The Outrageous Idea of Christian Teaching

Garrett Trott, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education Numerous works have been published regarding faith and learning, but few have aimed to ask, "how can faith be integrated into college teaching?" Glanzer and Allerman ask this question and provide a notable work in response. Any institution that advocates for faith and learning but lacks this work is missing Glanzer and Allerman's insight into what faith integration looks like in the classroom -- where the rubber meets the road. Both Glanzer's and Allerman's research and the narrative utilized to present it make their work an outstanding addition to any who aim to be faithful in their teaching.

David Smith, Director, Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, Calvin College Discussion of how religion and scholarship meet in the university is a well-established enterprise. The related question of how faith identities affect the act of teaching has until recently been comparatively neglected. Glanzer and Alleman add important, fresh data to this conversation. Their thoughtful probing of how Christian faculty relate their faith commitments to their educational work should provoke all faculty to ponder the roots of their classroom choices.

Rick Ostrander, author of Why College Matters to God Drawing on both empirical research and philosophical analysis, Glanzer and Alleman inject some needed clarity into often muddled discussions about what Christian faith means-and doesn't mean-for teaching. This volume will be useful both to professors in Christian institutions and professors seeking to be faithfully Christian in secular institutions. The authors argue convincingly that far from being "outrageous," being authentically Christian may actually make one a better teacher.

Thomas S. Kidd, Vardaman Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor University In this illuminating and provocative book, Perry Glanzer and Nathan Alleman offer a definitive treatment of a much-neglected topic: the craft of Christian teaching.

Perry L. Glanzer is professor of Educational Foundations at Baylor University and a Resident Scholar with Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He is the coauthor or editor of nine books including The Quest for Purpose: The Collegiate Search for a Meaningful Life. Nathan F. Alleman is Associate Professor of Higher Education Studies at Baylor University and a Research Fellow with the Texas Hunger Initiative. He coauthored Restoring the Soul of the University: Unifying Christian Higher Education in a Fragmented Age.