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WHAT’S YOUR STORY? PERCEPTIONS OF DIVERSITY IN FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXTS
No full textOrganizations for the past several decades have made diversity a top priority. While diversity and inclusion can often be interpreted as synonymous terms, distinguishing between representative diversity and inclusive diversity is necessary for positive intergroup contact among working teams. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the effect of a missions training course on individuals\u27 perceptions of what constitutes a diverse and inclusive work environment. Using the personal stories of diverse panelists and pre and post-test survey research, the effect on perceptions of four constructs of diversity: gender, race/ethnicity, age, and language were examined. While study findings did not reveal statistically significant differences in perceptions, a high initial ceiling of diversity appreciation and awareness among missional workers in the pre-test may have contributed to the lack of significant impact. Ancillary analysis beyond the omnibus findings associated with the research question suggest that the training course intervention may have had more influence than study findings reveal. Implications for future studies on the impact storytelling can have on diversity and inclusion in the workplace are discussed
THE MAKING OF SAINTS: DISCIPLESHIP FORMATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH AS A WAY FORWARD FOR THE MODERN AGE
No full textAs the modern Western Church continues to move forward through its history, an effective theology of discipleship will be vital to maintain the Church’s witness to the surrounding world and culture. Looking to the Patristic Period as a way forward can give current practitioners practical solutions and insights to replicate the effectiveness of Christianity’s first beginnings. The Early Church’s Catechumenate involved robust discipleship formation where the pagans who went through the process would leave behind their Roman habitus and embody a Christian lifestyle. By returning to the early church writers, practices, and disciplines that early Christians would have lived out on a daily basis the author provides various frameworks and models to be implemented in the modern age. This paper suggests a model that is informed by the early church’s approach called Contra-Worldly Discipleship which entails various elements of the early Christian’s lifestyle. The author also points out four primary marks of the early church, to which it’s suggested that the modern Western Church should reimplement in a practice-based approach to discipleship formation
PATHWAYS TO FOSTER, DEVELOP, AND MEASURE UNITY IN A DIVERSE CHURCH SETTING
Get PDFAlthough there is still a long way to go, the Christian church in America is growing more and more diverse. In the same timeframe of the shift to more diversity, America has grown more divided politically, socially, and religiously. Throughout scripture, and especially in the New Testament, God speaks of the power and purpose of a unified church. The early church was required to grow in its diversity while also pursuing unity among all the differences that existed. The church of the twenty-first century and beyond is under the same mandate. This project’s purpose is to uncover, by surveying current pastors of diverse churches, pathways and best practices that exist presently that aid in pursuing unity in a diverse context. Through the implementation of these researched pathways and best practices in diverse churches across America, Jesus’ prayer from John 17 will be fulfilled when he says that by the Church’s unity (oneness), the world will know that Jesus is the Savior of the world
Addressing the Failures of Modern Math Instruction: Insights from Classical Christian Education
Get PDFFollowing the Covid 19 pandemic, standardized mathematics test scores for American 4th and 8th graders plummeted dramatically. While many have been quick to blame the sudden and chaotic quarantine-mandated movement onto virtual platforms of learning, the history of American public education reveals a centuries-old struggle for math proficiency amid inconsistent attitudes about the relevance of math, appropriate objectives for math proficiency, and the mechanisms by which numeracy should be evaluated. From the mid-19th century, during what the author will refer to as the modern education era, objectives have endured constant recalibration as oscillating priorities have dictated math skill prioritization. The result has been a quantifiably inferior legacy of math outcomes that have continuously fallen short of the needs of the country, and more importantly, the needs of young students. A plethora of consequences have arisen in the wake of educational fickleness and misguided emphasis in the modern classroom; prominent among them are negative academic, emotional, and spiritual repercussions visited on young and impressionable students of mathematics which interrelate in such a way as to leave them ill prepared and demoralized. In contrast to the modern education paradigm, the ideals of a classical Christian education necessarily consider a study of mathematics to be a means of human flourishing rather than a mechanism by which to simply attain college entrance, provide a robust workforce, or address and combat erratic threats to the nation. Classical Christian education objectives are fixed in a timeless call to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over all things and to acknowledge His glory as an aim of all endeavors. By providing effective instruction through judicious and trustworthy tools, and by making math personally relevant through acknowledgement of math’s 5 transcendent realities, it is possible to break cycles of trepidation, disinterest, and misunderstanding that culminate in math incompetency. In doing so, it stands to reason that this reclamation of success of individual students would echo, collectively, into society, the nation, and beyond
ELEMENTARY SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN MODERN EDUCATION AND CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Get PDFThough science education is important, science scores are on the decline in the United States. Both public school and home educators generally feel ill-equipped to teach science to their elementary students. This is an expository paper researching how elementary science is taught in modern education and classical Christian education models and the perceived benefits of each model. Research was conducted on the goals, methodologies, and time spent on science instruction as well as class sizes and assessment. Findings show both modern and classical Christian educational models strive to provide the best science instruction they can. The educational models differ concerning the integration of subjects, the relationship between student and teacher, time constraints, and group sizes. The research also showed there is a lack of data on assessment for the classical Christian model
EVANGELSHIP: MOBILIZING A CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP THAT LEADS TO EVANGELISM IN A MULTIETHNIC LATINO CONTEXT
Get PDFDiscipleship and evangelism in America today are eroding. Where traditionally the church sees discipleship and evangelism as separate entities, this research project argues for the unification of the two. This project explores “Evangelship,” the uniting of evangelism and discipleship, to see if the combined approach and perspective could offer a better way to engage the North American population. The driving question for this project is “Can the integration of evangelism and discipleship create a culture that accelerates and advances the Great Commission at U-Turn Covenant Church (U-Turn)?” To answer this question, the study aims to establish a discipleship framework that informs laity as to what Jesus meant by “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). The intent is to shift North American Christian culture to view evangelism not as an event but as a lifestyle that flows naturally out of discipleship. To establish this framework, the research observes four movements: from separation to integration, from event to (lifestyle) process, from specialization to equipping the saints, and from Latinos reaching Latinos (homogenous) to Latinos reaching diverse cultures (heterogenous). Emerging from this study, are eight principles that help create a culture of discipleship that leads towards evangelism. Using a quantitative method, an initiative was developed, and a pre- and post-test survey was created in order to test the efficacy in the construct of “Evangelship.” The significance of this study is that it provides a practical glance in how the integration of evangelism and discipleship can create a culture that influences better results in accelerating and advancing the Great Commission amongst laity who practice Evangelship as a lifestyle. Abstract (Spanish) RESUMEN El discipulado y el evangelismo en América hoy están erosionando: donde tradicionalmente la iglesia ve el discipulado y el evangelismo como entidades separadas, este proyecto de investigación aboga por la unificación de los dos. Este proyecto explora el Evangelship; la unión del evangelismo y el discipulado, para ver si el enfoque y la perspectiva combinados podrían ofrecer una mejor manera de involucrar a la población norteamericana La pregunta principal de este proyecto es ¿Puede la integración del evangelismo y el discipulado crear una cultura que acelere y avance la Gran Comisión en U-Turn Covenant Church (U-Turn)? Para responder a esta pregunta, el estudio tiene como objetivo establecer un discipulado marco que informe a los laicos sobre lo que Jesús quiso decir con *ir y hacer discípulos de todas las naciones (Mateo 28.19). La intención es cambiar la cultura cristiana norteamericana para ver el evangelismo no como un evento sino como un estilo de vida que fluye naturalmente del discipulado. Para establecer este marco; la investigación observa cuatro movimientos: de la separación a la integración, de evento a (estilo de vida) proceso, de la especialización a equipar a los santos, y de Latinos alcanzando a Latinos (homogéneo) a Latinos alcanzando diversas culturas (heterogéneo): Surgiendo de este estudio, hay ocho principios que ayudan a crear una cultura de discipulado que conduce hacia el evangelismo Usando un método cuantitativo, se desarrolló una iniciativa y se creó una encuesta de pre y post prueba para probar la eficacia en la construcción de Evangelship. La importancia de este estudio es que proporciona una visión práctica de cómo la integración del evangelismo y el discipulado puede crear una cultura que influya en mejores resultados en la aceleración y el avance de la Gran Comisión entre los laicos que practican el evangelismo como un estilo de vida
