Christ-animated graduate education in America: Can we redeem a Protestant failure?

Unlike the liberal arts college, American graduate education started as and continues to be a secular affair. The last four decades, however, have produced growth in both the number and quality of Christian graduate programs. The question we asked is: do American Christian institutions engage in graduate education Christianly? To answer this question for Protestants, we undertook a theologically-guided discourse analysis of the 638 graduate programs at the 41 top ranked Protestant Christian universities in the United States. In particular, we looked at the marketing, objectives, and curriculum. We found only one-third of the graduate programs demonstrated even one piece of evidence demonstrating Christian distinctiveness.

The power of love: The spiritual foundations of chaplaincy in Catholic universities – A framework for discussion

This article delineates the foundational theological principles upon which a Catholic Higher Education chaplaincy devoted to the spiritual development of staff and students might rest. We claim that this is a key dimension of chaplaincy work. In a (post)modern culture where staff and students exhibit a range of beliefs or none, we offer a broad definition of spirituality not necessarily tied to religion and construct a framework which might appeal to a wide cross section of people attending Catholic Universities. It examines how the insights and guidance of two French Catholic writers, the 16th century priest St. Francis de Sales and the contemporary philosopher Jean-Luc Marion, offer a basis for understanding what constitutes a spiritual approach to life. We suggest that their emphases on the power of love, the heart, God’s glory, imago Dei and gift constitute a ground of hope and stable base from which spiritual progress might take place. We also outline how this template challenges the emphasis on autonomous agency at the centre of much educational discourse at the present time.

A model for incorporating faith, values, and ethics into a healthcare provider course

Faith, values, and ethics are critical for all individuals to learn, but especially healthcare providers. Here, we report on the development of a course focused on these topics at a private Christian college of pharmacy. The course utilized a longitudinal approach combined with three overarching and connected course themes to explore the merging of faith and professional practice. Students were engaged in learning using a combination of approaches including guest presenters, panel discussions, interactive interviews, and small group discussions. This course provides a model for discussing faith, values, and ethics in the context of healthcare education.

The value of music in liberal arts education and integrating musicing into a music appreciation course

A liberal arts education for Christians is about finding God’s truth; therefore, Christian students need to be educated in a broad range of subjects, including music. While a music appreciation course is thought to be about gaining knowledge of music, some music scholars have pointed out that a music curriculum should involve students in experiencing the essence of music through doing. This article discusses God’s invitation for us to music and the value of music in a liberal arts education. In addition, it looks at the integration of a praxial approach (referred to here as musicing) in a music appreciation course.