Date

8-24-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics (MA)

Chair

Mark Allen

Keywords

Christian faith, higher education, transcendent approach, postmodernism, autonomist approach

Disciplines

Christianity | Higher Education

Abstract

The current decline in performance and effectiveness of higher education makes it necessary to re-evaluate the teaching foundation on the theology of human nature that college professors hold. Since their foundation determines the approach that defines them as teachers, their pedagogy, and their curriculum, it is essential to consider two approaches. One of them is the transcendent approach of the Christian faith that defines human beings as lovers, believers, and thinkers. The other approach is the autonomist postmodern approach which defines human beings as social constructs. Since the college professor’s approach to human nature affects students' learning outcomes, this thesis seeks to analyze how the transcendent Christian approach to human beings will lead to better learning than the postmodern autonomous approach and open the door to sharing the Gospel in secular universities. This thesis argues that since the transcendent Christian approach helps to shape and encourage students' hearts, minds, and beliefs towards God, students' desire to learn increases. Opposite to this result, this thesis also argues that the autonomist postmodern approach limits the professor's scope of teaching by analyzing issues from a relativist pluralistic perspective. Because the transcendent Christian approach provides better learning, this thesis also seeks to encourage orthodox Christian academics to draft and teach classes in secular universities that can be used to expose students to the truth of the gospel in various disciplines through elective courses without being silenced by universities’ academic requirements and goals on how a class will contribute to the greater economy and social development.

Download

Share

COinS