Submitted Christian Writings
~~~ Parables for Modern Academia ~~~
New Revised Academic Version (NRAV)
- By Deborah and Loren Haarsma
If Jesus taught on the campus today,
what might His parables say?
Luke 10:25-37
The dean was speaking at a faculty meeting. One of the professors stood up and asked,
"What must I do to get tenure?" The dean replied, "What does the faculty
manual say?" The professor answered, "Do good research, teach well, and mentor
students." "You have answered correctly," the dean replied. "Do this
and you will get tenure."
But the professor wanted to justify himself, so he asked the dean, "What does it
mean to mentor students?" In reply the dean said: "One term there was a student
who was struggling in his courses. He went to talk about it to the professor of one of his
classes, but the professor brushed him off with, "If you can't handle the work, you
should drop the course." The student then went to his academic advisor, but she was
on her way out the door to the airport and didn't have time to talk. A custodian overheard
the conversation, and, seeing the discouragement of the student, invited him out for a cup
of coffee. It turned out the student was dealing with the death of a family member, and
the stress was affecting his personal life as much as his studies. The custodian walked
him to the counseling center and arranged an appointment for him. He called the student
several times in the next few weeks to see how things were going, and helped him think
through whether to drop the courses or not. Now, which one of these was the true mentor to
the student?" The professor replied, "The one who had mercy on him." The
dean told him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:25-37)
