Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Theological knowledge and the knowledges of the university : beginning explorations -- 2. Leaving ruins : the gospel and cultural formations -- 3. How risky is the risk of education? : random reflections from the American context -- 4. The end of "religious pluralism" : a tribute to David Burrell, C.S.C. -- 5. The pathos of the university : the case of Stanley Fish -- 6. What would a Christian university look like? : some tentative answers inspired by Wendell Berry -- 7. Carving stone or learning to speak Christian -- 8. Pro Ecclesia, pro Texana : schooling the heart in the heart of Texas -- 9. Christians and the so-called state (we are in) : a meditation on loyalty after September 11, 2001 -- 10. Democratic time : lessons learned from Yoder and Wolin -- 11. The state of the secular : theology, prayer, and the university -- 12. To love God, the poor, and learning : lessons learned from Saint Gregory of Nazianzus -- App. A. Duke University : the good of this place -- App. B. Seminaries are in trouble : chastened reflections on the Centennial of Bethany Theological Seminary -- App. C. Ordinary time : a tribute to Rowan Williams.

"It is no secret that theology is no longer considered a necessary subject in the modern university. Why is it assumed that the kind of knowledge that theology represents is in some fashion deficient when compared to other subjects? Stanley Hauerwas argues that theology is often excluded from the knowledges of the modern university because those knowledges are constituted by an understanding of time necessary to make economic and state realities seem inevitable. Yet it is precisely this difference that makes Christian theology an essential resource for the university to achieve its task that is, to form people who are able to imagine a different world through critical and disciplined reflection."--BOOK JACKET.