I’ve heard some great advice in the last few days from an emeritus professor in the department I’m joining this fall. Speaking of the endless political, territorial and cultural wars in academia—the wars in which unsuspecting graduate students can be wielded as pawns—he said, and I paraphrase: You have a defensive tool and an offensive tool.

Rule #1.

Your defense is charity, in the old-fashioned sense. Treat everyone at all times with respect and genuine concern for their hopes and fears. Be affable and never, ever say a negative word about anyone, because everything you say, oral, email or otherwise, is on the permanent record.

This is a common sense value for survival, but also a particularly Christian value, one that very few Christians actually put in practice to the degree we ought to.

Rule #2.

Your offensive weapon, he continued,

is academic excellence. No matter how belligerent or activist a department, this is, after all, an academy. You’re there to perform academically. If you treat every assignment professionally, and work hard to publish, publish, publish, no one will lay a finger on you (provided you also heed rule number 1).

Now. This sounds reasonable. But does it work in practice? What do you think? Is charity possible? And if so, does it work? And if so, how does excellence play out in real life?