In this paper I reply to John Tillson's critique of my book, "The Ethics of Evangelism," and Trevor Cooling's critique of my article, "Evangelism in the Classroom," both found in this issue of the journal. (Contains 11 notes.)

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…

This article presents Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a humanizing ecclesial and educational practice. NVC is a four-step process of communication designed to facilitate empathy and honesty between individuals and groups. Through an interdisciplinary dialogue with Reformed theology, this article argues that NVC is one concrete means of living as…

Schools should lead students in learning to fulfil their many vocations in life. To do this, they must ask, what learning is of most value? The criteria employed to select this rather than that educational experience will reflect the answer given. But what is learned is inextricably linked with how it is learned. Though there are many differing…

Wolterstorff's argument for art as a form of action that enables us to anticipate shalom and Ricoeur's concept of the narrative intelligence developed in the reader of stories are tested out in a freshman non-specialist English class where the interpretation of literature, covered by the power of prayer, fosters both intellectual and moral…

The current quest for educational excellence in the United States is characterized by numerous well-intentioned caveats accompanied by several challenging barriers. In the present paradigm, the curriculum is preeminent; norms of excellence are predetermined; and an individualistic, competitive, "one-size-fits-all" approach prevails. In a…

Passionate religious commitment is often viewed as a problem in education because believers are thought to impose their views on others in the belief that they are public truth. This article examines two case studies and concludes that this concern is real. An influential response is to argue that religious commitment should therefore be a private…