Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Integration of Faith and Learning in the HPERDS Disciplines

by Julie Walton, Ph.D.
Calvin College

There is a catchphrase in Christian Education with which we like to describe the many ways we apply our faith in the classroom.  What might this integration of faith and learning look like in some of the HPERDS disciplines?  Within the distinctively Reformed Christian tradition to which we at Calvin College adhere, the integration of faith and learning stems from the sovereignty of Christ over all of creation.  Thus, even learning is subject to, informed by, and molded from this idea that we are first, and always, God’s creatures in God’s world, and that the world as we see and know it is a far cry from that which God created and called good.  Moreover, through the power of Christ’s redeeming work, Christians are themselves called to do God’s work as agents of renewal in the church, the academy, and society.

In HPERDS, we begin to look at the many ways faith integration can, and does take place every day in the context of the place of the HPERDS disciplines in an undergraduate Christian liberal arts setting.  It is here that students are called to learn and live the virtues of stewardship and diligence as they discover the joy inherent in human movement and play.  In and through HPERDS we can look at the remarkable and complex human form, and marvel that God Himself condescended to take on such appearance.  We can ponder the meaning of “created in the image of God” and wonder that we, in our sinfulness, can be called to image a Holy God.  We can study the nature of competition, and look for the ways it can and should be a healthy reflection of an abundant life informed by play and best effort.  We can reflect on the importance of rest and leisure in the middle of a chaotic culture that rewards restlessness.

Of course, all of this is first and foremost informed by God’s Word itself.  In my own teaching, I begin with the premise that none of us know Scripture as well as we could or should.  I want students to confront the underlying relativism that creates some of the wrong thinking that permeates and percolates in their lives.  So, together we seek God’s leading, and trust that greater knowledge of Him will manifest itself in godly lifestyles governed and blessed- individually and corporately- by the virtues through the conduit of God’s love and mercy.  I emphasize this relationship-building between God and self to infuse students’ lives in ways informed by faith in every thought and behavior as they learn new facts about God’s universe.  Why?  That they might take in new knowledge, compare and connect it with what they already know, understand how it does (or does not) fit into their present worldview, and how it changes and challenges their assumptions.  For example, in Exercise Physiology we study the effects of performance-enhancing supplements on the physiology of athletic performance.  In the sporting world, creatine is a legal and effective supplement for increasing muscle size and strength.  The logical question we address, then, is if it is a distinctively Christian response to use, or refrain from using creatine in competitive athletics.  As you might imagine, this poses ethical dilemmas from more than one corner.

This is learning, and when informed and infused by faith, it is learning that brings a lifelong joy of discovery about God and His world, and leads each of us daily back to the righteousness of our Lord Who promises a life of blessing.

It is our desire, through PIVOT, to continue raising this idea of faith-integration in the HPERDS disciplines, and we hope you will join us with your examples and reflections.

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