2016 ASA Annual Conference Azusa The Nature of Christian Engineering William Jordan Baylor University
Is this a Christian solar powered system? Were the people who created this doing Christian engineering ?
Personal Background Something I have thought about a great deal as I have had several careers within the engineering area Engineer in the steel industry Engineering professor at a public university Engineering professor at a private, Christian university
Nature of engineering Billy Koen from the University of Texas “the use of engineering heuristics to cause the best change in a poorly understood situation within the available resources A heuristic is anything that provides a plausible aid or direction in the Solution of a problem but is in, the final analysis unjustified, incapable of justification, and fallible.”
Christian engineering relates to our calling as Christians I like the definition that has been created by Byron Newberry “ divine call or summons to live a life of transcendent purpose-to use one’s distinct gifts in the service of God’s people and for the stewardship of Gods creation .” It is not limited to full-time Christian ministry It can be for every Christian in their own specific areas of life and work Should work to serve others and to provide stewardship of God’s creation
Vocation and Engineering Van Treuren and Eisenbarth have written: “From a Biblically -based Christian worldview we understand that “all knowledge is God’s knowledge” and that our quest to understand God’s creation (his general revelation) is also a quest to understand Him more completely. Therefore, even though there may not be a specific application of the Christian faith principles in every engineering problem, students can often be reminded to take a step back and look at the big picture of His presence and sustaining activity in the world. As an engineer works through the extrinsic elements of a design artifact, a Christian worldview can provide a basis on which to consider and make the necessary value judgments and choices required by the engineering design process.”
Changing Perspectives on Calling and Vocation Perspective has changed as shown in three books over the last 30 years Responsible Technology by Monsma, Christians, Dikema, Leegwater, Schuurman, and Van Poolen, 1986 The Fabric of this World by Lee Hardy, 1990 Kingdom Calling by Amy Sherman, 2011
Vocation Lee Hardy writes: “An initial attempt to formulate the principles of vocational choice was made by the Protestant reformers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They were…firmly convinced that all of life, even the life of everyday work, out to be lived to the glory of God….The second step in vocational decision -making is locating the place where our native abilities and acquired skills can be put at the disposal of those who need them” Amy Sherman looks at the issue of vocational stewardship for the common good. The theme verse of her book is Proverbs 11:10, “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices.”
Calling of the Christian Engineer We are called to become an engineer for a reason. Os Guinness writes in The Call “Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service .” This calling can be to what is seen as secular work as well as professional ministry work
God’s expectation of Christian Engineers We are to use our skills to benefit society. Jesus speaks in Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked .” This is consistent with the Fundamental Canon of the ASME code “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in performance of their professional duties.”
Important Distinction Christian engineers Christians who practice engineering Should be competent and hard working Should help create things that are useful to people Christian engineering Engineering practiced with the explicit goal of advancing God’s agenda in the world
The nature of technology Two very valuable books Responsible Technology by Stephen Monsma (1986) Beyond Paradise: Technology and the Kingdom of God by Jack Swearengen (2007)
Steve VanderLeest writes: Technology is not ethically neutral. It is biased towards certain uses, persuades the user towards particular actions, and has built-in values in its structure.
Example of effect of technology Engineers love computers. Engineers tend to solve problems that computers can solve because computers can solve them. Other, very important problems may get ignored
The Christian Engineer and Culture How a Christian engineer views culture will affect how he practices engineering Book Christ and Culture by Richard Neibuhr Christ Against Culture The Christ of Culture Christ Above Culture Christ and Culture in Paradox Christ the Transformer of Culture
Impact of view of culture on how we practice engineering Christ Against Culture Since culture is so bad, not try to change it, but just do your job in an honest and ethical manner The Christ of Culture Culture is just fine, do not see a need to work to change it Christ Above Culture Christ is sitting in judgment on a culture that does not help poor people, the engineer needs to make a difference
View of Culture Christ and Culture in Paradox Not worry about culture, just try to do my job with the least amount of sin Christ the Transformer of Culture Transform culture by changing the lives of people through my work, OR Transform culture by evangelism. Good engineering may be a means by which we can effectively evangelize others.
Personal perspective I am in the Christ the Transformer of Culture camp Doing high quality engineering is the best way I can make a contribution to the advancing of God’s agenda in the world
Helping Christian Engineers Value of professional societies where we can gather and discuss issues related to how to practice our faith and our profession in a holistic manner ASA has been very helpful for many people like myself to discuss these issues However, the broader nature of the topics ASA considers (all of science) is not attractive to many engineers, who might wish to have a more focused group
Introducing the Christian Engineering Society Outgrowth of an informal group that has been hosting the Christian Engineering Conference every other year (timed to follow the ASEE Annual Meeting) We were formally incorporated this June https://sites.google.com/site/christiansandengineering/ Founding officers Steve VanderLeest, President (Calvin College) Bill Jordan, Vice President (Baylor University) Gayle Ermer, Secretary (Calvin College) Melani Plett, Treasurer (Seattle Pacific University) Ted Song, Web master (John Brown University)
Purpose of Christian Engineering Society The Christian Engineering Society is a group of individuals interested in the relationship of Christianity and engineering/technology.. Our faith helps inform the choices we make as engineers, particularly questions related to purpose and priorities. We find God's calling in our lives in all its aspects, personal and professional.
Purpose of Christian Engineering Society We are interested in applying Biblical principles such as justice and stewardship to our professional lives and to the design of technology. God's special concern for the poor and disadvantaged touches our hearts so that we look for opportunities to use our skills as engineers in ways that builds God's Kingdom. Christian engineering is not just about technology for the poor. We see all technological development as part of our stewardship and unfolding of the creation, a powerful tool that we must take care to use appropriately.
Next steps for the CES Working on details about membership Will create an on-line refereed journal to be hosted by Baylor University Our meeting next summer at Cedarville University in Ohio. June 28-30, 2017. http://www.cedarville.edu/Event/Christian- Engineering-Conference.aspx
Complementary Nature Engineers like myself will continue to be actively involved with the ASA Personally I find the broader set of topics we discuss to be very enlightening However, every discipline needs a chance to talk about their discipline in a more detailed manner While engineers have their own discipline societies, such as ASME and IEEE, there is a need for Christian engineers to have their own meetings to discuss the interaction of engineering and faith
Conclusions Christian engineering is more than just engineers who are Christians Christian engineering involves the practice of engineering with a goal of advancing God’s agenda in the world Our view of how faith interacts with culture affects how we practice engineering
Is this a Christian solar powered system? Were the people who created this doing Yes to both questions Christian engineering ?
Questions?
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