When God descends to the lofty tower of Babel (note the irony) in Genesis 11 to pronounce judgment on it, what is he judging? Certainly the people’s direct disobedience to his command to scatter over the face of the earth. Most probably the great evil that could be caused by a human race united in its defiance of God. And also the sinful desire to make our own name great, not God’s:
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” – Genesis 11:4
Academia encourages us, indeed demands of us, to make a name for ourselves. That’s how we get tenure; that’s how we get promotion; that’s how we get respect. Now of course it’s not wrong to be known, any more than it’s wrong to be tall or wrong to be a Manchester United fan (though some may beg to differ on the latter point). The rub, as with so much in the Christian life, is at the point of our motivation. Academia is very good at forcing us into the mould of being proud of the name we are making for ourselves, of our status, our achievements and whatever else God has freely chosen to give us out of his grace and for his glory alone. To resist that model almost always takes deliberate effort.
