Education Commons^™

Letter To The Editor: A Response To Dr. Teresa Terhaar’S “The Task And Role Of Theater”, John Schuurman

Pro Rege

Response to "The Task and Role of Theatre" by Teresa TerHaar, Pro Rege vol. 42, pp. 34-39. (March 2014).

From Defending Theism To Discerning Spirits: Reconceiving The Task Of Christian Philosophy, Neal Deroo

Pro Rege

Dr. Neal DeRoo presented this paper at a joint meeting of the Society for Christian Philosophers and the Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology, held at Trinity College, June 2014. The topic of the meeting was, "What is Christian Philosophy," celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the publication of Alvin Plantinga's landmark essay "Advice to Christian Philosophers."

Poythress’S Trinitarian Logic: A Review Essay, Calvin Jongsma

Pro Rege

Reviewed Title: Vern Sheridan Poythress. Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought. Crossway, 2013. 733 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4335-3229-0.

Jake Van Wyk’S Angels And Beasts -- An Art Exhibition: No Holds Barred, David Versluis

Pro Rege

David Versluis wrote this paper to celebrate the final art exhibition of Jake Van Wyk, Professor of Art at Dordt College.

The History, Nature And Future Of Faith-Informed Research In English Language Teaching, Mary Shepard Wong

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Although scholarship on Christian faith and education is well established (see Bleistein, Wong, & Smith, 2013), research of Christian faith and English language teaching (ELT) is just starting to emerge. As the recent volume edited by Wong, Kristjánsson, and Dörnyei (2013) demonstrated, what started as a debate on the dilemmas of imperialism in Christian missions (Wong & Canagarajah, 2009a), “has enlarged to include empirical studies that demonstrate the importance of faith to the motivation of language learners, the impact of faith on ELT pedagogical approaches, and the significance of faith for teachers’ professional identity formations” (Bleistein, Wong, & Smith 2013, …

Front Matter

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Welcome To The Ijc&Elt!, Michael Lessard-Clouston, Xuesong (Andy) Gao

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

No abstract provided.

Is English A Force For Good Or Bad?, Kitty B. Purgason

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

A survey of university students in China and Kuwait asked for their opinions about the effects of English on various aspects of their life and world: personal character and morals, material well-being, spiritual or religious development, family ties, local social change, international peace or conflict, and international interpersonal harmony. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Both the literature review and specific comments by some respondents suggest positive effects of English that can be encouraged and negative ones that may be countered through language policy, curriculum and materials, or classroom teachers. I also offer suggestions for future research and classroom teachers.

Addressing Reconciliation In The Esl Classroom, Michael K. Westwood

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

The extent to which teachers’ spiritual identities should inform their pedagogy has been a topic of much discussion among TESOL professionals. Under particular scrutiny have been Christian English teachers (CET), whose faith can be disconcerting to a multicultural field that strongly values diversity. Meanwhile, another conversation continues regarding ways in which language teaching can be used as a means of promoting social justice and global citizenship. This article attempts to add to these conversations by proposing that reconciliation should be addressed in the classroom and by suggesting that it is a topic of interest to both CET and others who …

Reviews, Jan Edwards Dormer, William Acton, Marilyn Lewis

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

No abstract provided.

Faith And Pedagogy: Five Voices From Japan, Paul Wicking

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Despite a recent increase in research into the relationship between faith and practice in ELT, the ways in which actual Christian teachers make meaning of their faith through pedagogy remains largely unexplored. There is little empirical data about the ways in which witnessing and evangelism are (or are not) conducted through English classes. The present study is an analysis of interview data collected from five evangelical Christian teachers living and working in Japan. The participants vary considerably in age and teaching context, yet all share a strong religious faith and a desire to express it through their profession. Each participant …

Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers’ Self-Perceived Language Proficiency Levels, Anxieties, And Learning Strategies, Hiromi Takahashi

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Research suggests that nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) suffer anxiety because of their self-perceived inadequate language ability. This paper reports on an online survey of 63 NNESTs and teacher trainees in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings that investigated the participants’ perceived language abilities and their approaches to anxiety and language learning. The results reveal that more than half of the participants were content with their overall language abilities although their levels of contentment varied with distinct skills. The survey results also indicate a complex relationship between NNESTs’ perceived language proficiency levels and …

Entire Issue

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

No abstract provided.

Task And Role Of Theatre, Teresa Terhaar

Pro Rege

This paper is part of a larger work, “Four Year Articulation Paper,” which chronicles Dr. Teresa TerHaar’s faith and academic journey.

Faithful Education And Healthy Community: Some Thoughts On Education For A Kingdom Perspective, Daniel K. Chinn

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor, Christina Belcher

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

With the approach of the 2014 ICCTE conference at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, ON, Canada, (we are still accepting proposals and registration), excitement tends to be a prelude to this issue. As manuscripts arrived, and were reviewed a common theme emerged for this issue. The theme probed faithful practice from a secure spiritual identity while navigating post and post-postmodern landscapes in the realm of education. Our final founding paper from reprints of the first published works following an ICCTE conference, explores this within the scope of 14 years prior. Our newer submissions build upon aspects of that discussion.

The Postmodern Paradox: How The Christian Scholar Has Both Declined And Thrived As A Result Of Postmodernism’S Influence In Higher Education, Patrick Otto, Lani M. Malcolm

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The Christian scholar faces an interesting paradox concerning postmodernism’s influence in higher education (Edlin, 2009). One of the key components of the modernism paradigm was the ability for humans to reason (Pells, 2007). Universities were based largely on a model in which young adults were expected to first acquire knowledge, principles, and skills, and then later apply that which was learned to their career ambitions, citizenship, or professional development (Willis, 1995). But in the 1960s and 1970s, higher education began to face increasing social pressure as the ideas of modernism associated with knowledge acquisition, power, and authority came under scrutiny …

Book Review: Heart Deep Teaching, Heekap Lee

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Teaching has been and continues to be “the most universal and appreciated role of the Christian ministry through the ages” (Nouwen, 1971, p. 10). However, the teaching in churches has not made a positive impact on the young. According to Ham and Hillard (2009, p. 31), over 60% of children who grow up in the church will leave it as young adults. Christian churches need to understand the Gospel’s call to develop human potential to the fullest through what Newton terms heart-deep teaching.

How should Christians in vocations respond to this situation? As the author of this review and …

Book Review: The Shaping Of An Effective Leader, Glen Green

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The Shaping of an Effective Leader has been fundamentally encouraging to me in the area of leadership because I have been fortunate enough to be a recipient of the leadership of the author. Serving on my dissertation committee, Gayle Beebe encouraged me to development a Christian theology of suffering. He recommended reading the works of Diogenes Allen, Lawrence Bowker, Herbert Lockyear, Henri Nouwen, as well as others. In our meetings to discuss these works, it did not take long for me to discover that I was in the presence of one of the most Christlike individuals I had ever encountered. …

Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® [UMS®] or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data of Christian school students from six Texas schools. The Stanford-10 controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, found school type to be a statistically significant predictor for the SAT Composite score, but not for the SAT Writing score or the ACT Composite score. Although the UMS® seniors …

Addressing Cultural Pluralism From An Evangelical Christian Perspective, Jeanette L. Hsieh, Louis B. Gallien Jr., Jillian N. Lederhouse

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The complex issues surrounding cultural pluralism are rapidly turning the public square into a battlefield that divides our country. As Charles Haynes summarized, “At issue for this nation, as for much of the world, is the simple but profound question that runs through modern experience: How will we live with our deepest differences?” (Haynes, 1994). At a time when many citizens of our diverse nation have become disillusioned with the motto e pluribus unum, the Christian higher education community deals with issues involving race, ethnicity, and gender through a variety of responses ranging from isolationism to unqualified inclusion.

Evangelical …

Iccte Spotlight: Hee Kap Lee

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

HeeKap Lee, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Azusa Pacific University. HeeKap is the book review editor in our ICCTE team. Guidelines for book review submissions are on our ICCTE.journal page.

A Visit To The Kilns: A Formative Experience For Two Christian Teacher Educators, Karen S. Buchanan, Thomas D. Buchanan

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The C.S. Lewis Study Centre at the Kilns is located near Oxford, England in the previous home of C.S. Lewis, the highly influential 20th century Christian intellectual and apologist. Two professors, who coupled a brief stay at the Kilns with an inquiry into the life of Lewis and his writings, present insights into their work as teacher educators. Three main areas are explored. The first area is the nature of our work, including a discussion of the distinct roles associated with Christian teacher educators and the importance of professional community. Next is a discussion on the quality of our work, …

Book Review: Jesus For Revolutionaries (Robert Chao Romero), Natalie M. Anna

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

No abstract provided.

An Introduction To The Twisselmann And Draycott Articles, Tim Stranske

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

Solomon (Proverbs 18:17) indicates that hearing one side of an argument sounds convincing until you hear the opposing point of view. The next two articles discuss conceptions of social justice, both emanating from scholars that have studied biblical theology and social justice, applying those fields of study to educational systems. Twisselmann, a public school teacher of philosophy and adjunct professor at Biola University, questions whether critical theory’s lack of a metaphysical component provides any valid grounding to make social justice judgments, while Draycott, a theologian at Talbot School of Theology, argues for Christians to humbly seek common ground with others …

Letter From The Editor, June Hetzel

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

No abstract provided.

Justice, The Gospel, And People With Disabilities, David W. Anderson

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

The focus of this essay is on biblical justice in relation to persons with disabilities. The World Health Organization (2012) estimates that 15% of the world’s population includes people with disabilities. This staggering percentage means that there are over 47 million Americans with disabilities today and over one billion worldwide. As an outgrowth of the Civil Rights movement in the United States, the situation for some people with disabilities in the United States has continued to improve since the 1970s. However, in much of the world, individuals and families affected by disability continue to face injustice in the from of …

Book Review: Transformation Of The Different Other (Faustin Ntamushobora), Kay Henry

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

No abstract provided.

The American Way To Choose Ice Cream, Andy Draycott

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

response is offered to Eric Twisselmann’s analysis and critique of social justice pedagogy, highlighting areas of theological agreement. An understanding of justice as social is explored through the concept of communication. Education as social communication of intergenerational learning is shaped by concerns for justice. The connection of justice and truth expounded by Twisselmann is critically endorsed, surfacing questions about the importance of choice in his account. How Christians may peaceably suffer as witness in current pedagogical debates is explored in final reflections.

Helping The Poor And Needy Through Education: Examining The Similarities Between Poverty Education Research And Orphan Education, Calvin Roso

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

God’s care and compassion for the less fortunate is mentioned throughout the Bible. This emphasis reminds the Christian educator that the act of helping the helpless is not a suggestion, but one’s Christian duty. James 1:27 says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (NLT). Jeremiah 22:16 reminds us that to “know God” means helping the widow and the orphan. Likewise, Hosea 12:6 tells us to return to God, “Hold fast to love and mercy, to righteousness and justice, …