Christian Higher Education: Faith, Teaching, and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition

by David S. Dockery (editor), Christopher W. Morgan (Editor), Bruce Ashford (Contributor)

Our world is growing increasingly complex and confused―a unique and urgent context that calls for a grounded and fresh approach to Christian higher education. Christian higher education involves a distinctive way of thinking about teaching, learning, scholarship, curriculum, student life, administration, and governance that is rooted in the historic Christian faith. In this volume, twenty-nine experts from a variety of fields, including theology, the humanities, science, mathematics, social science, philosophy, the arts, and professional programs, explore how the foundational beliefs of Christianity influence higher education and its disciplines. Aimed at equipping the next generation to better engage the shifting cultural context, this book calls students, professors, trustees, administrators, and church leaders to a renewed commitment to the distinctive work of Christian higher education―for the good of the society, the good of the church, and the glory of God.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

576 pages, Hardcover

Published November 30, 2018

Reviews

[Cindy Marsch]

Well, because my husband Glenn Marsch wrote a chapter (which I had the privilege of editing), it HAS to be amazing! :-) Really--check it out! (No star rating because I edited one chapter and have not finished the book)

[Conrade Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

A University education is becoming a given in many developed countries nowadays. In Asia, many parents push their children to excel in their academics in order to enter a reputed University. In the West, many are getting not just one but multiple degrees. One of the most sought after institutions are the Ivy Leagues, a group of eight elite private colleges located in the North Eastern region of the United States. Many, if not all of these schools were started by the early Puritans and evangelical founders. Their original mission statements were closely tied to the Christian faith. With the rise of secularism, these statements have been relegated to the history books as these schools replace them with statements and phrases that reflect the secular world. In doing so, they have lost a huge chunk of precious history and teaching philosophies envisioned by the founders. This shift from faith-based philosophy to secularist and atheistic forms of teaching is also threatening traditionally explicit Christian universities. The problem is the lack of appreciation or awareness of the importance of the evangelical influence on education in general. If we truly want to get to the root of a university education, we need to understand the background and the uniqueness of Christian Higher Education. This book offers such a guide to enable Christian educators, Church leaders, scholars, theologians, and anyone interested in the future of Christian Higher Education.


The three major parts of the book are:
Theological Shape of Christian Higher Education in the Evangelical Tradition
Faith, Teaching, and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition
Faith, Teaching, and Learning
Part One deals with the fundamentals of what evangelical tradition is. It surveys the historical approaches to education and how it gives rise to the present contexts. The authors go as far back to the first century to look at the life and teaching of Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, Aquinas, to as recent as the Post-Reformation times. The essays connect teaching with learning; scholarship with applications; and history and contemporary views of education. The key motivation is to keep the level of Christian thought alive even as the culture around us becomes more complex. The focus is not just on the education per se but also the students and community of scholarship. A major challenge is to deal with an increasingly resistant climate of secularism that believes in an education that is devoid of religious links. That is why every contributor to this volume writes with a passionate belief that education must be holistic and inclusive, with the evangelical faith and tradition in Christ as the cornerstone of all Christian Education, regardless of its nuances. What is notable is that the contributors together cover a wide range of subjects. Nathan Finn describes the theology of knowing and loving God and gives an excellent definition of theology as "thinking rightly about God and His world for the sake of living rightly before God in His world." John D Woodbridge goes to the Bible and helps us appreciate the sola scriptura tenet of evangelical faith, believing that scriptures should play a "definitive role in education," that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. George H Guthrie explores the study of Holy Scripture by looking at the angle of the scholar who would teach and the teacher who would interact with the class. He provides four guiding principles to do that. John Kilner examines the Imago Dei and Bradley J Gundlach on Church History.

Part Two moves further into the actual work of faith, teaching, and learning, to see how the Christian worldview impact theology, humanities, research, the social sciences, music, and the arts, and many others. Christopher W Morgan kicks off this exciting section with an overview of the importance of a Christian-worldview thinking. Donald Guthrie gives us a helpful list of questions to hone our Christian worldview applications on our giftings; how we deal with our fears/anxities; self-examination; growing through these fears; and how the gospel influences our decision making. Laurie R Matthias attempts to help us integrate faith and learning by linking it to personal integrity. In other words, our calling as disciples of Christ will inform the way we live in the world. The way we live in this world will testify of our faith as disciples of Christ. The integration of these two is the heart of Christian Education. Scientists and researchers David S Pao and Chrystal L Ho Pao describe the place of research by addressing the questions:
Does research (always) enhance teaching and learning?
Should teachers (and their students) be involved in research?
Should (or must) teachers in a Christian institution of higher learning be engaged in research?
They argue that research provides an excellent context for learning. They warn us against the unwitting use of a "hermeneutic of suspicion" that promotes itself above "the search for truth."

Gene C Fant Jr leads us through the humanities and argues that the humanities promote the "development of the moral, cultural, and spiritual values." It is the study of what it means to be human. Glenn A Marsch helps us think about faith and the sciences and argues that "without Christianity there might well be no science." Paul R Bialek provides an interesting essay on faith and mathematics and says that "we are explorers and not creators of mathematical truth." Mathematics is part of the created order but God is not bound by that. He gives a section on numerology that ought to pique lots of interest. Eric L Johnson and Russell D Kosits look at the social sciences by listing two key things to remember. First, the social sciences is a legitimate and vital inquiry into the human condition. Secondly, faith matters with regard to the study of the social sciences is increasingly being challenged. Faith leaders in such field must learn to think independently and boldly even when rejected by secularists. Chris L Firestone notes uses four stages to describe the study of philosophy using a Christian worldview: 1) Relationship & Legitimacy of the Christian Way; 2) Christian and Western Philosophy; 3) Contributions of Christian philosophers; and 4) Teaching Philosophy in a liberal arts setting. Don P Hedges brings us through the world of music and the arts, saying that art is a gift and the link to Christianity will always be there. For instance, it requires creativity. Our God is creative. He created us and we are endowed with this gift of creativity. On Education, Karen A Wrobbel takes a bird's eye view to ponder if education everywhere ought to be religious education, and the continuing questions back and forth about separation or inclusion of faith and general education. On Adult and Professional Programs, Timothy L Smith believes that constant education is needed to equip servant leaders through mentoring, coaching, and teaching. He then applies some of the learning paradigms on the healthcare and business education scenarios.

Part Three looks at the bigger world of faith and learning with S Steve Kang examining their relationship with the catechesis; Taylor B Worley on worship and service; Felix Theonugraha on living; Katherine M Jeffery on leadership; Greg Forster on the World; Micah J Watson on Culture; Thomas H L Cornman on Service to the Church; Peter T Cha on Intercultural and International Approaches; and Bruce Riley Ashford on Missions and the Global Church.

My Thoughts
This volume is a unique collection of top Christian educators using a Christian worldview to explore and study the many different disciplines in the higher education environment. Aware of the increasing challenges against religious teachings and Christian thought, they are intentional about bringing faith back into the educational arena. It is well documented that even believers themselves walk away from their faith when pursuing an intense academic program in a secular and often atheistic environment. Faith is not simply the utterance of creeds or belief statements. It is about living out our faith through thinking, learning, adapting, and applying. Using the Christian worldview as the primary lens, we can see the bigger picture of what education and the respective disciplines. We ignore God at our own peril. For the Bible had said that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of all knowledge and wisdom. People may try to disprove the existence of God but we should not be afraid to boldly engage them where appropriate. The key thing is the freedom that God has given all of us to engage and to play our part in the world. In the end, education is not something that can be defined by the world. It is first and foremost defined by God, and we take the cue from Him to see the world from His perspective.

The contributors in this book have given us very helpful essays that could very well be primers for us to use the Christian lens to view the disciplines of study we are in. Before we even try to venture into state schools or public institutions with the Christian worldview, the more immediate attention should be given to explicitly Christian institutions like seminaries, theological schools, Bible colleges, and faith-based schools. In other words, get our own houses of faith in order first. Then let the Spirit of God open doors for us as we exercise our calling to be salt and light to the world at large. This book would be an excellent resource and reference for anyone of us to learn about Christianity in the Education world.

Editors David S Dockery and Christopher W Morgan have brought together over two dozen educators from the United States, many of whom hail from Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. There are also contributors from reputable institutions like Calvin College, Regent College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and so on.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[J. Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to be quite diligent, so “better late than never” is an expression I don’t often use. However, this review is an exception. I received a copy of Christian Higher Education over a year ago as part of the Crossway blog review program. I had finished reading it and was prepared to write a review… and then the year took an unexpected turn and I have not got around to writing a review—or even a blog post—since then. The year wasn’t a waste however, for I did apply for and got accepted into a PhD program and my family and I moved to Australia. However, given the present circumstances, I can finally get around to writing this review. Given the size and scope of Christian Higher Education (and the time that has elapsed since I read it), this review will be far more general than I usually write. After summarizing the general goal and approach of the work, I will then offer an evaluation, identifying its value and contribution and its limitation with reference to the essay closest to my heart, the chapter on education and Biblical studies (by George Guthrie).

Overview

When one begins to contemplate the theory of teaching or education, one is quickly confronted by the sheer volume of relevant literature and the debates among this literature. Having a solid guide through this maze is necessary for us all; to have as your guide fellow Christians, Christians who are also experienced educators, is surely a blessing! The contributors to Christian Higher Education have not sought to be such guides, but through their respective essays, they manage to provide a thoughtful, Christian perspective on many of the significant questions being asked today. Their specific purpose has been to provide a “multiauthored, symphonic, and theologically shaped vision for the distinctive work of Christian higher education” (13). They offer it to help both those new to Christian higher education and to those who are well seasoned in their labours (13). Within the Evangelical tradition, the authors consider how faith, teaching, and learning interact with one another within various fields of education and within the broader educational context (18). The work also fits within the broader Evangelical trend of ressourcement, drawing on the wealth of tradition to answer the problems of today. Crossway has released a series dedicated to this end; the first essay by Dockery positions Christian Higher Education within this stream of works seeking to “reclaim and advance the Christian intellectual tradition” (22-23): “We offer the Christian intellectual tradition to twenty-first-century Christ followers as a guide to truth, to that which is imaginatively compelling, emotionally engaging, aesthetically enhancing, and personally liberating” (33).

Evaluation

The great benefit of such a far-ranging volume is its ability to introduce the reader to many issues in contemporary education, especially the issues facing a Christian. However, the downside of a volume of this size and scope is that it cannot manage to thoroughly address these issues. For those new to the study of education theory, this volume provides a great introduction to many pertinent issues. For those who have thought deeply about the issues, its contribution may be to introduce the perspectives of practitioners from different disciplines and with different experience, offering new ideas and potential solutions to the problems we face in higher education. I came to this volume having taken two seminary level classes on educational theory, studied for pastoral ministry—and so covered similar territory—and having read broadly and thought deeply about the issues of training pastors and Christian leaders in a higher educational context. I found many chapters a useful refresher on material I have read over the last 10 years of such study and a rich trove of interdisciplinary perspectives on different subjects. The main part I was interested in was Part 1, considering a general theology for Christian Higher Education. I was unfortunately underwhelmed by this section.
Ressourcing the “great tradition” is all well and good, but this section was missing a serious wrestling with the Biblical teachings concerning why we should engage in higher education (in education at all), whom we should educate, how the Biblical vision of Christians as exiles fits into the Western model of education. One reason for this deficiency, I believe, is the broadly integrationist approach adopted in the volume (‘integrationist” being a term borrowed from Christian approaches to psychology). By integrationist, I mean that the authors are more than willing to integrate theory and structure of contemporary education into their model of Christian Higher Education. To be sure, the roots of modern education are in Christendom (cf. Chapter 1), yet it is shaped in the classic model by Greek Philosophy and in the post-enlightenment model by Enlightenment values. Dockery hopes that by going back to the tradition they can overcome the issues of the Enlightenment, yet this may not be going back far enough, for in doing so you will end up with the issues of Greek thought (22-23). Furthermore, whether the authors adopt a view that Christians ought to transform culture (“transformationist”) or that culture is a parallel entity to the Church (“two kingdoms”) is unclear (though these seem to be the views that would be taken by the authors). The authors surely adopt different positions from one another, leading to some of the tensions mentioned in the preface (13). One’s view on the so-called “Christ and Culture” debate will heavily influence one’s view of education, so these issues are not secondary. A Christian view of education needs to be formulated in a clear context of what it means to be Christian in the World. With a firm view of this, the question then ought to be asked “should we pursue Christian higher education?” If our answer is yes, we need to give the reasons why we should pursue Christian higher education. Only then can we ask the how and what questions that Christian Higher Education asks. As an example of this, consider with the me the essay on the study of Scripture in Higher education.

"The Study of Holy Scripture and the Work of Christian Higher Education” (81-100)

George Guthrie is a first-class Biblical scholar with a particular emphasis on lay education that lies close to this author’s heart. However, I cannot quite figure out the role of this essay in the volume. The focus on how to teach Biblical studies seems to make it better suited to Part 2, however its place in Part 1 probably emphasizes the foundational role of Biblical studies in Christian higher education. It is nevertheless a hard fit here and underscores the problems noted above.
Guthrie observes, and so takes for granted, the intersection of secular Biblical studies and Christian Biblical studies (and theology) (86-88). This presupposes many answers to theological questions about “Christ and Culture,” the nature of unbeliever’s knowledge, the role of faith in right reading of the Bible, epistemology, etc. These questions are by no means incidental to a theory of Christian higher education. Furthermore, the theory of Biblical interpretation he espouses in this context (though of standard Evangelical fare) is itself a product of certain views on the previous questions and ought—in some eyes—to be revised in light of different answers to those questions. The point is this: in Guthrie’s essay and throughout the volume, some of the most significant questions concerning the role and nature of distinctly Christian education—such as whether there ought to be a distinctly Christian Higher Education—are not addressed from the Bible. This will not be an issue for many readers, but that itself is (I believe) an issue with contemporary Evangelical approaches to education. It is an issue that this volume does not address and yet is lesser because of its absence. However, the positive contribution of the volume is still significant.

[Zack Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

542 pages of meaningless evangelical jargon. Poor writing and poor argumentation.

[Rachel B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I think I was expecting a somewhat different book going into this. This is not really a defense of Christian education. Rather, it appears to try to show what a Christian university education looks like when done “right.”

Firstly, I thought there would be more comparing and contrasting between secular and Christian universities. Why exactly is a distinctly Christian higher education important? Some essays addressed this question, to be sure, but since this is a collection of so many different writers, the overall book lacked fluidity of thought.

Secondly, I assumed there would be some kind of discussion centered on the obstacles to higher education that so many face. This was only briefly mentioned (in less than a paragraph) and then completely ignored. Christian colleges are notoriously expensive, for example. When we have limited funds, does God want for this to be a priority for us? What if it requires going into debt?

There is virtually no Scripture in this collection to defend the existence of Christian universities at all.

The book as a whole assumes that all university students are 18-22 year olds and living on-campus. (The only exception is the one specific essay about adult education.)

As I read, I realized that this was, interestingly, not an argument for Christian education, generally. One of the essay writers (I don't remember which) assumes at one point that all students in the Christian university have spent their K-12 years in a secular public school. If you've heard of Christian universities, surely you've heard of Christian K-12 schools? But it was as if the author was completely unaware of their existence.

If Christian education is important, would it not be a better use of time, money, and energy to focus on the Christian K-12 education, since it covers more years generally, including the most formative years, and it has the benefit of influencing all students, including those who aren't college-bound?

This text is definitely preaching to those who are already university professors, down to the questions for reflection that often ask the reader about the school they're currently working for.

The essays specifically addressing science education made it clear that those particular writers believe in “intelligent design” but not a literal, six-day creation, and that they look down on anyone who believes that what a person believes about how the world was created affects every aspect of one's theology.

An essay about art argues that Christians need to learn to appreciate nudity in art in order to really glory in God's creation. Apparently, the author has never read the book of Genesis, because when Adam and Eve recognized their nakedness and made themselves coverings from leaves, God didn't tell them that those coverings were unnecessary, that they just needed to better appreciate their bodies. No, God Himself acknowledged why they needed coverings (their new knowledge brought on by their sin) and made them better, more appropriate coverings!

Overall, this was just an okay read. I walked away with a few solid quotes and book recommendations. I would not, however, recommend this book to anyone because it wasn't very helpful in any particular way.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian Higher Education
Faith, Teaching, and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition
by David S. Dockery and Christopher W. Morgan, eds.

Crossway


Christian , Professional & Technical
Pub Date 30 Nov 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Christian Higher Education from Crossway and Netgalley:


At one point in time almost all Higher Education was considered Christian Higher Education. Many institutions have drifted away from their Christian Heritage replacing it with a myriad of alternative world views. In this book 29 experts from a wide variety of disciplines work together to offer a renewed vision for the work of Christian Higher Education. They explain that the fundamental beliefs about God, knowledge, and humanity are distinctive parts in Christian education.


This book goes on to defend teaching Faith-Based science. It goes on too to talk about the impact of theology in such disciplines as Mathematics, and talks to about how Mathematics has an impact on ministry. It talks about the role of faith in the Social Sciences.

I give Christian Higher Education five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Reyna]

If you are very into education, you will find this book super interesting. I really like these topics, when you mix science, Christianity, education, and how the culture evolves and changes you can have great discussion topics. In this book, you will find the voice of almost thirty experts talking about their views on this topic. I recommend this book not just to educators, pastors, teachers, and homeschool parents, but to anyone who cares about education in their own lives and their country. Most important universities were founded on the ground of faith and now secularism is changing that. Education is changing and the view of universities too. Who defines great education? read and you will find out.

[Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...there are some arguments to be had with this book, which largely center around its surprising lack of viewpoint diversity. By that, I don’t mean to complain about a lack of theological diversity—this is a book by and for Evangelicals (and mostly by Evangelicals working at Trinity International University). So the non-inclusion of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other voices isn’t what I mean.

I do mean, however, to suggest that the authors are all working, explicitly or implicitly, from the same set of assumptions about the nature and role of the university in society and in the Christian life. I am not entirely convinced that these assumptions are necessarily settled answers to agreed-upon questions (see below). That’s not to say the editors were necessarily wrong to approach the topic in this way. The authors’ established agreement on core principles leaves them free to dig deeper into more specific topics and so cover a larger swath of academia. Bringing in people with fundamental disagreements would also have been an interesting book, but it wouldn’t have been this one.

Which isn’t going to stop me from disagreeing with the fundamental assumption of the book."

Read the rest here: http://www.christianhumanist.org/2019...

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all edited volumes, this one is something of a mixed bag. The chapters by Peter Cha, Paul Bialek, and Donald Guthrie were especially strong, in addition to those by David Pao and Chrystal Ho Pao and John Kilner. This is an important resource for those invested in Christian higher education in American evangelicalism.

[John Dube · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spent more time with the first third. Some good stuff related to helping build a case for Christian education and how it ought to be structured. I found a lot of the exegesis questionable. I suppose if your going to teach at a Christian university or seminary it’s required reading.

[Kevin Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was some really good thinking in this book, a lot of repeated material, and some forgettable claims. It will help me as I continue to be a Christian educator, by God’s grace.