The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

            In his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll says that Christian colleges are not doing an adequate job of participating in and preparing students for intellectual conversations. Rather, he says that people are divided by their fields of discipline. Those who excel in theology or want to go into Christian service go to seminaries. Those who go to Christian colleges get a broad education. Those who go to research universities dig deep into a narrow topic. Certainly there must be some way that we can connect all of these areas into one.

            I agree with Noll that a Christian college (depending on which one) does not supply by itself this synergism of fields. Students tend to spend time studying with those who have the same major as they do. How do we solve this problem? One way that a college student can supplement what he is already learning in college is to read books on a variety of subjects. However, it does not stop there—discussion of what the student reads must also take place. He could get together a group of students from various disciplines and discuss the ideas that he is reading.

            I always thought to myself that there never seems to be both a good theologian and scientist. There are good theologians and good scientists, but I have never met a person who is exemplary in both fields. Perhaps this is what Noll is getting at.

1.      Is this the idea that is spurring one of my previous pastors to take “radical” views on various Scripture topics?

2.      Is this actually really an existent problem? How come I have not been made aware of this until now?

Intrinsic Good

            The phrase “intrinsic good” is often thrown around when talking about education, but what exactly does it mean for something to be “intrinsically good”? If something has intrinsic good, then it is good for its own sake.

            Towards the beginning of this semester, my Honors Old Testament Survey class had to go to the library to see what resources it had to offer specifically in the areas of Bible and theology. That morning, during my quiet time, I prayed that God would bless that time—even though it seemed like a pointless activity. I had been thinking, “Dude, seriously, how hard is it to find resources in a library?” I went to the session and learned what sort of books might help with research papers—information that was instrumental. However, the library session was also intrinsically good as well. Through it, God made me aware that even if I devoted my whole life to studying every book that I could find on the Bible and theology, I would still only know a fraction of what there is to know about God. That was humbling for me to think about! By going to the library session, I was able to grow more in my love for God and my awareness of His attributes—something that will always be intrinsically good, or good for its own sake.

1.      Does knowledge become instrumental because we’re able to love God through it?

2.      How do you determine whether or not something is intrinsically good?

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

            Before reading “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire, I had never heard of the “banking” method of education. In this system of education, teachers make “deposits” of facts into the students. Dialogue is not encouraged and neither is critical thinking. Instead, the student must accept what he is learning without questioning it.

            On the contrary, “problem-posing” education encourages critical thinking and discussion. Teachers are not only teachers, but also students. In the same way, students are not only students, but also teachers. This method to education focuses on change. Through the process of talking with others, we can learn a lot, and our own views can change considerably.

            Looking back, I can see where I have experienced both the banking and problem-posing methods of education. Probably all of the teachers that I had made mistakes on the chalkboard at one point or another. There were some teachers that I knew better than to correct, for I knew they would get angry. (They would not show their anger, but I sensed uncomfortableness beneath the surface.) Other teachers, however, offered candy for those who spotted their mistakes. They were willing to be corrected and taught.

            Too many times, people think, “Oh, if I can just get through high school (or college), then I will be done with my education.” The problem-posing education advocates that education never stops. Think about it. There will always be problems to solve, and we can learn from the ways that we choose to solve them. Was our solution successful? How could it have been more successful?

            Lately, I’ve been trying to think of not only my education, but also the rest of life as a growing and learning experience. I have been blessed my maintaining this mindset.

1.      Is there a middle ground between banking and problem-posing?

2.      Is it in your power to change a teacher’s mindset about education?

Evaluating Education

            Most schools, it seems, have implemented the traditional method of tests, quizzes, and grades to measure how much a student has learned. However, it seems that this way falls short; for the following seems to happen: students pack as much as they can into their brains for tests, and then they just forget what they learn. A better method might be to evaluate what students have learned by the qualitative method- how they can apply the knowledge to their own lives and whether or not they remember it.

            St. John’s College appears to be one of those institutions that is taking the steps toward the qualitative method of assessing what students have learned. The school places a lot of emphasis on the reading and discussing of great books. Such a method appears interdisciplinary. It would encompass history, philosophy, English, math, science, etc. In addition, it teaches students to think critically and learn how to articulate their viewpoints.

            I do not really think that a college has to make radical changes (or any changes, for that matter) to its teaching methods in order to get students to have the proper mindset of learning.  Instead, the student should take responsibility to make sure that he has the proper approach to his classes. Already, I think I have received my money’s worth of information and knowledge from JBU. I truly feel that students can have a blast in college if their mindset is to learn and not focus solely on getting a good grade on their next Calculus test. I have had the former mindset, and I just feel so blessed by it.

1.      What do you think? Should it be the school’s responsibility to change or should it be the student’s responsibility? Or both?

2.      Have you been taking more of a quantitative or qualitative approach to learning?

Application Time!

            I think that I already knew many of the concepts that Donald Miller discussed in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. However, I still got a lot out of the book. I feel refreshed and ready to apply what I learned/reviewed to my own life. Maybe about once a week or so, I experience extreme homesickness; so whenever that happens, I will just think about how there is a purpose to what I am going through and will look with hope and gladness to being in heaven, where things will be perfect. Another thing that God laid on my heart as I read the book, was to find some sort of ministry to be involved in while I am in Siloam Springs. With the way that my schedule is laid out this semester, I do not believe that I can be involved in something that requires a lot of time. With that in mind, I plan to contact my church and see if there are any middle schoolers that I could minister to by encouraging them through email. Next semester, I will try to schedule everything so that I have time to minister to others, perhaps through a CAUSE ministry.  In addition, I will try to get others on board with living an epic life. I will do this by informing my family and friends about what God is doing in my life and teaching me. In this way, they themselves will be encouraged to act and to live a life of purpose, rather than a meaningless one. With God’s help, I will strive to apply what I learned to my own life—both now, and in the future.

1.      What is your perspective on pain and how it contributes to the journey of life?

2.      What is the best way to confront someone who is not living a “good story”?

My Dreams

            I have a ton of dreams. I dream a lot about the future. I often think about certain boys and try to imagine what life would be like if I married them. I like to dream about what I may do as an occupation. Sometimes, I have pictured myself being a teacher, missionary, doctor, or engineer, just to name a few. I have also considered what I might do as an avocation. There are many things that I am passionate about; whenever I discover a new thing that I just love to do or would like to do, I write it down. Among my list of things so far are the following: examining the amount of time in which God created the world, climbing rocks, exploring caves, doing puzzles, learning more about God and singing lovely songs to Him, and studying cave formations. I can see myself doing all of these activities in my spare time. I also dream about what heaven is like. Right now, I just cannot imagine worshiping God all of the time, but I trust that heaven is far better than I can even dream.

            I wonder if all of the above dreams are part of a great story or an “epic story.” In A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller has a conversation with Steve about what makes an epic story, rather than just a great one. The two elements of an epic story are the following: 1. The thing that the character wants must be very difficult to obtain. 2. “The ambition must be sacrificial.” With those characteristics in mind, I feel that my “vocation dreams” are more of an epic story than my “avocation dreams,” since my “vocation dreams” seem to directly involve other people, while my “avocation dreams” do not. Even if that is the case, I still personally believe that even if I pursued only the “avocation dreams,” my life would still be epic, as long as I lived it out in full obedience to God, since that is how I define an “epic story.”
1. How do you define an "epic story"? Do your dreams fit that?
2. Why is it so difficult to embrace the "whimsy" of life?

Audience of One

These days, it seems like there is a lot of pressure to succeed. Our parents want us to score high on the ACT/SAT so that we will be able to obtain more scholarships. Our teachers expect us to get good grades. If you go to the same school as an older sibling, there is the pressure to avoid embarrassing them. Especially, there is the burden to “fit in” among one’s peers.

With all of these audiences for whom we feel pressure to perform, it is easy to lose sight of the one that we should really be living for, and that is God. He should be our Audience of One. Learning to live for the Audience of One is a difficult, gradual process. Since we are human, there is the all-too-prevalent tendency to want glory for ourselves. If someone really wants to live for the Audience of One, he or she should pray every day, “Lord, help me to live my life before you today, and you only.” Whenever we catch ourselves trying to win the approval of others, we should repent and ask for God’s forgiveness. Another thing that might be helpful in defeating the habit of seeking recognition and acknowledgement from others is to remind yourself of God’s great love. He is the only one who will never love you less for making mistakes. If you fail a class, others may look at you as a failure; however, God will never view you that way. He will always view you as perfect because of what Christ did on the cross for our sins. Rest in that knowledge and live for the Audience of One.

1.      What other ways might there be to help us live for the Audience of One?

2.      Who am I personally trying to impress? What is evident of that?