This article is a response to Elmer Thiessen's article on evangelism in this journal. Although I agree with his general position that evangelism is an educationally justifiable activity, Thiessen criticizes comments I have made in my writings and charges me with being ambiguous. I respond to these remarks by defending the distinction that I…

It is frequently said that evangelism or proselytizing has no place in the classroom. The purpose of this essay is to counter this generalization and to explore the nature of legitimate religious influence in the classroom. In doing so I will offer some criteria to help us determine what is and what is not acceptable by way of religious persuasion…

In this paper I provide a critical commentary of Elmer Thiessen's "The Ethics of Evangelism". Following an overview of the book's project and strategies, I discuss two stages of the project in detail. The first is Thiessen's analysis of "religious proselytism"; the second is Thiessen's arguments that…

Gifted students certainly present a unique set of challenges to the classroom teacher, but they generally do not require extra or different interventions in order to pass high stakes assessments. With the current focus on students with learning, emotional, or behavioral disabilities that hinder academic achievement, classroom teachers may spend…

In this article, the author explores the Stone-Campbell tradition, which produced the North American Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ. In this tradition he finds the distinctive combination of three emphases to promote civic virtues in an honors context: (1) the individual pursuit of truth; (2) reliance on Scripture; and (3) the drive…

Thomas Hebert and Matthew T. McBee's (2007) recent study of gifted university students examines how an honors program can function as a community for social, intellectual, and psychological growth. In particular, they find that honors programs offer advantageous support for gifted students in navigating social isolation, in questioning traditional…

Any attempt to discern the purpose of honors education and to integrate it with the unique ethos of a Christian institution can prove to be difficult. Yet, describing and articulating a sense of purpose is essential for an honors program to justify itself. This essay contends that a philosophy of education based on Augustine's "Confessions" can…

In this article, the author argues that honors study flourishes most when rooted in a strong community, a community of learners (both students and faculty members) from different disciplines and levels of experience, who sustain a broad and ongoing conversation with one another. To him, it is the "heart" of honors study, whatever other goals a…

This article advocates the thesis that Christian teachers can and should draw on the resources of their faith in their work of leading teaching and learning. The secular approach where faith is treated as a private matter and the "market share" approach where the dominance of Christian faith is sought, are both rejected. A third way which aspires…

Although widespread consensus exists that the integration of Christian worldview, faith and learning lies at the heart of effective Christian education, such an aspiration has not always resulted in the embodiment of worldview principles within Christian educational contexts. In response to this dissonance, an alternative approach to integration…

This article presents Smith's response to Elmer John Thiessen's review of his book "Desiring the Kingdom." Before attending to specific concerns, the author first begins with an affirmation that he shares with Thiessen: He, too, found "worldview thinking" to be revolutionary. He said he is a whole-hearted worldview convert, as it were. Smith…

In this article, the author presents a rejoinder to John E. Hull. Van Brummelen first states his appreciation of John Hull's thoughtful evaluation of his views of curriculum, views in which many Christian educators have played a part. It has been several decades since the author spelled out what Hull calls an "education for discipleship"…

This article presents the author's response to John Hull's thoughtful evaluation of his article on shaping school curriculum in which many Christian educators have played a part. The author cites that particularly pertinent in Hull's paper is his contention that living a life of discipleship as a school community is at least as significant as…