One of my favorite things about ACU is the unfettered ability to discuss Christian ideas without fear of reprisal from administration.\u00a0 When possible, I try to hearken back to my own feelings as\u00a0an undergraduate at ACU and ask that younger version what he would have liked for a professor to do and then try to do likewise.\u00a0 That younger version of myself preferred organic rather than artificial integrations of faith with learning. \u00a0It is not that\u00a0the integration cannot be planned, merely that it should have a good fit with the situation.\u00a0 Below I give some examples of both unplanned\u00a0and planned types of integration that I have used in the classroom.<\/p>\n
Unplanned\u00a0integration of faith and learning<\/em><\/p>\n Unplanned\u00a0integration of faith with learning has proven to be easier than expected. \u00a0\u00a0The following examples were initially unplanned but through time converted\u00a0into planned integrations.<\/p>\n One day in consumer behavior I was describing social judgment theory, a theory on how people either reject or incorporate new ideas into their existing beliefs.\u00a0 While doing so, I recognized the similarity between the theory and how American culture changed from accepting\u00a0I Love Lucy<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 a show in which two married-in-real-life people were portrayed sleeping in separate beds \u2013 to one that accepted programs such as\u00a0Glee<\/em>, a show which brings to mind Ephesians 5:12 \u201cfor it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret (NASB).\u201d\u00a0 In both the theory and in these cultural examples, directed yet apparently inconsequential changes accumulate until a person eventually endorses ideas that they would have rejected previously.\u00a0 So, I conveyed this to my students, and we discussed what steps one can take to hold more firmly to beliefs that are important.\u00a0 On one hand, it is a convoluted pathway to end up with the classic Sunday school answer of \u201cread your Bible,\u201d but on the other hand, it clearly demonstrates that there is more depth and substance to that classic answer than one may think.\u00a0 Ever since that day, I have incorporated this real world example into my teaching and have followed up with an exam question to see the extent to which a connection has been made between the theory and students’ faith lives.<\/p>\n In several of my classes (marketing research, data mining, cognitive science) I introduce the notion of multi-dimensional vantage points.\u00a0 Essentially, many things in life are like a prism in that, what you see is altered depending on your point of view.\u00a0 There are many ways I use this perspective.\u00a0 One way is to address the fact that some people disparage the four gospels because they do not match.\u00a0 However, it could be that God chose to speak through each gospel from a different vantage point in order to emphasize unique aspects of the salvation message to appeal to different people, thereby providing a more complete picture.<\/p>\n In marketing research, when talking about ways to collect data from participants, I usually mention how observing the behavior of participants during tasks is superior to surveys that ask what participants would do in said circumstances.\u00a0 Whether intentionally or not, people often say one thing but do something rather different.\u00a0 I have begun to link this to Jesus’ statement “it is by their fruits [read: behavior] that you will know them” (Matthew 7:16) as well as to the Old Testament passage “these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me”\u00a0 (Isaiah 29:13).<\/p>\n In consumer behavior, we\u00a0discuss the transience of memory and the fact that events must be recalled often in order to prevent their decay from long-term memory. \u00a0I usually\u00a0link this information to a reminder that God is also aware of our memorial transience and, hence, used the annual Passover feast in order to prevent the deliverance from Egypt from decaying from the Israelites’ collective memory.\u00a0 Also in consumer behavior we discuss product pushers and personal referrals.\u00a0 The idea here is that when anyone loves a product or brand (e.g., I love the Adidas brand due to my soccer immersion) they cannot help but to enthusiastically sell it to everyone.\u00a0 This naturally lends itself to a discussion of witnessing and evangelism \u2013 if our faith is like a fire in our bones, then we cannot help but speak about it.<\/p>\n Planned integration of faith and learning<\/em><\/p>\n In addition to unplanned\u00a0integrations of faith in learning, I also make use of planned integrations.\u00a0 Below are several examples.<\/p>\n As discussed in my reflections on student feedback<\/a>, I begin my 8am marketing research course with a prayer, my 9am consumer behavior course with a weekly scripture passage, and my 10am data mining course with an a cappella Christian song or hymn — in homage to our religious heritage — creating a miniature worship service, distributed through the morning.<\/p>\n In all my course syllabi I include a relevant Bible passage.\u00a0 The passage for consumer behavior is Leviticus 19:9-10: \u201cBut when you reap the harvest\u2026 do not reap to the ends of your fields\u2026 but leave it for the poor.\u201d I use this passage to direct a discussion on how the common business phrase \u201cNever leave money on the table\u201d is countermanded by these words in Leviticus; here, the Bible teaches us to<\/em> leave money on the table.<\/p>\n Another example of planned integration might best come from a paper completed at the end of my cognitive science honors colloquium by Rachael Carstens.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps the most meaningful comment was the spiritual connection to decisions and meaning. First, the Olds Milner experiment<\/a>\u00a0was discussed, in which case a rat would allow itself to starve in order to maximize its pleasure by electrical stimulation [i.e., the rats chose electrical stimulation in specific brain regions over everything else, including food, to the point of death by starvation]. The question was posed: If a drug offered [maximal] pleasure, and that [pleasure] were the ultimate meaning of life, then the correct choice to any decision would be to take the drug. The standard an individual adopts for considering life’s meaning and what he or she wants out of it specifically will drive decisions. \u2018Is there a way to make this perspective align with Christianity?\u2019 Only when our desires align with His. Otherwise, pleasure cannot be the ultimate goal in life. Only \u2018if your joy is found in Christ\u2019 do \u2018the two align\u2019 (Jessup). Sometimes they do. Sometimes they do not. Even Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, asked for God’s will above His own. But when our desires do align with His, then we have found an incredible meaning and purpose. In other words, His Words determine the ultimate meaning of life, and, therefore, how we should base our decisions to maximize this, to reflect His image in our lives, touch others through His love, and bring Him glory in everything.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Additionally, John Homer and\u00a0I\u00a0designed and taught an honors colloquium on apologetics, the very essence of which was to integrate faith with learning.\u00a0 I will end with a quote from a paper by a student who completed that course,\u00a0Madison Harris.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I loved about the course was your incorporation of scripture to explain how studying apologetic arguments obeys and glorifies God. Our theme scripture was 1 Peter 3:15: \u2018But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.\u2019 I am thankful for this course in helping me become more prepared to give an answer to anyone who may ask me of what I believe.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n One of my favorite things about ACU is the unfettered ability to discuss Christian ideas without fear of reprisal from administration.\u00a0 When possible, I try to hearken back to my own feelings as\u00a0an undergraduate at ACU and ask that younger version what he would have liked for a professor to do and then try to … Continue reading
\n<\u00a0Teaching Philosophy<\/a>\u00a0| Integration of Faith and Learning\u00a0| Reflections on Student Feedback<\/a>\u00a0><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"