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On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom
Christian teachers have long been thinking about what content to teach, but little scholarship has been devoted to how faith forms the actual process of teaching. Is there a way to go beyond Christian perspectives on the subject matter and think about the teaching itself as Christian? In this book David I. Smith shows how faith can and should play a critical role in shaping pedagogy and the learning experience.
182 pages, Paperback
Published May 28, 2018
58 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
David I. Smith
23 books36 followersI started out as a secondary school foreign language teacher in England. I quickly became intrigued by the ways in which implicit beliefs and values shaped the materials and ways of teaching that I experienced in classrooms. That theme has become my career-long research project. Most of my books have something to do with how faith gets expressed in classrooms. I now direct a research institute focused on how Christian faith relates to education as well as being involved in teacher education at Calvin College as an education professor. I serve as senior editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education, and travel widely to work with schools and universities on faculty development. I have also been involved in shaping some online curriculum projects at http://www.whatiflearning.com and http://www.teachfastly.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 25, 2022
Smith argues that faith ought to do much more than shaping the content used in classrooms. It must also illuminate the teaching and learning practices themselves.
One example he gives is from his own experience of teaching German. His students were making good progress in learning a new language, but he noticed that the images in their textbooks had mostly to do with shopping, traveling, eating, etc. In other words, he wasn’t just teaching German. He was also teaching that the good life is a life of commodification, objectification, consumption, not of service, empathy, hospitality.
What he says is that there is no morally neutral pedagogy, and that, therefore, we need to be more critical and use our sanctified imagination to rediscover the ways in which faith impacts the learning/teaching environment
I don’t remember anyone talking about pedagogy quite the way Smith does. Definitely worth checking out for if you care about teaching effectively, and teaching Christianly.
One example he gives is from his own experience of teaching German. His students were making good progress in learning a new language, but he noticed that the images in their textbooks had mostly to do with shopping, traveling, eating, etc. In other words, he wasn’t just teaching German. He was also teaching that the good life is a life of commodification, objectification, consumption, not of service, empathy, hospitality.
What he says is that there is no morally neutral pedagogy, and that, therefore, we need to be more critical and use our sanctified imagination to rediscover the ways in which faith impacts the learning/teaching environment
I don’t remember anyone talking about pedagogy quite the way Smith does. Definitely worth checking out for if you care about teaching effectively, and teaching Christianly.
August 21, 2022
Our school assigned this as a summer read for professional development. Hands-down this was probably the best summer read I have ever been assigned. Yet it's also been extremely challenging content to absorb and apply. I would like to reread this book every year as a way to rethink and reshape my teaching, focusing on one course at a time. The author doesn't flaunt his obvious brilliance but models humility, teachableness, and integrity in his pedagogy.
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July 31, 2023Smith articulates a vision of Christian teaching that finds its inspiration in the actual pedagogy that animates the classroom, not simply in worldview approaches(which are often woefully insufficient) or discussions of Christian character(which are only a small part of the picture). Smith’s brilliance lies in his ability to look at the small details of teaching—how the classroom is organized, how community is encouraged, how teaching practices can encourage justice, love of neighbor, and mercy—and he offers countless suggestions and examples for how to put these ideas into practice in the classroom in various disciplines.
A remarkable primer into an arena of study that has unfortunately been underserved in Protestant circles. I’ll be consulting it regularly as I develop my own classes, and I’ll be recommending it to friends and colleagues.
A remarkable primer into an arena of study that has unfortunately been underserved in Protestant circles. I’ll be consulting it regularly as I develop my own classes, and I’ll be recommending it to friends and colleagues.
September 26, 2024
Some really good insights. Super thought provoking.
December 4, 2024
This book raises and works to answer important questions that often go unasked in higher education. And in jargon-free language that George Orwell could approve. Though I am a Christian and teaching is my profession, I had written off books about teaching--and especially about the spirituality of teaching--because of woo-slingers like Parker Palmer. David Smith has redeemed the conversation for me.
July 19, 2023
“There is no quick recipe for Christian pedagogy, just a long process, worked out with fear and trembling, of taking off the old and putting on the new, and finding ways of speaking, acting, and shaping shared activity that resonate with the kingdom of God. It is born of prayer, of study, of listening to students, of the acquired discipline of attentiveness to what is happening in class, of the humility that allows us to hear from others that our best efforts are not quite doing what we think they are.”
I enjoyed Smith’s thoughts, theories, and ideas but I felt a lot referred to higher educational settings and secondary education, not so much for elementary levels. His ideas are spot on just a little lengthy in explanation. He also offered a lot of challenging thoughts regarding how curriculums are structured and the goals in various educational settings.
I enjoyed Smith’s thoughts, theories, and ideas but I felt a lot referred to higher educational settings and secondary education, not so much for elementary levels. His ideas are spot on just a little lengthy in explanation. He also offered a lot of challenging thoughts regarding how curriculums are structured and the goals in various educational settings.
July 27, 2021
Readable, concise, thoughtful, and provocative. Even if some of Smith's ideas aren't radically new, he gives voice to some of the things I've felt and learned intuitively over the past nine years of teaching. Smith is explicit about how he hopes his book can help us begin to reshape our imagination when it comes to the integration of faith and teaching. His arguments, examples, reflection questions, and journal prompts do this spectacularly. I already have plans to read this with with a group of friends next summer. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is an educator in any capacity.
June 4, 2022
I’ve read several of Smith’s books and in each of them he gets the reader’s mind thinking differently about common classroom experiences and practices. This book is a bit of a manifesto on how Christianity bears upon pedagogy—not just the philosophy of teaching, but the practices teachers use to inspire, cultivate, engage, and prod students toward knowledge, wisdom, and skills in their respective fields. The book would be a great one for teachers to have in their libraries, but even better as a book for group discussion.
August 4, 2021
Raises some really thought provoking questions about pedagogy, many of which are left unanswered or open-ended. I will admit I was hoping for more “technique” but was glad he resisted formulas and suggestions, and agreed with his thoughtful decision to make this book a prompt towards reflection. I do think this book would be immensely improved by reading it in community with like-minded educators who could help illuminate and expand his suggestions through their own practice.
February 24, 2019
I came by this book through Mars Hill Audio. It interested me, because I have never read a book on practicing faith through pedagogy. Many Christians believe they can only practice faith while discussing worldviews and controversial topics. David I. Smith instead focuses on how to practice faith through pedagogy - the method of teaching, which is much more than just standing up front and teaching the alphabet. He talks about several ways one can practice faith on a daily basis, regardless of the subject and academic level. I substitute teach in elementary classrooms and while I was reading this, I found myself taking some of his points and applying them to my short time shared with the students.
I recommend this to all educators as it encourages one to step out of the normal view of teaching and it offers many ways to increase student engagement and learning through faith-based pedagogy.
I recommend this to all educators as it encourages one to step out of the normal view of teaching and it offers many ways to increase student engagement and learning through faith-based pedagogy.
June 5, 2018
I would recommend this book to Christian teachers as a way of kickstarting your imagination for how one should approach how we teach (not just what) Christianly.
September 24, 2018
Once again David Smith sets out in clear and practical terms a challenge to us as Christian educators to do it better. His examples are very helpful and coming form his own experience add weight to what he is saying. This is a relatively untouched area in Christian schooling and although he is aiming more at University than K- 12 schooling - it is just as applicable. An excellent book for all Christian teachers and administrators who want to really know their Christian teaching is hitting the mark.
We have spent too long on the why and what - we now need to focus on the how of Christian teaching.
We have spent too long on the why and what - we now need to focus on the how of Christian teaching.
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January 3, 2023“…(Christian) faith can and should inform and help to shape pedagogy.”, p. 10
January 20, 2019
Smith tackles the question of faith and teaching. He rightfully observes that works on faith and learning integration jump to content and ignore teaching methodologies. So, Smith demonstrates the need for this work and then helps the reader explore what it may mean to teach in theological faithful ways.
March 10, 2020
What does it means to "teach Christianly"?
Calvin University professor of education, David I. Smith, shifts "faith and learning" from content to pedagogy in On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom. I am glad he did. My perspective needed this whack on the side of the head.
Smith contends the institutional history of Christian higher education has been mapped, contested, and refined. Similarly, "faith and learning" has garnered significant attention. Pedagogy, not so much! This dearth of attention "tends to leave the individual Christian teacher largely to his or her own devices when it comes to making explicit what it might mean to teach in a manner informed by faith." (145). Smith notes:
Here's the BIG QUESTION:
On Christian Teaching explores four key claims:
1. We need to have a conversation about faith and pedagogy that goes beyond worldview, Christian character, and basic classroom practices such as prayer and devotions.
2. This conversation needs to be conversational not formulaic because there is no prescribed formula for teaching Christianly.
3. We need this conversation to enhance the development of Christian education at all levels.
4. The conversation regarding the pedagogical integration of faith and learning is sorely missing in the research.
Smith examines his key key claims in eleven chapters. The first half of his book he explores claims one and two. Claim three is addressed throughout his work. Claim four in the final chapter. The second half of the book he devotes to unpacking a framework to help the reader think practically about faith and pedagogy.
Smith makes many great points, among them the challenge facing higher ed in general and Biblical/Christian higher education in particular, namely, how to posit a Christian university. Yes, we need to to think through identity (what exactly is a Christian university), pluralism (how to relate to religious diversity); content (how our ideology differentiates us), but also pedagogy. As he notes, "Talk of Christian education will always fall short if attention is not focused on pedagogical questions" (139). While this should be a differentiator in Biblical higher education, is it? In other words, does the more recent focus on the "integration of faith and learning" consider "how faith shapes the learning process?" (140)
The author will make it very hard for you to simply read his pages. Each chapter concludes with "For Reflection and Discussion" and a journal exercise. Additionally, he is a master of metaphor and "real life" examples, making the book all the more enjoyable to read.
My takeaways:
1. The BIG QUESTION: "In what ways does the teaching and learning process, rather than the perspectives conveyed by course content, require our attention?" (3) Chapel programs are great. Prayer in class is great. But what does it mean to teach Christianly -- the atmosphere, the community, the learning practices? This book is about how we cook, not about whether we should all eat spaghetti. (25)
2. Patterns that matter: "More than one thing is happening when we teach and it all happens at once, and although we have focal learning goals, faith frames our approach."(27). To that end, "Thinking of teaching as basically explaining things is like thinking of a church service as basically singing things. It misses a huge amount of what matters." (28) How does faith form all you do? Patterns of thinking matter, so does our view as to the journey of each student's soul.
3. The model: Smith asks us to see anew , to take time to imagine afresh what it means to teach: "We need to be able to reimagine who we are as teachers, who and what our students are, what their needs are, and what can happen in classrooms." (70) He asks us to choose engagement , i.e. think about how we involve students in the learning process. Finally, he urges us to Reshape Practice , maximizing our material resources and strategies, e.g. time, space, body language." These three pieces are not sequential, but simultaneous.
4. Life Together: Borrowing from Bonhoeffer, Smith highlights, among other things, that we can seek transformation through exhortation, but miss engaging in new practices that model the life we exhort.
5. Studiousness vs Curiosity: Smith works from Paul Griffiths, The Vice of Curiosity, to differentiate the Augustinian account of our different motivators for knowledge. Fascinating.
I am grateful to Dr. Julia Hershey, chair of the Education Department at Lancaster Bible College|Capital Seminary and Graduate School for putting me on this quest to work my way through On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith In The Classroom. Having now read the book, I can see why she advocates it so strongly, as do I!
Calvin University professor of education, David I. Smith, shifts "faith and learning" from content to pedagogy in On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom. I am glad he did. My perspective needed this whack on the side of the head.
Smith contends the institutional history of Christian higher education has been mapped, contested, and refined. Similarly, "faith and learning" has garnered significant attention. Pedagogy, not so much! This dearth of attention "tends to leave the individual Christian teacher largely to his or her own devices when it comes to making explicit what it might mean to teach in a manner informed by faith." (145). Smith notes:
This, I believe, is Christian teaching and learning, not in the narrow sense of teaching and learning that focuses on inculcating theology, but in the form of a complex of practices shaped by and articulated in terms of Christian identity. (77)Get ready, when it comes to "teaching Christianly, Smith is not going to advocate inserting a verse here and there the way some drop emoticons in text messages. Rather, the author proposes the What If Learning model, which is based on three concepts: (1) Seeing anew, (2) Choosing engagement, and (3) Reshaping practice. These are not "separable steps but ... simultaneous facets of teaching, each dependent on the others." (79)
Here's the BIG QUESTION:
What happens if we shift the focus and ask not just what Christian ideas are taught, but what might be Christian about the teaching and learning practices among which we invite students to live? (4)I appreciate Smith's efforts to shift the discussion not necessarily away from "faith and learning," but towards the pedagogical integration of faith and learning via the classroom.
On Christian Teaching explores four key claims:
1. We need to have a conversation about faith and pedagogy that goes beyond worldview, Christian character, and basic classroom practices such as prayer and devotions.
2. This conversation needs to be conversational not formulaic because there is no prescribed formula for teaching Christianly.
3. We need this conversation to enhance the development of Christian education at all levels.
4. The conversation regarding the pedagogical integration of faith and learning is sorely missing in the research.
Smith examines his key key claims in eleven chapters. The first half of his book he explores claims one and two. Claim three is addressed throughout his work. Claim four in the final chapter. The second half of the book he devotes to unpacking a framework to help the reader think practically about faith and pedagogy.
Smith makes many great points, among them the challenge facing higher ed in general and Biblical/Christian higher education in particular, namely, how to posit a Christian university. Yes, we need to to think through identity (what exactly is a Christian university), pluralism (how to relate to religious diversity); content (how our ideology differentiates us), but also pedagogy. As he notes, "Talk of Christian education will always fall short if attention is not focused on pedagogical questions" (139). While this should be a differentiator in Biblical higher education, is it? In other words, does the more recent focus on the "integration of faith and learning" consider "how faith shapes the learning process?" (140)
The author will make it very hard for you to simply read his pages. Each chapter concludes with "For Reflection and Discussion" and a journal exercise. Additionally, he is a master of metaphor and "real life" examples, making the book all the more enjoyable to read.
My takeaways:
1. The BIG QUESTION: "In what ways does the teaching and learning process, rather than the perspectives conveyed by course content, require our attention?" (3) Chapel programs are great. Prayer in class is great. But what does it mean to teach Christianly -- the atmosphere, the community, the learning practices? This book is about how we cook, not about whether we should all eat spaghetti. (25)
2. Patterns that matter: "More than one thing is happening when we teach and it all happens at once, and although we have focal learning goals, faith frames our approach."(27). To that end, "Thinking of teaching as basically explaining things is like thinking of a church service as basically singing things. It misses a huge amount of what matters." (28) How does faith form all you do? Patterns of thinking matter, so does our view as to the journey of each student's soul.
3. The model: Smith asks us to see anew , to take time to imagine afresh what it means to teach: "We need to be able to reimagine who we are as teachers, who and what our students are, what their needs are, and what can happen in classrooms." (70) He asks us to choose engagement , i.e. think about how we involve students in the learning process. Finally, he urges us to Reshape Practice , maximizing our material resources and strategies, e.g. time, space, body language." These three pieces are not sequential, but simultaneous.
4. Life Together: Borrowing from Bonhoeffer, Smith highlights, among other things, that we can seek transformation through exhortation, but miss engaging in new practices that model the life we exhort.
5. Studiousness vs Curiosity: Smith works from Paul Griffiths, The Vice of Curiosity, to differentiate the Augustinian account of our different motivators for knowledge. Fascinating.
I am grateful to Dr. Julia Hershey, chair of the Education Department at Lancaster Bible College|Capital Seminary and Graduate School for putting me on this quest to work my way through On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith In The Classroom. Having now read the book, I can see why she advocates it so strongly, as do I!
January 10, 2020
Is was really impressed with this book at the start. It asks really important questions, and places unsatisfactory answers in appropriate categories without dismissing them. I really appreciated the framing of wisdom, and the idea that there isn't a single Biblically-mandated way to teach some content, but that it's still worth asking because there's so much worth thinking about. The book used very perceptive examples from a range of contexts. I guess ultimately I was disappointed with the framing of the solution - imagine, engage, rethink practice - and didn't fully understand how this was supposed to help. He also blurred through a lot of concerns on my mind, such as the external constraints we work under and the fact that non-tertiary educators usually don't have total sovereignty over their course content, working in teams and established structures. Overall still a very good book - so refreshing to find someone determined to ask these questions even without claiming to have the answers. It stoked my imagination. I don't know how much it'll change my practice, but I intend to read it again and keep thinking about it!
June 23, 2022
David Smith poses a good argument addressing the lack of Christian thought regarding the "how" of teaching. I liked his points about physical space being important to the conduction of learning and how he paid a lot of attention to intricate details. I walk away from this book with the understanding that the medium of a process is an important process for formation. We cannot simply pay attention to the end goal. Smith's intentionality is so apparent and present in this book. If anything, I feel as if this book is an invitation to step into a world in which we pay attention to the ways we think, the messages we receive in the subtle details, and the ways we in turn influence our environments and circles. I appreciated this read!
July 14, 2022
The book sets out on a mission and as far as I am concerned achieves it. David Smith presents Christianity as a way of life with implications that echo through one's practice of teaching. The table is set with a discussion of pedagogy that is worthwhile. In that chapter, the author shows how there is a connection between how the instruction is done and its reception by the audience. This lesson, though seemingly obvious, is a game changer in how the book proceeds.
By the end of the book, I was left thinking of the messages I communicate through other avenues of my life and all this because the author shows in full colour that it is not just what you do but also how you do it that matters.
By the end of the book, I was left thinking of the messages I communicate through other avenues of my life and all this because the author shows in full colour that it is not just what you do but also how you do it that matters.
February 24, 2025
David Smith has done a superb job at framing the state of Christian education today. The point he makes that will most likely stay with me the longest is to stop viewing teaching as a form of technology; that in fact there is much more happening when I'm teaching because of the choices I've made regarding how I'm teaching. Does this book give easy answers for how to teach more Christianly? No, not at all. And so in some ways, reading this book can be a frustrating experience, in that I am finishing it feeling that there is more work to do.
March 30, 2025
I like the suggestion of reimagining what we think of teaching and how concepts relate so to faith can complement any subject such as language and mathematics. The examples provided great insights. I’m not so sure how practical it all is though esp since the author was coming from a high school perspective and I teach primary. The book wasn’t an easy read due to its academic nature and writing style but despite this it did manage to generate some good conversations amongst staff at my school.
December 25, 2025
A deeply refreshing look at the much-overlooked aspect of Christian teaching that is specifically Christian pedagogy. It has attuned me to notice how I am living out my faith in the practices and habits I employ in the classroom, large and small. Taking a one-week summer workshop with Smith added substantial depth to the content of the book, and I look forward to listening to Smith’s voice among many as I find my place in the Christian education world.
March 18, 2022
I'm a fan of Dr. David Smith. I had him as a professor in college and I loved his class. I have also gleaned a lot from his writing. This book is an encouragement and full of practical thought on how to weave our faith into our teaching. I tried some of the examples he shared in the book with my own students and the students reported that the activities helped in language acquisition.
July 3, 2022
I wanted this to be a step-by-step guide to integrating faith and teaching. But if it had been, it would've been a fake. Smith let's the reader know there isn't a one-sized-fits-all model. But then he takes the reader along for a longer (in a concise book, somehow), example filled conversation on how teachers of faith can rethink; re-imagine the most basic elements that make up a classroom.
October 31, 2022
Very disappointing. I was hoping for faith integration tips to use in the classroom (the title was practicing faith in the classroom) but it was more of this is how I teach not much about faith integration at all. I was reading it as part of a book circle at my university and we all pretty much felt this way. I had such high hopes for this book.
February 5, 2023
Excellent read. Smith argues that we should consider much more fully how Christian faith informs pedagogy and also shows us how we might do so. He illustrates how Christian faith informs the process of teaching and learning without being narrowly prescriptive; this book is a generative invitation to faithful teaching.
April 15, 2020
Mostly great; sometimes repetitive. I could have done without the last chapter. It wasn't bad; I'm just not the intended audience for that conversation.
I will return to this volume for encouragement and ideas on how to put my faith into my pedagogical practices.
I will return to this volume for encouragement and ideas on how to put my faith into my pedagogical practices.
July 4, 2021
I underlined too much of this book to pick just one quote. Just know that the teaching questions of “how does this all apply to tomorrow’s class?” at least get partially addressed in this introduction to the conversation around what it really means to teach as a “little Christ.”
September 18, 2024
Excellent resource that goes beyond worldview shaping teaching practices to the actual teaching practices themselves. A thoughtful discussion on how our beliefs should shape the classrooms we teach in, and the pedagogy we employ. Lots of good thoughts to discuss as a team.
January 15, 2025
This book has some challenging and thoughtful insights, but the writing style is very wordy. I also wish there were a wider array of teaching settings given as examples. He predominately focuses on his own experiences teaching German in a university setting.
July 14, 2020
Excellent as always. I will read anything Smith writes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews