Review by Logan Anderson, Ph.D. Student, Theological Studies, Liberty Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, VA.
Dockery and Morgan have edited an excellent foundational work for new or prospective higher education teachers. It is sufficiently broad as to be applicable in any discipline within higher education and specific enough that it gives very pointed help to a Christian educator in the evangelical tradition. Christian Higher Education is a “multiauthored, symphonic, and theologically shaped vision for the distinctive work of Christian higher education” (13). One important thing to note regarding this book is that the editors acknowledge differences of opinion and methodology between the authors. They specifically left many of these differences as they hoped it would give a glimpse into academic and student life from a variety of angles within the evangelical tradition (13). Each author brings a unique perspective to the discussion and the editors sought to preserve that in many instances. Despite the fact the chapters are written by different authors and address different topics, this review will primarily address the major sections of the book rather than individual chapters for the sake of brevity since this book is twenty-seven chapters long.
Part one (chapters 1-6) lays a foundation for Christian higher education. It rightly places Scripture as the ultimate authority for an evangelical university, but also acknowledges, and even demands, a need to reconnect with the “great confessional tradition of the church” (24). This is in contrast to many evangelical communities where the tradition is valued but not necessarily something that must be reconnected since most churches focus almost exclusively on Scripture. Additionally, the book grounds teaching in Christian higher education with an important look into what it means for humans to be made in the image of God. It is not merely that humans each have certain attributes of God to one level or another. In fact, it is argued that this view produces many of the inequalities in education by lowering people’s worth based on a lack, or perceived lack, of certain attributes (102). Another point to highlight from this section is the need for a professor to be constantly growing in their own walk with Christ and refining their skills (82). Researchers who grow stagnant will almost certainly fail to be effective teachers. This is especially true when considering Christian researchers. Ultimately, this section provides a valuable but more general discussion of Christian higher education and how to become a solid evangelical professor. That said, there are some negatives.
To begin with, there seems to be a logical discrepancy in a particular position. This position is the writer’s view on “primary” teachings or the “essentials” of the faith. They are non-negotiable which means that they are not up for discussion or modification (23). In other words, they cannot be questioned. On the other hand, Dockery states, “We need to encourage intellectual curiosity and find ways to pass on the Christian intellectual tradition while promoting serious intellectual engagement in the areas of teaching, research, and scholarship” (27-28). So, one is to encourage “intellectual curiosity” but only in certain areas? Is it automatically a problem should a student or professor question the doctrine of faith alone, for example, if they feel Scripture should lead them to as is the case with Matthew Bates’ book Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King? Should Bates be disciplined, or have his book be automatically thrown out, for questioning a “nonnegotiable” doctrine? The unwillingness of Christian scholars (and Christians in general) to question certain aspects of the faith is simply providing fodder for the secularists who argue that Christian scholars cannot do objective research. This does not mean that the “essentials” of the faith are wrong, it merely means that they should not be held in such a way that they cannot be scrutinized. If they are indeed true, they will consistently be upheld even after intense scrutiny.
Another weakness can be found in chapter three. John D. Woodbridge writes a chapter on the authority of Scripture. It begins by citing four scriptural passages and then almost completely ignores Scripture thereafter. It read more like a treatise on Martin Luther and a few other reformers. A more robust argument from Scripture would likely have been more appropriate for the topic addressed.
Part two (chapters 7-18) could almost be broken down into two different parts as there are two distinct focuses in it. One set of chapters focuses on the integration of faith, teaching, and learning while the other focuses on specific disciplines. While they have different focuses, they both fit under the section title perfectly well and are complementary to each other. This section begins by looking at teachers themselves. What kind of assumptions is a teacher bringing to the table? Is the teacher teachable? After discussing these types of questions, the book turns toward the challenges and goals associated with teaching in Christian higher education. A major part of this is in integrating faith and learning in the professor’s life and the lives of the students—with the ultimate expectation that this will influence the world (169). Laurie Mattias notes that, historically, Christianity has not done a good job of integrating the two. Often this was due to overemphasizing faith or teaching over the other (172). In some cases, it has been held that faith and teaching should not be integrated (173). She emphasizes that Christian higher education is a “both/and enterprise rather than an either/or one” (173) and gives practical ways as to how one might bring about this integration. This section within a section ends with a robust discussion on the importance of research for teaching and learning, ultimately concluding that teachers who are actively engaged in research can better identify with learners (because they themselves have remained active learners) and they become a good model for their students, not merely telling students to be learners and giving information but showing it in their own research (199-200).
The rest of part two addresses learning within specific disciplines. Each of these is written by someone who teaches in the discipline being addressed. This particular review focuses on chapter eleven (“Teaching and Learning in the Humanities”) as it most closely aligns with the reviewer’s area of expertise. This chapter does an excellent job of integrating biblical truth into the humanities which primarily deal with humans and their contributions, thoughts, beliefs (including the belief, or lack thereof, in God), et cetera. It digs into the differences between a Christian worldview in regard to the humanities and the secular equivalents (207). One problematic aspect of this section as a whole is that it did not include a chapter specifically for teaching God’s Word in Christian higher education. It was noted earlier that the humanities chapter most closely aligned with the reviewer’s expertise, but in that chapter, it is specifically said that theology does not count as a humanity, though religion does (209). While the chapters were focused on integrating faith and learning in these disciplines and one can argue that theology and biblical studies must already have faith and learning integrated, it still seems to be a strange omission. This is especially true considering that theologians can easily have a different, though related, issue. Theology and biblical studies are often done, though not always, by integrating faith and learning; however, they often fail to produce life change in those who study it. A chapter on integrating theology, biblical studies, and similar disciplines with practice would have been a worthwhile addition to this section.
Part three (chapters 19-27) is built around integrating faith and learning with various areas of life within the higher education context to include what is expected of a Christian college or a professor in developing those who have been given students to train. For example, Taylor B. Worley writes about how faith and learning have become disconnected from practice in the last few centuries due to an emphasis on a profession of correct belief/faith alone (385-86). This has resulted in the nominal Christianity as is seen today and is a problem that needs to be dealt with at all levels of the Christian life, including in college or seminary. The chapter then tries to integrate faith and learning with practice (specifically worship and service). Overall, the chapter does a good job of arguing for the need to have a holistic pedagogy; however, there is something that does not seem to be considered as a source of the issue, namely the authors’ (and most Christians’) view of the essentials of the faith. The “nonnegotiables” talked about in this book (23), and almost universally held across the Western Christian world, are all matters of right belief or right doctrine. They completely lack any kind of discussion or emphasis on what a Christian must do, only what they must believe. As such, the things that make a Christian a Christian, according to most in the church today, are all matters of right belief. Is it really a surprise then to find the common bent of modern, Western Christianity to be a nominal one? While this is an important discussion to look into to see if there might be a remedy, it does not detract from the value found within this book or this section in particular. It is merely something that deserves some attention.
Overall, Christian Higher Education is definitely a must-read book for anyone on the road to becoming a professor. It is also valuable for new professors who are still trying to nail down their methodologies and what they wish to focus on, and even seasoned professors will find this book a good refresher and may find that it helps them to refocus on what matters. Evangelical universities have too often fallen to become essentially secular. While many factors contribute to this, professors focusing on what matters is likely to prevent more of the same. Devotion to God’s Word, good scholarship, the church, and effective teaching methodologies can produce solid evangelical universities, and this book upholds all of those things and trains others to do the same.
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L. J. Anderson - Author and Blogger 