The purpose of the Engaging Our World Conference is to help Christian academicians and professionals understand how a Christian worldview applies to the rest of the world-beyond the Ivory Tower. How do we make a difference? How can we serve as Jesus's mind, heart, hands, feet and eyes on this planet? How can we spread shalom, especially in the area of our expertise? What difference should the Lordship of Christ make in the key issues facing humankind today? How do we connect the Ivory Tower to the real world?

Ivory Tower has become a term to express the aloofness of scholars from the rest of the world. Scholars are often thought of as distant and remote from practical concerns, out of touch with the rest of the world.

As Christian scholars we seek to maintain a balance regarding our academic work and being salt and light in our world. We should affirm the intrinsic value of research and scholarship in and of itself and at the same time affirm the necessity of applying a Christian worldview to the very real needs of society. We should do this through both our professional work as scholars and our personal influence as followers of Christ.

The academician committed to Christ knows the critical importance of reflection, thought, research and scholarship-all part of the Ivory Tower. But as a follower of Jesus, the Christian academician is also committed to leading others to Christ, discipleship, and mentoring, as well as applying a Christian worldview to the academic, social and cultural problems that plague humankind.

This conference will be a conversation about a Christian worldview and how it applies to the real world.

What difference does your Christian worldview make?

Do you truly have a Christ-centered, Christ-honoring worldview that is global in focus, passionate about applying Christ's Lordship in all realms of thought and life among all people in every language and nation?

Connecting the Ivory Tower with the World