would have difficulty connecting the premise of the golden rule with God’s character (reflected in our reasoning process and conscience). A God-given conscience (i.e., a manifestation of general revelation) has broader implications than just a reference interview. For example, general revelation allows a library’s ethos to be where it is currently: to share its collection, advocate for open access, be friendly to patrons, welcome a community of strangers, provide a place for community gatherings, etc.

There are many other examples where God’s general revelation can impact Library and Information Science. As noted above, the belief that God created the universe implies that the universe has some order and structure. One can see order and structure by looking at the seven days of creation in the first chapter of Genesis. For example, God did not create man on day one because where would man be? On the formless and void earth (Genesis 1:1)? There was structure and order to God’s creation. The premise of structure and order (a manifestation of God’s general revelation) is critical to many facets of Library and Information Science.

My understanding of general revelation is critical in integrating my faith into all domains of life because God speaks through all domains of life. Most importantly, if I do not understand the role of general revelation in God’s work, it can be challenging to see how my faith connects to things often considered ordinary, like showing respect to a patron. However, suppose I lack understanding that God’s revelation is my foundation. In that case, I quickly lose warrant for treating a patron with respect, particularly when the patron is rude, out of place, or mean-spirited. The conviction that all individuals are made in God’s image (a theological premise) gives conviction behind loving a patron and, from that love, offering superb service, even when it is not deserved. After all, acknowledging God’s revelation leads us to recognize our own depravity and the depth of God’s grace and mercy, which we do not deserve. Our reciprocal display of grace and mercy to others is critical in undergirding many facets of our lives, including librarianship, and can be displayed through superb service.

Is simple professional courtesy an example of faith integration? Faithful librarians must go further because God has revealed himself to believers in Jesus Christ. Faithful librarians must practice radical courtesy because of God’s radical love for us. Faithful librarians must show kindness and compassion both when it is well-deserved and when it clearly is not because this reflects the special revelation of God’s work of redemption. Faithful librarians must show radical patience with all patrons. Why? Because these actions are reflections of God’s work with us. Is it difficult? Do I even need to ask that? I think many are aware of how difficult it is. Praise God that as faithful librarians, we find our worth in the work and person of Jesus Christ, who enables us to serve, empowers us to encourage, and strengthens us to lead.

References

Erickson, M. J. (2015). Introducing Christian Doctrine (3rd ed.). Baker Academic.

Estes, D. J. (2019). Psalm 19, Revelation, and the Integration of Faith, Learning, and Life. In A. J. Spencer (Ed.), The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis (pp. 48–57). Wipf & Stock.

Kuyper, A. (1998). Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader. Eerdmans.

Tertullian (n.d.) Prescription Against Heretics. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0311.htm.