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 … [Read more...] about Evaluating Christian professors
teaching
Teaching Religion and the Curriculum
I thought about naming this teaching religion non-apologetically, but that might be too narrow of an idea. So instead, I will take up the issue of what it means to teach according to a curriculum, and then apply that concept to my own field, the teaching of religion. When we think about our role as academics, we spend a lot of time thinking and working toward a competency in our research skills and subsequently our writing skills. Our place in academia is defined for us in the simple phrase, though no less real, … [Read more...] about Teaching Religion and the Curriculum
Book Review: Teaching in a Distant Classroom
Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation was a pleasant surprise that I ended up liking far more than I expected. Michael H. Romanowski and Teri McCarthy have both taught in a variety of countries around the world. One of the things I appreciated from the get-go was their commitment to high quality teaching that serves the nationals of the country they are working in. He challenges the "hidden agenda" approach of just using teaching as an entry to evangelism. While they tell many … [Read more...] about Book Review: Teaching in a Distant Classroom
A missionary calling to Africa for Christian academics: Part 1
Editor's note: I had the privilege of meeting G. Randall Bond, M.D. at Urbana12. Randy was one of a number of people who visited the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) booth to share not only a vision for, but also a commitment to next steps in "academics-as-mission." A hearty "Thank-you!" to Randy for sharing his passion with the Emerging Scholars Network via our blog. I encourage our readers to share their thoughts/insights on the topic with Randy. He truly enjoys engaging in Transformative Conversations and I … [Read more...] about A missionary calling to Africa for Christian academics: Part 1
Asking Open-Ended Questions
We received these wise words from a faculty friend of ESN. If you would like to contribute to the Emerging Scholars Blog, anonymously or otherwise, please contact me. Thank-you! ~ Tom Asking open-ended questions is often the best way to begin a conversation with a new friend or stranger, "What is your religious background? How did that affect you?" In my teaching, I introduce each new topic with questions. In advising students in required speech class, I usually recommend that each new section of their talk … [Read more...] about Asking Open-Ended Questions