2 Timothy 3:7
“Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
There are mean spirited bullies all around us. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not like bullying of any sort. Within the halls of academia there is a great deal of bullying. Those who possess advanced degrees often lord it over those who have not had the opportunity or ability to earn comparable degrees.
I am stunned by the arrogance that many academicians exhibit toward those they don’t consider their academic equals. They bully their way into positions that seem designed more to put others down rather than to be of benefit. They are scholarly bullies!
Many years ago I was close friends with a professor who had his PhD. in the field of physics. He was the opposite of a scholarly bully. In fact, he shared that he had trouble carrying on an intelligent conversation with many of his associates. He said he found more wisdom among the maintenance men at the college than among the professors. That astute observation brought a smile to my heart since my dad was a maintenance man at the college.
Regardless of our formal education, we should never allow others to feel that we are being a scholarly bully by making them feel inferior. Instead, we should be like my friend with the doctor’s degree who spent time talking with those who only had an 8th grade education. They had much to teach him. Are we listening?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil