One challenge of higher education is finding a way to thrive amid significant differences. In the University, we must wrestle with how to participate in a way that is winsome, gracious, prophetic and humble. Some Christians argue for a retreat (cf The Benedict Option), or that the secular world is so radically broken or evil that we should avoid it at all costs—except for forays which are specifically evangelistic in purpose. St Augustine offered another approach that gives place to secular spaces and calls for considered engagement, while recognizing that ultimately the Christian’s identity lies elsewhere. We’ll look at his thinking, and discuss the implications for the contemporary academy.