Hundreds of thousands of professors claim Christian as their primary identity, and teaching as their primary vocational responsibility. Yet, in the contemporary university the intersection of these two identities often is a source of fear, misunderstanding, and moral confusion. How does being a Christian change one's teaching? Indeed, should it? Inspired by George Marsden's 1997 book The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, this book draws on a survey of more than 2,300 Christian professors from 48 different institutions in North America, to reveal a wide range of thinking about faith-informed teaching. Placing these empirical findings alongside the wider scholarly conversation about the role of identity-informed teaching, Perry L. Glanzer and Nathan F. Alleman argue that their Christian identity can and should inform professors' teaching in the contemporary pluralistic university. The authors provide a nuanced alternative to those who advocate for restraining the influence of one's extra-professional identity and those who, in the name of authenticity, promote the full integration of one's primary identity into the classroom. The book charts new ground regarding how professors think about Christian teaching specifically, as well as how they should approach identity-informed teaching more generally.
Hundreds of thousands of professors claim Christian as their primary identity, and teaching as their primary vocational responsibility. Yet, in the contemporary university the intersection of these two identities often is a source of fear, misunderstanding, and moral confusion. How does being a Christian change one's teaching? Indeed, should it? Inspired by George Marsden's 1997 book The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, this book draws on a survey of more than 2,300 Christian professors from 48 different institutions in North America, to reveal a wide range of thinking about faith-informed teaching. Placing these empirical findings alongside the wider scholarly conversation about the role of identity-informed teaching, Perry L. Glanzer and Nathan F. Alleman argue that their Christian identity can and should inform professors' teaching in the contemporary pluralistic university. The authors provide a nuanced alternative to those who advocate for restraining the influence of one's extra-professional identity and those who, in the name of authenticity, promote the full integration of one's primary identity into the classroom. The book charts new ground regarding how professors think about Christian teaching specifically, as well as how they should approach identity-informed teaching more generally.
Perry L. Glanzer is professor of Educational Foundations at Baylor University and a Resident Scholar with Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He is the coauthor or editor of nine books including The Quest for Purpose: The Collegiate Search for a Meaningful Life. Nathan F. Alleman is Associate Professor of Higher Education Studies at Baylor University and a Research Fellow with the Texas Hunger Initiative. He coauthored Restoring the Soul of the University: Unifying Christian Higher Education in a Fragmented Age.
Numerous works have been published regarding faith and learning,
but few have aimed to ask, "how can faith be integrated into
college teaching?" Glanzer and Allerman ask this question and
provide a notable work in response. Any institution that advocates
for faith and learning but lacks this work is missing Glanzer and
Allerman's insight into what faith integration looks like in the
classroom -- where the rubber meets the road. Both Glanzer's and
Allerman's research and the narrative utilized to present it make
their work an outstanding addition to any who aim to be faithful in
their teaching.
*Garrett Trott, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
for Christians in Higher Education *
Discussion of how religion and scholarship meet in the university
is a well-established enterprise. The related question of how faith
identities affect the act of teaching has until recently been
comparatively neglected. Glanzer and Alleman add important, fresh
data to this conversation. Their thoughtful probing of how
Christian faculty relate their faith commitments to their
educational work should provoke all faculty to ponder the roots of
their classroom choices.
*David Smith, Director, Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and
Learning, Calvin College*
Drawing on both empirical research and philosophical analysis,
Glanzer and Alleman inject some needed clarity into often muddled
discussions about what Christian faith means-and doesn't mean-for
teaching. This volume will be useful both to professors in
Christian institutions and professors seeking to be faithfully
Christian in secular institutions. The authors argue convincingly
that far from being "outrageous," being authentically Christian may
actually make one a better teacher.
*Rick Ostrander, author of Why College Matters to God*
In this illuminating and provocative book, Perry Glanzer and Nathan
Alleman offer a definitive treatment of a much-neglected topic: the
craft of Christian teaching.
*Thomas S. Kidd, Vardaman Distinguished Professor of History,
Baylor University*
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