CCGPS Mission Statement
Derived from our commitment to the mission statement of Eastern University, we seek to:
Equip, through Christian education, working adults to discern and utilize the Biblical gifts of ministry, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy to: achieve personal and professional goals, enhance the quality of life for humankind, extend the Kingdom of God and accomplish this in ethical and sustainable ways both locally and globally.
Philosophy of Graduate Education
A Missional Philosophy of Education
Education at Eastern University is predicated upon the university’s commitment to “the integration of faith, reason, and justice.” The following consists of an explication of this commitment in the Eastern context and an articulation of the implications of such for the academic tasks of research, instruction, and dissemination.
“Faith” refers less to cognitive content, in the form of doctrinal statements or theological assumptions (although it does include these), and more to a point of perspective, a position from which our academic enterprise emerges. It is the locus of our motivation to be and act as educators. We are not scholars who happen to be Christian; rather, we are Christians with a vocation of scholarship—a calling to know, to learn, discover, teach, and disseminate (Marsden, 1998).
“Reason” refers less to a commitment to rationalism as an epistemological strategy (although it is that), and more to the process by which the scholar moves from the starting point of faith to the destination of justice. It is the means of our task to be and act as educators. We are not primarily clergy, social workers, or politicians (although we may also be those things); rather, we are teachers and students seeking to create, learn, and question within a community of truth (Palmer, 1997).
“Justice” in this formulation refers less to a particular social agenda (although it may on occasion involve such), and more to the kind of individual and social transformation we seek to initiate. It is the articulation of our vision to be and act as educators. We are not primarily concerned with purely cognitive or professional measures of academic success (although we do desire these outcomes); rather, we are people of hope with a passion for shalom (Wolterstorff, 2004).
Finally, “integration” refers less to a particular model of blending these elements (although we do make use of that model), and more to the conversation that takes place between, among, and inside us as we work. It is the context of our efforts to be and act as educators. We are not tripartite persons, with separate silos for our rationality, spirituality, and activity; rather, we are whole persons in which our various ideals, passions, and concerns meet and inform each other (Jacobsen & Jacobsen, 2004).
We recognize that the interactions between faith, reason, and justice are seldom so linear as described here. Rather, reason informs faith and faith reason, and both define our notions of justice. And justice is not only the end for which we teach but also the standard by which our labors shall be evaluated. We thus seek to integrate our vision and values into both the content and the context of the learning experience. In so doing, we recognize that this formulation has significant implications for how we accomplish our vocation as Christian educators.
Notes:
Jacobsen, D. and Jacobsen, R. H., Eds. (2004). Scholarship and Christian faith: Enlarging the conversation. London: Oxford.
Marsden, G. M. (1998). The outrageous idea of Christian scholarship. London: Oxford.
Palmer, P. J. (1997). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wolterstoff, N. (2004). Educating for shalom: Essays on Christian higher education. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
