\nLet
\nevery Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider
\nwell, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus
\nChrist which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in
\nthe bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and
\nLearning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedome, Let every one
\nseriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of him (Prov.
\n2:3).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Harvard-Seal-Trans-4.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/94\/import\/photos\/Harvard-Seal-Trans-4.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\nNeedless
\nto say, during the last three centuries, Harvard lost touch with
\nits original purpose, though the student body continues to include a
\nhealthy number of faithful Christians. The predominant view among many
\nHarvardians these days, however, would be that truth is relative, and
\nthat there is no certain truth upon which to base one’s life. You’d find a more robust view of truth among those who teach and study in the natural sciences. But even among most of those who actually believe there is Truth to be discovered and studied, the idea
\nthat the pursuit of truth is for the sake of Christ and the church
\nwould considered an curious antique of a pre-modern age. (Photo: The official university seal from my Ph.D.
\ndiploma. Around the central shield that reads VERITAS, you can barely
\nsee the Latin words CHRISTO ET ECCLESIAE. <\/p>\n
Notice that veritas christo et ecclesiae<\/i> does not consist only of theological truth. This phrase assumes that all truth is relevant to Christ and his people, including the truth of physics, chemistry, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and, well, you name it. This view of truth denies the oft-made distinction between the sacred and secular. It sees all of creation, and therefore all of truth, as a result of God and a reflection of God’s own truthfulness. Veritas christo et ecclesiae<\/i> encourages people to engage in all academic disciplines for the sake of the kingdom of God. <\/p>\n
Though I spent eight years in residence at
\nHarvard, I still believe that there is such a thing as VERITAS, as
\nTruth with a capital ‘T.’ Moreover, I even believe that human beings
\nshould pursue such Truth for the sake of Christ and his church. This
\npretty much explains why I do what I do as a pastor, a retreat leader, a teacher,
\na student of Scripture, and a blogger. In fact, I believe along with the governors of
\nHarvard in 1646, that Christ is “the only foundation of all sound
\nknowledge and Learning.” Yes, I may be a bit of an antique. But
\nsometimes antiques are worth a whole lot more than newfangled
\ncontraptions. When it comes to truth, I think the founding leaders of
\nmy alma mater got it right. Truth, all truth, when rightly understood, is indeed “for
\nChrist and the church.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This Thursday, May 27th, Harvard University holds its commencement. It’s not called “graduation,” but “commencement,” because the ceremony is the beginning of life beyond the university. I had to opportunity to participate in two Harvard commencements, in 1979 as I finished college, and in 1992 to receive my Ph.D. Yes, that means I did pay…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[162,161],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-1126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college-and-university-life","category-ironies","tag-harvard-seal","tag-truth-for-christ-and-the-church","tag-veritas-christo-et-ecclesiai"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Harvard-seal-3.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/94\/import\/photos\/Harvard-seal-3.jpg\")
<\/span>During my years at Harvard, the university seal was everywhere: on