"If you want to see great teaching in action, read this book. If you believe that college classes can be communities of learning where knowledge of self, others, and the world is sought in response to God's call and the world's need, read this book. If you yearn for pedagogical wisdom capable of sustaining resistance to consumerist and instrumentalist pressures on teaching and learning, read this book."

This quote from the Forward of Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning tells us exactly what this book is about: combining Christian religious practice with Christian pedagogy in order to ensure a more well-rounded theologically and life based education and formation for our students.

Consisting of 11 essays, authors discuss, theorize, and debate the ways in which the task of melding practice and education together in the classroom can be accomplished. It contains essays from some of today's leading pedagogical specialists, on topic such as spiritual formation through reading sharing meals to encourage healthy eating, or thinking through the the implications of biblical hermeneutics for use in analyzing economic data. A wonderful book that is as stimulating as it is helpful and informative for teachers, professors, and anyone interested in the Christian teaching task.Contributors Include:

James K.A. Smith
Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung
David I. Smith
Carolyne Call
Julie A. P. Walton
Matthew Walters
Paul J. Griffiths
Ashley Woodiwiss
Glenn E. Sanders
Matthew Walhout
Kurt C. Schaefer

Product Information

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Title: Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning
By: David I. Smith & James K.A. Smith, eds.
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Vendor: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Publication Date: 2011

Dimensions: 9.00 X 6.00 (inches)
Weight: 12 ounces
ISBN: 0802866859
ISBN-13: 9780802866851
Stock No: WW866851

Publisher's Description

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In Teaching and Christian Practices several university professors describe and reflect on their efforts to allow historic Christian practices to reshape and redirect their pedagogical strategies. Whether allowing spiritually formative reading to enhance a literature course, employing table fellowship and shared meals to reinforce concepts in a pre-nursing nutrition course, or using Christian hermeneutical practices to interpret data in an economics course, these teacher-authors envision ways of teaching and learning that are rooted in the rich tradition of Christian practices, as together they reconceive classrooms and laboratories as vital arenas for faith and spiritual growth.

Author Bio

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David I. Smith is director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning and Director of Graduate Studies in Education at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Endorsements

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Christian professors who seek to integrate their faith into their teaching often lack wise guides. Fortunately, David I. Smith and James K. A. Smith here provide a work in which thoughtful Christian teachers lead readers through reflections upon their own efforts to transform their pedagogical habits by incorporating unique Christian practices. As I read and pondered these insightful stories, I found myself constantly rethinking my own teaching routines. This book represents Christian educational philosophy at its practical best.
Perry L. Glanzer
-Baylor University

Editorial Reviews

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Perry L. Glanzer
— Baylor University
"Christian professors who seek to integrate their faith into their teaching often lack wise guides. Fortunately, David I. Smith and James K. A. Smith here provide a work in which thoughtful Christian teachers lead readers through reflections upon their own efforts to transform their pedagogical habits by incorporating unique Christian practices. As I read and pondered these insightful stories, I found myself constantly rethinking my own teaching routines. This book represents Christian educational philosophy at its practical best."

Craig Dykstra and Dorothy C. Bass (from foreward)
"If you want to see great teaching in action, read this book. If you believe that college classes can be communities of learning where knowledge of self, others, and the world is sought in response to God’s call and the world’s need, read this book. If you yearn for pedagogical wisdom capable of sustaining resistance to consumerist and instrumentalist pressures on teaching and learning, read this book. . . . This excellent book is one of the best we have ever read on the subject of pedagogy. It is also one of the best we know on the subject of Christian practices."

Religious Studies Review
"This is now the go-to volume for inspiring — as a first step rather than a final word — more holistic pedagogies what will make a difference for teachers and students, for teaching, and learning, within the Christian higher educational context."

Midwest Book Review
"A thoughtful resource for examining the harmonious and potentially beneficial side of the co-existence between faith and pedagogy."

Journal of Adult Theological Education
"A stimulating book and a challenging one."