College Faith

College Faith

By Stan W. WallaceReligion & SpiritualityChristianityEducationSelf-Improvement
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College Faith episodes

  • #4: Learning Well in the Virtual Environment – Pete Marra
    We are undergoing a virtual learning revolution, as the COVID pandemic and the prevalence of technology intersect, leading universities to move most or all of their classes online. This presents new challenges, as well as new opportunities, for students. My guest helps us understand the implications of this new reality, and how students can flourish in this digital learning environment. 
    Pete Marra has nearly twenty years of experience helping students learn well in the online context in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. He has been involved in building online learning platforms and started his own technology company focused on digital learning. He is especially interested in how people learn, and how they learn differently, in the online environment.
    In this podcast we discuss: 
    Various learning styles that must be understood to maximize online learning
    New opportunities for those with various learning styles
    How to leverage these new opportunities to your advantage
    How students can excel academically in online classes  
    Ways students can compensate if the online learning environment is challenging for them
    The challenges of distractions, procrastination, and fatigue in distance learning
    Two wrong and harmful assumptions students make as they take online classes
    The expectations professors have of students in online classes
    How students can best interact with their professors in the digital environment
    How students can best collaborate with other students in their online classes
    Ways to develop habits, systems, or processes to succeed in online classes
    Dealing with the isolation and depression online learning may cause
    Challenges and opportunities unique to Christian students learning online
    The resources mentioned during our conversation:
    Hope Always: How to be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide by Matthew Sleeth, MD
    24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life by Matthew Sleeth, MD
    Technology: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman
    Pete Marra on Linked In 
    Search online for “learning styles” to access free resources and tests
    Harvard Education Publishing Group
    MIT’s online courses
    TED Talks on learning styles:
    Learning styles and the importance of critical self-reflection, Tesia Marshik
    Learning via your style, D.J. Cunningham
    Misconceptions of learning styles, Anita Acai
    ...and many more
    Search online for “digital pedagogy” for additional resources
    50 min
  • #3: Higher Education 101: How Universities Came to Be and How They Work – Dr. Liam Atchison
    The better we understand higher education, the better we can navigate the university years well and flourish in both heart and mind. My guest today is a historian who understands the forces that caused and continue to shape higher education. He also has a wide range of experience working in higher education, giving him unusual insights into how universities work today, and how students can avoid the pitfalls as well as capitalize on the opportunities universities offer.
    Liam J. Atchison, Ph.D. has a Th.M. in Systematic Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in History from Kansas State University. For many years he was a university and seminary professor and dean.  He was also the founding editor of the literary journal Mars Hill Review, co-editor of Civil Religion and American Christianity (Newport: Stone Tower Press, 2020), and is the author of two other books and numerous articles. His research has been in the history of ideas with a particular interest in politics, education, and how people understand and use written texts. He was also the founder and co-director of Emmanuel House, a seminary in Manhattan, Kansas. Liam now serves as the Senior Vice-President of Global Scholars. He is married and has two children and three grandchildren.
    In this podcast we discuss: 
    How universities first began
    How universities changed in the 19th century into what they are today
    How the goal of higher education shifted from developing character to developing skills
    How these factors shaped U.S. higher education
    Why state universities were established
    The pros and cons of higher education's shift in emphasis to "practical" fields
    Why we shouldn't be too impressed by a university's ranking
    The reasons professors are often not good teachers (especially at larger universities)
    Why smaller schools should be considered for undergraduate degrees
    The value of the ACT/SAT in today's higher education, and why they are often not the best indicators of academic ability or success
    When, why, and how universities shifted how they understand their role related to students and parents
    Why higher education in the 20th century moved away from more traditional views and values
    The idea of a university, and how best to prepare so as to receive the greatest benefits from a university education
    The pros and cons of a "Great Books" curriculum at universities
    The difference between a college and a university, and why universities contain some colleges
    The hierarchy of a university, and where to go for help
    Resources mentioned during our conversation:
    Norman Geiser and Ronald Brooks, Come Let Us Reason Together: An Introduction to Logical Thinking 
    Thinking Christianly blog series on informal fallacies, beginning here
    Patrick Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic (includes sections of informal and formal logic)
    50 min
  • #2: Thriving as a Christian at a Secular University – Dr. Christy Moran Craft
    Christian students at public universities face unique challenges, as well as unique opportunities. Whether a student thrives in this environment depends on many factors, including how they engage this "marketplace of ideas." Knowing how best to respond when one's worldview is challenged is an important skill to develop. Dr. Craft is most interested in is preparing students to engage in this "marketplace of ideas"--both inside and outside the classroom--on issues such as social justice, diversity and inclusion training, and LGBTQ+ questions.
    Dr. Christy Moran Craft is a professor and interim department chair in the College of Education at Kansas State University. For almost twenty years, she has studied issues related to religion and spirituality in higher education, paying particular attention to Christianity in public colleges and universities. She also has expertise with regard to legal issues related to religious expression in public higher education. In addition to teaching and to conducting research, Dr. Craft has served on various committees on campus including serving as Chair of the President’s Committee on Religious, Spiritual, and Nonreligious Diversity. 
    She fell in love with higher education as a result of her experiences as a student leader in a campus organization and as a resident assistant at Bradley University. Her teaching brings practice-based knowledge of residence life, judicial affairs, student organizations, leadership development, Greek life, and health awareness programming into the classroom.
    In this podcast we discuss...
    The legality of students discussing Christian conviction in public universities, supported by Supreme Court decisions [:54]
    How students can prepare to have a voice in the marketplace of ideas [3:22]
    The value of understanding other perspectives, rather than being fearful [6:25]
    Strategies to help Christian students engage in the marketplace of ideas [9:30]
    The relationship between being a good student and having an influence for Christ [11:10]
    When it is and is not OK to bring Christian convictions into classroom discussions [13:24]
    What the “separation of Church and State” means for Christian students sharing their perspectives [14:16]
    Why Christians should not be quick to assume they are being persecuted at a secular university [18:16]
    Challenges Christian students will face outside the classroom from administrative staff [23:18]
    How best to respond to religious diversity [24:19]
     Responding to charges of "Christian privilege" [28:00]
    Fruitfully engaging in conversations  about race, gender, and sexual orientation [31:38]
    How non-Christian professors tend to respond to Christian students [36:22]
    How best to deal with student affairs staff who are antagonistic [40:24]
    How to find a good campus ministry [43:24]
    How to find Christian professors [45:40]
    How to find a good church [47:00]
    Dealing with antagonistic professors [48:09]
    Where to go to get help when facing challenging situations [48:58]
    How to balance involvement in a Christian group and ministry with studies [52:28]
    Thoughts about participation in "interfaith" conversations and events [52:50]
    Applying Scripture to one's life as a student [58:07]
    Resources Mentioned:  
    Christian campus ministries -  https://collegefaith.net/resources/
    J.P. Moreland's website - http://www.jpmoreland.com/
    Ravi Zacharias resources - https://www.rzim.org/
    Tim Keller's website - https://timothykeller.com/
    1 hr 1 min
  • #1: How University Students Can Love God with Their Minds – Dr. JP Moreland
    Understanding the importance of loving God with the mind as well as the heart is foundational for flourishing during the university years. My guest in this inaugural show is Dr. J.P. Moreland. We discuss themes in his book Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul.
    Dr. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He has spoken to students and professors on over 175 campuses, and has authored, edited, or contributed to over 90 books and over 85 academic journal articles. In 2019 he was named one of the top 50 living philosophers. Few are as qualified to discuss this issue than Dr. Moreland.
    In this podcast we discuss:
    Why he wrote this book for the Christian community 
    The importance of students knowing why they believe what they believe 
    The correct definition of “faith”
    Why faith and reason are not opposites but complement one another 
    The difference between a “faith tradition “ and a “knowledge tradition” 
    Some challenges Christian students will face on campus, and how to respond
    How parents can help prepare their children to think Christianly during college, and how early to start 
    How students can respond if a campus ministry is discouraging study and the life of the mind 
    How to evaluate one’s major from a Christian perspective 
    The relationship of knowledge to wisdom, and the demise of teaching wisdom at college 
    How to discern a professors’ knowledge from a professor’s opinion 
    Responding to scientism 
    Responding to relativism 
    Resources to help students find answers to their questions 
    Resources mentioned during our conversation:
    Loving God with your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Mind
    J.P. Moreland’s website
    Scientism and Secularism by J.P. Moreland
    Reasonable Faith, the website of William Lane Craig
    William Lane Craig’s apologetics books for you children
    Summit Ministries
    Brett Kunkle books and podcasts and website
    Shawn McDowell’s books and podcast and website
    Stand To Reason
    Ratio Christi
    Christian Professional Societies (per academic discipline)
    Discovery Institute
    1 hr 1 min

About College Faith

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Exploring the Intersection of Christian Conviction and Higher Education