• Table of Contents and Organizational Structure
• Call for Papers

Beginning in 2014, Grand Canyon University began a new process of integrating the Christian faith with the teaching and learning of the academic disciplines of the university (known as IFL). As of 2015, this initiative was expanded to include work, or vocation (IFLW). Traditionally, IFL had been conceived by Christian academics as an individual endeavor, in which the professor used his or her knowledge and convictions about the connections between Christianity and learning in the relevant discipline to devise activities and information in courses that promoted integration. 

The academic world, and especially the world of composition studies, has struggled with the place of faith in our classrooms. While critical pedagogies (e.g., gender theory or race theory) are an enormous focus of composition studies, religious identity is generally not regarded as a social construct worthy of examination in the study of rhetoric and composition (Goodburn, 1998; Rand, 2001). When faith is mentioned in the discussion of critical constructs such as race, gender, and culture, it is often perceived negatively (Goodburn, 1998). As composition instructors at a Christian university, the researchers felt compelled to examine the concrete ways in which our colleagues integrated their faith in a discipline that generally disregards it.

The challenge for every Christian university is to integrate faith and learning in such a way that the teaching appropriately reflects the Christian faith while presenting the curriculum in a professional manner. The purpose of this essay is to focus on the teaching of math and science and the challenge they present for integration of the Christian worldview. The essay first endeavors to address the tension between naturalism and theism, a tension that for many seems especially formidable in the scientific realm. It reviews the principal arguments for theism, before moving on to integration approaches, and viable views of creation within a Christian worldview. It then turns to particular topics within the disciplines where integration is most natural, and ends with a discussion on how to handle biblical misconceptions concerning science.

The integration of faith and psychology has been a topic of discussion for decades (Francis, 2005). Often considered a personal matter and taboo to discuss, religious beliefs impact perspectives on topics including sexual expression, marital roles, and death (Canda & Furman, 2010). Varying points of view regarding the ability to successfully merge the two range from those who feel it is possible and necessary to those who feel that the two disciplines should be kept completely separate. While many Bible colleges and Christian universities see the necessity and the possibilities that are present in regards to integrating a Christian perspective into the psychology discipline, the struggle remains how to do this effectively. Garzon and Lewis Hall (2012) noted that the resources available to help faculty with integration are scarce or outdated. For this reason, it is important for psychology faculty to collaborate to determine the best fit for the department, taking into consideration the faculty who work within the department, the student body, and the resources and tools available.

One commonplace of the various Christian subcultures in the United States is their model of engagement with the larger national culture; most of these subcultures expect their societal action to somehow change their world for the better. James Davison Hunter, LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory at the University of Virginia, considers these models of engagement from a sociological perspective. Though this volume has relevance to those who are grappling with the difficult issues off how a Christian worldview can be integrated into the curriculum, it will be most interesting and important for those who keep cultural issues and effectiveness in mind. Though written from a sociological perspective, the focus of this book is less on the relevance of sociological theory to Christianity, and more on how sociological perspectives might inform the ways in which Christians undertake to engage with and change the cultures in which they live.

This essay offers an overview of faith integration at GCU over the course of the 2015-16 academic year. The initiative to integrate faith, learning and work (IFLW) at GCU began in earnest in 2013 and has continued into the present. Several developments are worthy of mention but only a few may be addressed within the brief narrative that follows. Emphasis has been placed on the most significant developments in terms of their impact on the Christian identity of the university and the university’s ability to shape students’ lives through the curriculum, classroom instruction and co-curricular opportunities.