A classical Christian education is both “holistic” and “formative.” It not only provides information for hungry intellects; it should also shape the habits, loves, and longing of students to become people who desire God and his kingdom. This plenary session will explore the implications of this for pedagogy, considering some concrete examples of how a Christian worldview is “carried” in Christian practices. We will see how the spiritual disciplines are historic pedagogies. And we will also consider what practices can sustain and nourish teachers for this task.
James Smith
Jamie K.A. Smith, is professor of philosophy at Calvin College where he also teaches in the department of Congregational and Ministry Studies and serves as a research fellow of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Jamie is an award-winning author whose books include Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?; Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation; Letters to a Young Calvinist, and most recently, Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning (co-edited with David Smith). His writing has also appeared in magazines such as the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Christian Century, First Things, and Books & Culture. He and his wife, Deanna, have 4 children and are committed urban dwellers who make their home in the East Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids, MI. Website: www.jameskasmith.com
