1. Integrative Teaching and Living: Christian Professors in Secular Universities
DR. KATHLEEN MAYS, EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
DR. PATRICK MAYS, LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY

2. What can we learn from the Christian professor
What can we learn from the Christian professor who says, “There are echoes of God in any field or discipline,” or, “I cannot not integrate”?

3. Background and Purpose
Scholars grappling with the what, why, and how of . . .
Faith Integration
Dockery (2012), Harris (2004), Hasker (1992), Marsden (1998), Plantinga (2002)
Christian Worldview
Naugle (2002), Smith (2009)
Christian Higher Education
Holmes (1987)
Styles and Methods
Chewning (2001), Roller (2013)

4. Background and Purpose
Perry Glanzer (2008)
“Engaging in the unfolding of creation by participating in the creational work of God.”
Dallas Willard (1997, 1998, 2006, 2012)
The professor can use one’s academic field to experience God more fully, to understand oneself as God does, to see others as God sees them, and to restore creation to its fullest.
The act and art of the integration of faith and learning for Christian professors is to be mindful practitioners of the reality of God’s rule in one’s life and in the world
Purpose: to discover through interviews and extended observation how Christian professors in cross-cultural contexts are living integrated lives and teaching with a view towards participating with God’s ongoing redemption of creation

5. Methodology PHASE # of Professors Academic Disciplines Countries 115
Biology, Communication, English, Environmental Science, Education, Engineering, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Plant Genetics, Theology
Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Nigeria, Uganda 2 20
Business, Communication, Cultural Studies, Engineering, Environmental Science, History, Leisure/Recreation, Political Science, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Theology
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia

6. Results Theme 1: God’s truth is in the academic discipline Just
Creative
Communicative
True and Beautiful

7. Results Theme 2: The truth in the academic discipline can lead to God
Making Students Ready
Emphasizing People Impact
Making It Personal
Encouraging Participation

8. Results Theme 3: Effectiveness is sustained by an integrated life
Putting Faith into Words and Action
Extending Invitations

9. God’s Truth In and Through the Discipline
Academic Discipline

10. Some Practical Implications
Understanding the historical development and current research that supports Christian values to cultivate an interpretive lens
Searching for real life examples of justice, creativity, communication, truth and beauty within one’s discipline
Heightening the sense of human dignity in the teaching and application of the discipline.
Exhibiting hospitality and human worth in and beyond the classroom
Finding suitable ways to indicate one’s allegiance to God

11. Suggestions for Further Research
Develop the diagram above into a full-fledged, working model, with practical and theoretical dimensions
Explore the four Godly characteristics discussed in this research (just, creative, communicative, true and beautiful) within particular disciplines or families of disciplines in order to develop lines of epistemological inquiry that could find resonance in the broader academic world.
Go further in connecting Willard’s ideas on discipleship with Christian professors’ practice of the integration of faith and learning

12. What can we learn from Christian professors teaching in secular universities? When the support structures of the Christian institution are removed, can one still be an integrated scholar? The results from this study suggest a strong, inspiring "yes.” We found Christian professors who recognize that God’s truth is already in the discipline and that a holistic expression of the discipline can place students on a path towards personal belief in God. We found Christian professors actively doing, often under difficult circumstances, what many of us talk about doing. We found them participating in God’s creative, redemptive work through their teaching and scholarship.

13. References
Bartholomew, C. G. & Goheen, M. W. (2004). The drama of scripture: Finding our place in the biblical story. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Chewning, R. C. (2001). A dozen styles of biblical integration: Assimilating the mind of Christ. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 6,
Dockery, D. S. (2012). Faith and learning: A handbook for Christian higher education. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.
Glanzer, P. (2008). Why we should discard ‘the integration of faith and learning’: Rearticulating the mission of the critical scholar, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, 12(1),
Harris, R. (2004). The integration of faith and learning: A worldview approach. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books
Hasker, W. (1992). Faith-learning integration: An overview. Christian Scholar’s Review, 21(2),

14. References
Holmes, A. F. (1987). The idea of the Christian college. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Marsden, G. M. (1998). The outrageous idea of Christian scholarship. New York: Oxford University Press.
National Society of Professional Engineers (2016). Engineer’s creed. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
Naugle, David K. Jr. (2002). Worldview: The history of a concept. Grand rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the life of the mind. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Nouwen, H. (1975). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. New York: Doubleday.
Plantinga, C. (2002). Engaging God's world: A Christian vision of faith, learning, and living. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

15. References
Roller, R. H. (2013). Twenty-one methods of biblical faith-learning integration. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 16(2),
Smith, James K. A. (2009). Desiring the kingdom: Worship, worldview, and cultural formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Willard, D. (1997). The divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. New York: HarperCollins.
Willard, D. (1998). The spirit of the disciplines: Understanding how God changes lives. New York: HarperCollins.
Willard, D. (2006). The great omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s essential teachings on discipleship. New York: HarperCollins.
Willard, D. (2012). Renovation of the heart: Putting on the character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.