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How do we assess the phenomenal popularity of a medieval Catholic nun among these groups? Why do they like her? What does she say to them? These were some of the questions that shaped my research agenda. I had additional questions that perhaps only a Christian scholar would ask, questions that a Christian audience in particular would want to have answered. Modern feminist reconstructions of Hildegard's life typically employ a "hermeneutic of suspicion or doubt" when it comes to her miraculous gifts. I wanted to know if these suspicions and doubts were warranted by historical evidence or merely prescribed by assumptions inherent to a naturalistic world-view. Did Hildegard's voices and visions really come from God? If so, how did she know? Did she move in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit? Was she a "charismatic" in the sense Christians use that word today? Was she a feminist, and if so, how did she reconcile her feminism with her Christian faith? Her spirituality clearly included the practice of spiritual gifts. What might the implications of that practice be for women today who struggle with issues of spiritual empowerment and the role of spiritual gifts in ministry?
Would Marsden consider this Christian scholarship? Possibly. But is it Christian "advocacy" scholarship aimed at advancing a Christian world-view in the mainstream academy? I'm not sure. Probably not. My point is that it is difficult to make generalizations about what Christian scholarship is and is not. It depends on the field you are in, the issues you are drawn to and care about researching, and the audience you are writing for.
Over the last nine years at Azusa Pacific University, I have increasingly felt a "calling" to write to and for a Christian audience. I teach mostly Christian students. I read and ask my students to read literary criticism written from diverse perspectives: Formalist, Marxist, feminist, psychoanalytic, New Historical, deconstructive. I find these exciting and rewarding methodologies for "opening up" a work of literature. But I am convinced they do not tell the whole story and in some cases perversely distort the story. I want to broaden class discussion to include Christian perspectives. I search for books and articles that model Christian scholarship at its best. Frankly, I don't find much out there.
I can respond to this situation in a couple of ways. I can complain that the Christians in my field are not doing their scholarly Christian duty, or I can start writing. Which brings us back to Marsden's thesis that contemporary mainstream university culture is not open to scholarship that is explicitly and overtly Christian. Given the "publish or perish" mentality that drives tenure decisions in mainstream and, increasingly, in Christian universities, it is not surprising that so few Christians are willing to be explicit about their faith in their professional scholarship. Marsden argues for less dogmatism and greater efforts to "be all things to all people": "When one wants to speak to diverse audiences, one must be willing to accommodate to the language and rules designed for that community."
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