Through my role on the Commission on Covenant History, I was able to bring Dr. Chris Gehrz to campus for a lecture and a faculty discussion. It was a wonderful set of events and has re-invigorated by exploration of pietism and libraries. Perhaps it would be more fair to say this lecture reinvigorated an exploration a pietism and my personal life…and I hope that I’m able to connect these thoughts to my professional calling as a librarian!

He started his lecture by telling “his story” so I’ve decided to start in the same place – but telling my “stories” of pietism. In reading his book – The Pietist Vision of Higher Education – and over the course of the lecture and faculty discussion, I’ve been able to reframe several key events in my educational past through the pietist lens of  “transformation” or “re-birth.” So I’ll try and capture these memories using the language and spirit of pietism.

Mathematics and the Pietist Ethos

As an undergraduate, I majored in Mathematics and Biblical and Theology Studies . I majored in Mathematics because I liked the subject – and had from an early age – and because I aspired to be a high school math teacher. Perhaps unsurprisingly given my academic interests, I became very interested in how theology and philosophy related to mathematics and therefore wrote a senior thesis on the potential theological implications of a particular mathematical theorem: Kurt Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem.

In laying the groundwork for that thesis, I remember reading a number of articles that described different ways for Christians to approach mathematics. The options that Williams surveyed in the chapter “Pietism and Faith-Learning Integration in the Evangelical University” both have clear parallels within the philosophy of mathematics. The Augustinian and Thomistic approach seem like the major options to choose from. Dr. Gehrz suggested that pietism may offer an alternative to the traditional reformed model of Christian Education focused on creating a “Christian Worldview.”

So does Pietism offer a “third way” or an alternative philosophy of Mathematics? I’m not sure it’s a full alternative, but I think pietism can introduce a new set of language and shift the emphasis to open up new possibilities. Williams claims that the pietistic alternative is connected to the idea of “new birth” and that’s what I’d like to explore now.

The class was Real Analysis – a class that focused on abstract concepts and proofs that began with simple axioms and eventually progressed until we proved the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. I remember one class period toward the end of the semester where the entire board was covered in what I thought to be a mess of unconnected thoughts. Then – I still remember the power and surprise I experienced – my professor connected the dots for us and I understood this otherwise incomprehensible proof. I remember thinking that I could have stared at the board for hours and never made the connections that she had revealed to me – and the feeling of awe that my human, finite brain could understand the work that others had done.

In that moment, I remember Professor Iverson putting the cap back on the marker, gesturing toward the board, and telling us:

Somewhere it is written: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” And this is True. And this is Beautiful.

At stake here was not our intellectual understanding of the subject matter or the proof – the real lesson was that we should pursue the true and the pure and the beautiful. In this moment I was converted, reborn, transformed. There was a particular drama and excitement to this moment, but this was one transformative experience among many that shaped not only my mind but my heart and soul toward a love of the good, true, and beautiful.

Another point of connection between my experience as a Math major at North Park and the pietist ethos as my relationships with my professors and other students. Williams uses the language of “conventicle” and Gehrz explored the notion of “ecclesiola in ecclesia.” My relationships with fellow math majors enriched my experience considerably. But my relationship with Professor Iverson was the most instrumental in creating this pietist vision of mathematics.

This was made very clear through Professor Iverson’s exams. They always had two parts; an in-class component that was difficult and a take home component that was impossibly difficult. The understanding was that while you worked alone on the take home portion, you could come to her office for additional help and guidance. Therefore, by the very design of the assessment, you meet individually with the professor several times a semester; she got to know your strengths and weaknesses. I remember her saying once “I thought you might approach this problem this way.”

So, in many ways, my experience as a math major at North Park was informed by the pietist ethos even if that was never explicitly named or celebrated. In terms of next steps: I should talk with other math majors to see if they had similar experiences, communicate this directly to Professor Iverson, and then reflect on my experiences in the library and the pietist ethos. Lots to do and consider!