Ministry Across the Curriculum

The other day I read an article entitled "A New Rallying Cry" by Howard Culbertson. I found this article to take a very interesting viewpoint on the integration of faith and learning.

Culbertson's view on integration of faith and learning is basically that professors and teachers can not integrate faith into every single subject. He used math as an example. There are very few mathematical examples in the Bible. When a teacher teaches the multiplication tables, she could integrate how Jesus taught to forgive 70 times 7. However, when the teacher begins to teach algebra, there are no biblical examples of this in the Bible that can be used. In other subjects though, there are biblical examples that can be used. Culbertson's point was that faith can not be integrated into every subject therefore by the time students graduate they are not even aware of the college's faith based slogan. Let alone knowing that they don't know how to integrate faith into learning. The author of this article proposes a different way to integrate faith and learning. He calls it Ministry Across the Curriculum. Culbertson says, "It would make people think of hands-on, field ministry involvements by all students and faculty." Professors and teachers would not necessarily integrate faith into the classroom as much as they would set an example through their actions and words.

As a student, I can see both perspectives on the integration of faith and learning. Coming from a Christian college where the professors do speak about God and faith in the classroom and relate it to what we are learning, I find it to be very useful and helpful. I appreciate the fact that the professors are not ashamed to openly share their faith with the students. I also think that sometimes faith can be best shown through actions. I agree that faith does not always have to be spoken about in a classroom. However, my only concern with this approach is that it will become more and more less common to speak about one's faith in the classroom and it will eventually become obsolete. I do like the approach though of acting on one's faith. That can also speak volumes. Regardless of how a college or university decides to integrate faith and learning, one thing is for sure and that's faith needs to be integrated somehow and someway with learning.

http://online.montreat.edu/file.php/318/A_New_Rallying_Cry_Howard_Culbertson_Southern_Nazarene_University.pdf