Brian Beasley

When C. S. Lewis finally gave in and acknowledged God, he described himself as “perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” My journey of faith is not quite that dramatic, yet I experienced a similar moment in 6th grade, when our youth group went to see Billy Graham’s film Time to Run. Afterwards, the audience was invited to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and I watched in dismay as one by one, my friends went forward. So I finally gave in, perhaps a dejected and reluctant convert in my own small way. Thankfully, by God’s grace my faith deepened in high school and college. I slowly began to understand that belief and reason are not mutually exclusive, learning by example from my teachers and my fellow students. In particular, as I pursued my studies in mathematics, I realized that faith and logic go hand in hand to provide a greater appreciation of both God’s Word and God’s world. As my journey continues, with ups and downs along the way, I am striving to love the Lord with my heart and my mind. So my advice for students is to ask, to seek, and to knock. There are no questions or doubts or problems that are too big for God. We have God’s sure promise: Those who ask will receive; those who seek will find; those who knock will have the door opened to them. Always remember that our Lord is not bound by time or place or any other limitation – Jesus continues to reassure us that “all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

My Life

Favorite Quote

I love quotations, so it’s hard to choose just one … but here’s my current favorite: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” – Corrie ten Boom

My hobbies

jogging, various puzzles/games, 70s music, classic films

Fantasy dinner guests

C. S. Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, … and Blaise Pascal!

Best advice I ever received

From my parents, whenever I wanted to boss around or tattle on my brother: “Don’t worry about what he’s doing. You just take care of what you’re doing – that will keep you plenty busy.”

My undergrad alma mater

Emory University

In college I drove

a Pontiac Phoenix, later voted one of the worst cars of the 1980s

Favorite books

The Screwtape Letters and Out of the Silent Planet (CSL), Strength to Love (MLK), Curtain (Agatha Christie)

Favorite movies

Chariots of Fire, Galaxy Quest, Hidden Figures, The Princess Bride

Nobody knows I

can ride a unicycle (well, sort of)

My latest accomplishment

taking an online course on … how to teach an online course

Current Research

history of mathematics (especially number theory), journal problem sections, connections between faith and mathematics