Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

Christian professor

Evaluating Christian professors

By what means will I be evaluated?

The Marks of a Christian Scholar: A Vocational Description (Part Four)[1]
Mark Eckel, ThM PhD, Professor of Leadership, Education & Discipleship
Capital Seminary & Graduate School, Washington, D.C.

By what means will I be evaluated? What will someone identify to show that I am a Christian scholar-teacher-discipler?[2] How will I know if my professorial life conforms to a standard?

Assessment questions haunted me during my PhD research. Validation is imperative in any scientific pursuit. But how could I objectivize outcomes that would lead to quantitative proof in an obviously qualitative endeavor? The literature review provided evidence. Others had been asking the same questions.[3]

During my tenure as dean and then vice president of academic affairs[4] I began to establish a written essay approach to professor evaluations. We spent a good deal of time together as faculty[5] inside and outside of school. From other reading, I added to what I had discovered from others, developing a qualitative assessment rubric for college faculty. I believe that this process could benefit our interest in developing scholar-teacher-disciplers in Christian higher education. [Read more…] about Evaluating Christian professors

Being a Christian at a Christian University

Empty classroom
Are you connected with a community of Christian scholars?

Below is the first of a periodic offering of posts by Kate Peterson (pseudonym), an assistant professor in the humanities at a Christian institution of higher education. A special thank-you to Kate for expressing her desire to share with us some of her story, thereby providing a lens for some of the challenges faced by and insights which can be uniquely offered by scholars in the context of a Christian institution of higher education. As an alumnus of two Christian institutions, a student currently enrolled at another, and an InterVarsity staff who has visited a number of Christian institutions (and institutions which were founded to be Christian institutions), I personally find it an important part of the conversation of following Christ in higher education. ~ Thomas B. Grosh IV

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I’m disappointed. In myself, mostly. And struggling a bit. It hit hard when I began my first tenure track position at a Christian university straight out of grad school several years ago. But like my colleagues, I got used to it, so caught up in day-to-day pressures that it stopped bothering me.

But this semester, I’m on leave, conducting research in a country that has very few Christians. And so it struck me again: Why do I feel better supported as a Christian scholar here than at the Christian institution in the United States where I work?

I don’t mean to complain. I love my job. I appreciate the freedom I have to bring up my faith in the classroom. I love it that students raise spiritual questions during office hours. The institution supports spiritual mentoring, and meals with students are not only encouraged, but subsidized! I was excited when an energetic undergrad scheduled lunch with me my first month and asked openly, “So, are you a Christian?” That’s a question I’ve gotten fairly often from students who are genuinely struggling and really want to know. I’ve had conversations with students about being a Christian in my field, the moral implications of issues raised in classes, or how to apply what they learn in ministry. I’ve prayed with them about how to serve Christ in their major and how their studies impact their faith. I love it.

But one thing bothers me. Why do these conversations take place with students but not peers? [Read more…] about Being a Christian at a Christian University

How Open Should You Be About Your Faith…at a Christian College?

Touchdown Jesus!
Do newly hired Notre Dame faculty strike this pose when they arrive on campus? Perhaps they should.

For the most part, the Emerging Scholars Network serves students and faculty at secular universities, and the majority of our posts and articles are written for that audience. When we’ve touched on the subject of “being open about your faith,” it’s generally dealt with the idea of evangelism — such as Rick Mattson on witness in the academy or myself on “thresholds of evangelism” — or with the ability to speak and work as an explicitly Christian scholar on the secular campus. A few weeks ago, we published a talk by Nicholas Wolterstorff on this topic, and at the 2008 ESN gathering, Ken Elzinga spoke on “Being Open About My Faith Without Turning People Off.” The Related Posts section below has a few more suggestions on this same topic.

Working and studying as a faithful Christian on a secular campus can be a challenge, but it’s not the only one that ESN members face. For many of us, we live with one foot in two worlds — the academy and the church — without belonging fully to either. Because of our commitment to Christ and our (in most cases) evangelical theology, we are a distinct minority in the academy. Our academic perspectives, meanwhile, often mean that we don’t fit perfectly with our fellow evangelicals. James Bielo touched on this tension, which takes different forms depending on your own church and theology.

Most of our discussion of these issues has centered on secular universities, but what about Christian colleges? How open should you be about your theological commitments at a Christian college?

A few weeks ago, I received an email from an ESN member seeking advice about applying for jobs at religious colleges:

I’d love to know your thoughts on how to delicately share your religious faith when applying to teach at religious colleges not exactly the same as your faith tradition. For example, I was raised Catholic, attend an evangelical church, but still believe much Catholic doctrine…. and I’m applying to a few more traditionally conservative evangelical colleges. Is it better to share less? What are others’ thoughts on the ethics of this?

I have a few thoughts, but I’d like to see what others say first. What’s your advice to younger scholars applying to Christians schools whose theology doesn’t exactly fit their own?

Steve Simmons: Students Are a Lot Like People

Steve Simmons
Steve Simmons, Morse-Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota

Steve Robert Simmons is Morse-Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He served for 32 years in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics where he taught and conducted research on topics ranging from plant physiology to agroecology. He continues to serve as a mentor for graduate students and pre-tenured faculty through the university’s Center for Teaching and Learning Services. In his retirement, Steve is writing creative nonfiction and is working on a book of personal essays. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have three adult daughters and a grandson, all of whom live in Seattle, WA.The following article was originally published in the InterVarsity Faculty Ministry Lamp Post in 2010.

Ten years into my academic career (in 1987), I was encouraged by my Dean to write an article describing my convictions about teaching for an in-house publication. This was before teaching portfolios and statements of teaching philosophy had become more common in universities. After some thought, I wrote a one-page article titled “Teachers Are A Lot Like People.”[1. R. Simmons. 1987. “Teachers Are A Lot Like People.” In Dialogue (March 9, 1987 issue). College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota.] It considered this question: What must a teacher do to be a “good” teacher?

I came up with a motto that summarized my viewpoint—“BE PREPARED, BE CONCERNED, BE YOURSELF.” This motto encapsulated my philosophy and I trusted it would help bring me into a deeper understanding and practice in my role as a university teacher. The motto still has much to offer me, but I have since added another component—BE GRACE-FULL. As one dedicated to living my Christian faith through my professional endeavors, I have been exploring what it means to bring elements of grace—of unmerited favor—into my teaching, and particularly my role as a mentor of students.

Background on mentoring

When I think of graduate studies, I especially think of mentoring and its importance for defining a faculty person’s relationship with students. While most faculty regard mentoring as part of their role in graduate teaching, my perspective is that only students can identify the people who have served as their mentors. [Read more…] about Steve Simmons: Students Are a Lot Like People

How Academics See Evangelicals: A Tentative Reading List

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, which is both a cathedral and a college chapel.
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, which is both a cathedral and a college chapel.

Last week, I asked for recommendations for resources on how academics view evangelical Christians. Thank you for all of your great suggestions! In addition to the comments on the blog, I received several more suggestions by email, as well as a generous offer: T. M. Luhrmann, whose book When God Talks Back inspired by post and research project, contacted me and offered to send me a review copy of her copy. I’ll be writing at least one post about the book later this year, most likely in June.

Image credit: Wikipedia [Read more…] about How Academics See Evangelicals: A Tentative Reading List