Theological Knowledge & Faith-Learning Integration

Many conservative Christian colleges and universities fail to regard Christian theology as a source of knowledge. A number of these institutions make the integration of faith and learning a central curricular and pedagogical goal. But it is hard to see how theology could be integrated with the sciences if theology doesn’t yield knowledge. I assume the sort of integration desired by such institutions is theoretical, and that such theoretical integration is possible only between disciplines that yield knowledge. If these assumptions are correct, then these conservative Christian colleges and universities are failing to satisfy one of their main educational objectives.

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning is learning based on direct experience. What makes something an experience is that it is a psychological state generated by sensation or introspection (rather than by intuition or reason). What makes an experience direct is that it is not mediated by a linguistic or pictorial representation of something experienced (as in the case of books or photographs). What makes a direct experience a source of learning is that the person who has had the experience engages in active reflection on the experience in such a way as to acquire understanding or knowledge on the basis of the experience.

How the Best Teachers Motivate Students

In What the Best College Teachers Do, Ken Bain says the most effective teachers motivate students to learn by inviting them rather than by commanding them. He says these professors act more like “someone inviting colleagues to dinner” than like “a bailiff summoning someone to court” (p. 37). This means instructors emphasize what the course promises to do for students rather than what students have to do for the course. These teachers encourage students to participate for the sake of enjoying learning, and they do not discourage them from taking risks out of the fear of receiving a bad grade.

Augustine on the Divine Origin of the Bible

In The City of God, Augustine argues Christians are justified in believing the Bible is God’s word because of the agreement of the human authors of Scripture. He contrasts this consensus with the disagreements between the philosophers. Whereas there is concord among those God chose to speak on his behalf, there is discord among those who employed reason alone to determine the truth about reality. Augustine also says there are just enough biblical authors to make it reasonable to think their agreement is due to God’s speaking through them without there being so many as to make their contribution superfluous.

Artists, Scientists, and the Natural World

Yesterday we saw Carlsbad Caverns. This beautiful and interesting system of caves draws both artists and scientists to study its wonders. The former come to see and portray the stunning formations as they appear; the latter come to examine and understand these fascinating “speleothems” as they have developed. C.P. Snow observed that these two groups tend to inhabit two different cultures. But they can find common ground in their love for natural wonders. The artists help us experience them more fully and the scientists enable us to know them more deeply. A complete awareness of God’s creation requires both approaches.

The Greatest Love of All

According to Whitney Houston, “the greatest love of all” is “to love yourself.” According to Jesus, the greatest love of all involves laying down your life for your friends (John 15:13). The first kind of love entails self-affirmation. The second kind requires self-sacrifice. They can't both be the greatest. Which is better? Jesus assumes we will love ourselves when he commands us to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). But he also says, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it” (Mark 8:35).

What Makes a Core Text Religious?

What distinguishes religious core texts from non-religious core texts? This question seeks a general criterion for placing core texts into the "religious" and "secular" categories. Such a criterion would guide the process of categorization with respect to particular works generally recognized as core texts. A candidate criterion might define religious core texts as core texts that contribute affirmatively to a religious view of the world. Then there would need to be a conversation about what would count as a religious view of the world and what it would mean for a core text to contribute affirmatively to such a view.

How to Honor an Author

Honoring the author of a text requires first attempting to understand what the author intended to say. Consequently, readers who adopt hermeneutical approaches that preclude the possibility of reading for authorial intent are disrespectful to authors. But courtesy to authors also requires evaluating what they have said (always leaving open the possibility that you have misunderstood them). Are the author’s assertions and claims important and true? Are the author’s suggestions and instructions useful and beneficial? Are the author’s assurances and promises reliable and constructive? Are the author’s questions interesting and thought-provoking? In short, have the author’s literary goals been fulfilled?

What is Hell Like?

Hell is not a place but a condition in which a person experiences separation from loving communion with God. God made us to be fulfilled only when we are lovingly united with God and other God-lovers. Anyone who lives outside this loving fellowship will suffer as a result. The biblical pictures of hell are metaphorical ways of portraying this unhappy condition. Since we are embodied souls, we experience our separation from loving communion with God in physical and mental ways. So the biblical imagery, though metaphorical, is fitting, and dramatizes the reality of living apart from loving communion with God.

Christian Philosophers as Teachers

As a philosopher, I want to teach my students to think for themselves. As a Christian, I want to model for my students a commitment to Christ. If I had only the first goal, I would refrain from revealing my convictions to them. If I had only the second objective, I would introduce them to fewer criticisms of Christianity. But since I am a Christian philosopher, I strive to encourage my students to combine honest evaluation of Christianity with confident submission to Christ. In the future, I plan to be more sensitive to my students’ intellectual, temperamental, and developmental differences.

Nāgārjuna & Jesus

In the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, the Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna argues for an ontological middle way as a basis for salvation from suffering. He rejects nihilism (according to which nothing exists) and essentialism (according to which objects have an enduring existence). He reasons that “things” are merely products of our conceptualization, and that we need to cease reifying our experience to find peace. Since suffering is based on attachment due to overvaluing things (including oneself), one can avoid suffering by realizing that nothing endures as an appropriate object of desire. But Jesus calls us to suffer in order to love God and others.

Trollope on Love & Justice

In The Warden, Anthony Trollope tells the story of Rev. Harding, the warden of a home for poor retired laborers. During the 400 years of this home’s existence, the income supporting it has increased substantially. However, the wards have continued to receive small allowances while the warden’s pay has grown large. Harding is a kind man who doesn’t realize this injustice until his daughter Eleanor’s principled suitor, John Bold, initiates legal action to rectify it. In the end, Bold weakens out of affection for Eleanor and Harding softens due to his educated conscience – a victory for both love and justice.