MacLaurin Staff

Robert Osburn, Executive Director email

Educational Background:

• B.A., University of Michigan
• ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary
• PhD, University of Minnesota

Selected Publications:

• American Experiment Quarterly
• Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Minnesota Daily
• Dissertation title: Religious Experiences of Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian International Students: A Case Study at the University of Minnesota (November 2005)

From the vantage point of 55 years (as of 2006), I'm able to discern patterns in my life that are subtle, yet very real (academic orientation, eg.). When I was younger, such patterns were not as clear. However, if I could describe the overall pattern that makes sense of the smaller life patterns, it would be God's transforming presence.

From the earliest days of my Christian life, as a lonely undergrad at the University of Michigan in late 1969, I had a very real sense (in those weeks right after my November conversion) that the Lord was not only my Savior, but also my shepherd. Yes, young childhood memories, however faint they were, had planted some of the key phrases of Psalm 23 deep in mind and heart. His presence translated into badly needed personal security, especially when I felt outgunned and outclassed in an institution known for its brainy students.

The transformational dimension of His presence was most evident at several stages in my life. First, there was the transforming reality of Christian community, that social context that helped frame and shape my worldview during those subsequent years at the university, and which continued throughout my years of study at Dallas Seminary. There, in Dallas, I thrilled to see God at work so visibly in the local church in which I was involved, Fellowship Bible Church.

Transformation, as I grew older, required more persistence, effort, and focus. It also required the steady, calming presence of Susan, with whom I have now (2004) been wedded for 28 years. Susan has been both my biggest fan but also, as is so often the case, that loving critic who worked with God in my ongoing transformation (even when it has been tough and I wasn't so lovable!).

The call to transformation has been fixed in my life and work ever since reading Francis Schaeffer's work in 1970. Coming to understand the significance and substance of a Christian worldview took on renewed meaning as I began to work among international students in the mid 1980s. Over time, I saw that God's heart is not only for personal transformation, but also social, political, economic, and cultural transformation. My work today is fueled by that deep desire for God's gentle but certain transforming presence and power in a world known primarily for its poverty, hopelessness, struggle, and sorrow.

No transforming presence is quite like that of the Trinitarian Godhead. Long years of deep commitment to Christ have nurtured the conviction that I can't live without the Father's listening ear, His Son's remarkable life example, and the Holy Spirit's sustaining power. Taken together, the larger story is one of God's grace, which I have needed in times of sin, but especially during those times of weakness.

Our fours sons have taught me more than I could imagine about the Father's heart, a heart that yearns for our daily transformation. In our sons I've also been fascinated to observe the emergence of patterns that indicate how God designed them, both to be transformed but also to be transformers in our world. I hope that they will learn, as I am learning, that His grace is sufficient and that failure (which comes to some of us more than it does to others) is no grounds for giving up. Because, after all, we do have His transforming presence, and that is all I (and all of us) need.

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