Article September 17, 2012 Issue

Studied and approved

Kathryn Ness

As an academic, I have often worked with the following passage from the Bible when studying for exams or conducting intensive research projects: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). 

I love the idea that the good you are really studying in life relates to God, regardless of your particular field or discipline. If you are an art historian, for example, then you can see your work as studying the expression of divine Soul as you examine beautiful, creative works of art. Mathematicians and computer scientists can see divine Principle as they look at the order and law that govern their subjects. Scientists and physicists look for divine Truth as they conduct experiments and test hypotheses. 

But how do we study in order to be “approved” of God—to know and be obedient to Him? 

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About the author

Kathryn Ness is working on her doctorate in historical archaeology at Boston University. While her research involves traveling to Spain and various parts of the United States, she currently lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts.

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