Dr. Joshua Blander Awarded Fellowship from Biola University’s Center for Christian Thought

Dr. Joshua Blander, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at King’s, was awarded a fellowship from Biola University’s Center for Christian Thought (CCT) to work with scholars from across several disciplines during the Fall 2016 semester in residence at Biola’s campus in Los Angeles.

The CCT selected Blander and a number of other CCT Fellows to work alongside several Biola faculty members from disciplines such as Biblical Studies, psychology, and theology.

Each year, the CCT chooses a different focus for research. The theme for the 2016-17 year is “humility.” Blander’s project will focus on the development of college curriculum that emphasizes both the study and the formation of humility in students. “Humility is deeply undervalued and misunderstood in our culture, as we all know by watching election news even for a few minutes,” says Blander.

In his proposal, Blander wrote that his project will focus on “the preparation of a college-wide curriculum for The King’s College that emphasizes the study and development of virtue and wisdom . . . I have selected humility for the initial stage of this project because of its fundamental role in Biblical and philosophical education, as well as the emphasis of The King’s College on preparing principled leaders.”

Before his appointment to the faculty at The King’s College in 2011, Blander was a long-time resident of the Los Angeles area, having earned an M.A. in Philosophy at Biola and a Ph.D. in Philosophy at UCLA. Though he cites his excitement to “eat good Mexican food once again,” he strongly anticipates being able to work with scholars from across many fields.

“I owe a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Thornbury and Dr. Hijleh for supporting this project and my application, and to my many colleagues who have offered sage advice as I developed my proposal,” Blander says.

An announcement, including a full list of fellows, is available on the Center’s website.