Regent School of Undergraduate Studies

Mentoring Christian Faculty

Fall Faculty WorkshopAugust 01, 2008

J. Thomas Whetstone, D.Phil.

Regent School of Undergraduate StudiesMISSION

• Excellence in academic standards and• Teaching according to a biblical worldview

– Equipping “Christian leaders to change the world”

»This is demanding

Building the Right Culture

• Work at it

• First, hire committed Christian teachers• But, are they prepared to teach according to a biblical

worldview?»Mentoring is required

Faculty Mentoring

* Tenure paper* Pre-tenure paper and review* Faculty orientation readings and discussions* Workshops* Mutual mentoring in a community relationship* Course development * Faculty research, colloquium* Monitoring and mentoring by Chairs

Mentoring Adjunct Instructors

• Difficulties:

– Part-time vocation

– Remote locations

– Not integral part of on campus community

Mentoring Adjunct Faculty

• Annual faculty workshops• Mentoring by chairs and full-time faculty• Mentoring network led by experienced adjuncts• Compensation (proposed)– Faith integration paper for highest level

• A sample workshop paper will be presented• Please question and share your successes

Teaching from a Christian Worldview--Including Use of Secular Materials

J. Thomas Whetstone, D.Phil.

w/Drs. Sandra Bryant & Almarie Munley

11 August 2007

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence

3 C’s for Faith Integration

• Core presuppositions– Worldview perspective

• Context– Teacher’s example– Institution’s support– Student expectations

• Content– Texts (secular, even anti-faith?)– Literature of discipline– Assignments-discussions, cases, essays, exams

• As in a 3-legged stool, all C’s are needed But only after two prior C’s…

Commitment to Calling• Challenge:

– How is Your personal relationship & walk with Christ? • Examine yourself• Confess, Pray

– For self– For students– For Regent & Forgive

– Are you content in your calling to teach?• Still excited, love to engage students in subject• Delighted when students apply their faith

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:Core Presuppositions: Worldview

At Regent, our instructional materials and instructors’

teaching is to frame the courses we teach from a deliberately Christian worldview.

Alternative Worldviews MODERNISM• Human Reason #1

• Progress inevitable• Human is exalted• No transcendent God

– (materialistic)• Ethics a human invention

– Relativism -->Judges 21:25

POSTMODERNISM• No truth, reality

– Socially constructed• Power prevails• Individual insignificant• God is dead

– (anti-God, anti-modernism)• Ethics does not exist

– W/o God, all is possible• (Dostoevsky)

Christian Worldview• Reveals our true values re:

(A. Kuyper)– Our relationship to God– Our relationship to man (and ourselves)– Our relationship to the world

• Students need to assess subjects, text starting with worldview differences

• Apply consistently from a Christian worldview

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:Context

• The teacher is the role model– Personal example—intro, counsel, life– Prayer Discussion Board & prayer for students– Theme scripture, announcements– Devotionals– Comments & questions—discussions, essays, exams

• Regent’s mission• Students expect faith integration– Diversity of theologies, may need to clarify, teach

openness with compassion, Ephesians 4:15

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:Content

• First, assess the discipline itself– A. Compatibilist (complementary)

• (e.g., Mathematics, Classical Music)– B. Transformationalist (valuable insights, but needs a

Christian orientation—major changes, interpretations needed• (e.g., Organizational Behavior, Ethics, Political Science)

– C. Reconstructionist (at odds with Christianity)• Reject and radically redo biblically• (e.g., Anthropology, Astrology, Linguistics?)

Example: Systems Thinking

• Assessment of OLAM 310 Systems Thinking, text: Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline (1990, 2006):

a. Text’s worldview is materialistic, naturalistic

b. But structure, process is edifying-Problem is values, not basic structure of

discipline -Systems Thinking is Transformationalist-We should teach it per Christian worldview, biblical perspective-Apply it as we love God & man with our minds

(Whetstone, 2007)

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:

Content:Textbooks• Key literature of a field often is secular, even

anti-faith• Students need to know • Banning such texts a disservice to students• Add texts, materials, interpretations from

Christian perspective• Challenge students to discern and apply

consistently w/ Christian worldview

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:

Content: Assignments

• Readings—Christian authors• Discussion—Questions and follow-ups asking

for approaches best for a Christian• Essays—Christian themes and propositions• Exams—Questions asking for Christian

interpretation, conclusions, recommended application

• Other?

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:

What Ways Have You Found?• Example:– Almarie Munley

• Dialogue in small groups

• Share a favorite example

Teaching the Truth with Academic Excellence:OUR CHALLENGE

• Continue to ponder, try out, share– Throughout this workshop– As you teach

• This is difficult… – But the LORD will guide

and bless us if we remain faithful

– Educating Christian leaders to change the world

Your Input

• Comments• Questions?

• What have you done that works?

• Discussion

The End

• Thank you all.

• May God bless you.

Finis

Mentoring Adjunct Christian Teachers

J. Thomas Whetstone, D.Phil Regent School of Undergraduate Studies

3rd Annual No Educator Left Behind Conference 20 June 2008 Indiana Wesleyan University

PLEASE RISE

• Let us sing to the LORD

Led by Dr. Almarie Munley

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Amen.

Your Input

• Comments• Questions?

• What does your college do?

• Discussion