A colleague has asked that I write a couple of paragraphs on the subject of what Christian University Education means. So I'll share that here too.This is written from a faculty perspective in an attempt to say why we do what we do.
Our Christian faith is the reason we study. If all of creation, not just the religious bits, belongs to God then all subjects are worthy of study. And more than that, inasmuch as God has revealed himself in creation, our academic study helps us to trace the thumbprint of God.
Our faith is also why we teach. Teaching is a mandate for all Christians and for us in academic life that also includes classroom instruction. It is a way for us to care for our students by sharing what we have learned in our fields to help students become their best selves and make their best contribution to bringing reconciliation to their world. Our teaching can impart to students the sense that they bear God's image and that they can see echoes of that image in our disciplines.
Note that this does not mean that all our students need be Christians. King's open admission policy is based on the belief that all people carry the imprint of God from creation. Christians do have the presence of the Spirit molding them into Christ's image, but all are welcome to take what we offer. At worst they will get excellent instruction in their discipline, and a challenge to integrate all parts of their lives with their academic work. At best they will take steps to engage with the Creator behind the creation they study.
Our faith is also why we work in research. Our God is a creative God, and we derive the impulse to explore and discover and make new knowledge from Him. We are subsidiary because our creative work is built on creation; even so we are imitating our Father. Our ideal is not to be isolated in our study or labs, but to join together across disciplines in this creative effort. Our ideal is further to engage students directly in our research so that they can apprentice in this creative task.
No comments:
Post a Comment