Journal of Faith in the Academic Profession

The Kingdom Professional Model

DawnEllen Jacobs, Kristen K. White (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This article details the collaborative development of the Kingdom Professional Model and outlines the basic elements of the tool the authors have used for more than a decade to develop globally engaged followers of Jesus who understand the relationship between God, themselves, and their ability to serve others. The premise of the model is that Kingdom Professionals integrate their living, loving, and learning in intentional ways that multiply those who are prepared to share the gospel of the kingdom through service.

Faith Integration and Learning in Classrooms

Sophia Mun, Russ Bermejo (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The present study explored the effectiveness of faith integration in university classrooms by measuring the changes in students’ level of understanding of faith integration and academic learning over a 13-week semester. Researchers surveyed undergraduate students (N=156) at a Christian university. Students reported their degree of faith integration by taking the Psychology and Faith Integration (Psy-FI) Scale (Collison et al., 2019), which was administered at the beginning of the semester (pre-test) and end of the semester (post-test). The current grade level, current course taken, past psychology courses taken, assigned instructor, and level of spirituality (self and instructor) were included as contributing factors. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the Psy-FI pre-test score (measured at the beginning of the semester, β = -.20) and self-spirituality (β = 2.3) were associated with changes in faith integration, even after accounting for control variables. The study results show that the effectiveness of faith integration in classrooms varies depending on students’ spirituality and their initial level of faith integration at the beginning of the semester. Greater increases in faith integration were observed among students who reported a lower degree of faith integration at the beginning of the semester. Students who reported higher self-spirituality had a statistically significant positive association with changes in faith integration. In summary, the study found that faith integration in classrooms may not benefit all students to the degree to which they engage in faith integration in their course work.

Developing Kingdom Professionals

Tracy Ward (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This article explores students' perceptions of academic learning, spiritual growth, and Kingdom impact while serving in an international context. Although the literature about international service-learning projects has explored the importance of learning, personal development, and the service context separately, it lacks a framework to integrate all three. This study looks to White and Jacob's (2016, 2017) Kingdom Professional Model as a theoretical framework for readers seeking an integrated model for developing students through international service-learning experiences. Participants in the study included students from a global practicum in Malawi, Africa, who had served with a faith-based organization that provided health education to impoverished communities. Participants attended a debriefing session after returning from Malawi. Students indicated deep connections between the service context and their understanding of educational content and spiritual growth, concluding that their experiences of faith, learning, and service were closely interrelated. They highlighted differences between this experience and traditional mission trips, lessons related to faith; what they learned about the social work discipline; how they grew personally; and the faculty member's role in facilitating integration. After reviewing the literature and describing this study's context, methodology, and findings, this article will provide two lessons for implementing the Kingdom Professional Model. First, academically-driven programs can participate in advancing God's Kingdom in a way that is distinct from evangelistically-driven projects. Second, the faculty member has a significant role in guiding students through the process of integrating faith, learning, and service.

Cultivating Online Professor Presence as the Doorway to Discipleship

Daryl Neipp (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Studies have revealed that professor presence, and not merely professor engagement, are essential to a student’s success. While traditional, residential higher education programs often assume professor presence, the online experience requires proactivity by its faculty members in order to fill the natural perceptions that occur within virtual spaces. The challenge for Christian instructors is even greater, however, as effective professor presence is the doorway to spiritual influence. The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical foundations behind professor presence, to demonstrate the connection between professor presence and discipleship, and to also provide practical ideas to assist instructors in the process of implementation. Thus, faculty members will gain a clear understanding of not only why professor presence matters but also how they can assume greater levels of influence within their online classrooms.

Teaching Apologetics to non-Western Learners

Kelly Michael Hilderbrand (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Apologetics is an indispensable tool for discipleship and evangelism and should be included in Bible school and seminary curricula. However, the task of teaching apologetics in a non-Western culture or to students with a non-Western worldview has its difficulties and challenges. From the perspective of teaching at a seminary in Thailand, the author shares some principles for teaching apologetics to non-Western students. Challenges include teaching to the wrong question, considering worldview assumptions, learning from students, and finding resources.

Book Review: Identity in Action: Christian Excellence in All of Life

Jacob Slagill (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review: Faith, life, and learning online: Promoting mission across learning modalities

Cammy Purper (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Seminar on Faith and the Academic Profession

Scott B. Key, PhD (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Scott Key, emeritus professor of philosophy at California Baptist University, reflects on the need and development of the Seminar on Faith in the Academic Profession (SOFAP), a faculty development experience designed to support new faculty in a Christian higher education context.

Editor's Introduction

Ted Murcray — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Incoming Editor's Introduction

Kenneth Nehrbass (Author) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000