Find out what our expert panel said about the crisis of international students in Canada this past November. They cover the statistics, but also the stories of real people and the Biblical call to do justice and care for the sojourner within your gates. … More The Crisis of International Students in Canada: An Opportunity for Peace in a Troubled World?
We are losing our religious literacy in North America, and it is much to our detriment. There can be no peace without knowledge of each other’s faith, and no understanding of the Western world without knowledge of the Bible. Religion is the fourth “R” in any basic education, and our world would be better for including more rather than less religion in its education systems.
… More Joseph and The Whale: The Decline in Biblical–and Religious–Literacy and What to Do about it
The novel Catcher in the Rye was written by American author J. D. Salinger in 1951 and has been standard high school fare since, with a million books still sold each year and a place on the top 100 books of the century. But it has been one of the most censored books in America and I think it is time to put it on the shelf. … More Holden Caufield vs Holling Hoodhood: Teens as Alienated or Mentored into Adulthood?
I teach World Religions at Redeemer University and require my students to visit a non-Christian house of prayer: a temple, mosque, gurdwara, or synagogue. Many of them are conservative Christian students, and many have never been to such a place, and some are worried and anxious about the assignment. Here I delve into the reasons why this is such an important experience for a Christian. … More Why Enter A Temple of Another Religion? Crossing the Threshold into Your Neighbour’s House of Prayer
Leo Van Arragon argues that our children are being done a deep disservice if they only receive anemic religious classes that are sanctioned only to benefit the state. He posits a new critical form of religious literacy that helps students develop a deeper sense of meaning in their life–while understanding others’ religion more accurately. … More State Control of Religious Education in Public Schools: The Need for Critical Religious Literacy Beyond State Interests
University students are shaped by more than just their chosen program: there are other, more invisible forces that shape their lives for good or ill. In a previous blog I explained the overt, phantom, and null curriculums of a university. Here I explain the electronic, hidden, and concomitant curriculums that make up every student’s learning career. … More Choosing Your University: Part II
The university years are critical: critical to your profession, to your friendships and probable marriage, and to your likely geographic commitments. Realize that universities shape you in their image, narrative, and priorities. They get to your heart, and they offer you a dream. Unfortunately, much of the curriculum is invisible… … More Should I Enrol at a Public or Christian University? A Guide to the Invisible Curricula (Part 1)
Over the last few decades the term “safe space” has been used to name a physical space, event or conversation that intends to protect people from attitudes, words, and perspectives that may be perceived as hurtful to someone or offensive to their own convictions. I hear it frequently in my church, but this new “safe” initiative has been most prevalent on public university campuses, and usually pertains to discussions of controversial social issues. This practise needs to stop, for our own safety. … More Making Space not Safe, but Good: Learning to Listen Hard so we Don’t Shoot
This guest blog was written by Global Scholar Dr. Stephen Ney, now serving in Sierra Leone. He maintains that “the neoliberal university encourages students to think about their entitlement and implicitly sanctions their consumeristic goals.” One of Ney’s students in Ghana adds: “One of the key driving forces of the University is money.” … More Go to University and Get Rich: The Temptation to Seek Education as Upward Mobility
This book is packed with charts, graphs and sidebars covering such topics as Millennials’ values, social issues, sexuality, family life, religion, and expectations. Intended for a popular audience, the authors state, “we want this to be an enjoyable conversation, not a lifeless report written by dull clinicians” … More Millennials and the Sacredness of Diversity
Sensus Divinitatis 