Perhaps "Stewardship of the Mind" is another appropriate title for this guide. At Houston Baptist University, we want those interesting in coming to our campus to know that Christ has a place in the seemingly mundane world of academics and research. The main purpose of this guide is to acquaint users with the idea that information is valuable but so much of the research process is mental. This guide shows that we are stewards or caretakers of how we use our minds, especially focusing on academics.
Let's face it. There are forces everywhere that seek to influence our decisions. The most obvious place is elections. Wall Street Journal reporter, Christopher Mims, wrote a story called, Why Social Media Is So Good at Polarizing Us on October 19th, 2020 (
) in which he states, "If social media seems particularly infuriating lately, it’s possible that it’s as much about the way it shapes our perception of what’s going on as it is about the reality of the viewpoints and behavior of our fellow Americans." There it is right in the open. Others blatantly want to usurp our abilities to think for ourselves. God has created us and wants to shape us in His image (Genesis 1:27); however, others want to shape our minds in their political image. Who else wants to shape our minds for us?
Tools abound for helping determine fake news but the real battle is for our minds. This goes right to the heart of Christian education. If Christ is Lord of all (Colossians 1:9-15), then that includes work, schoolwork, and any research that goes along with it. Students (or more accurately, all adults) need now more than ever to have an understanding or a foundation of information -- its value and significance. The pages that follow will discuss and illustrate why the value of information is not important for just today but has serious implications for the future. How we steward our minds now will shape how we handle information in our future.
This led the the Library Director to pray about a vision statement that reflects these sentiments.
Given HCU’s central confession that “Jesus Christ is Lord,” William L. Moody Library seeks to help all students by endowing them with critical research skills with a high degree of satisfaction so their current research can springboard and become “useful vessels” to empower their future organizations, their lives, and to honor Christ
(II Timothy 2:21-22; Isaiah 64:8; Colossians 1:9-15).