Faith in Teaching podcast: Recent Episodes
David I. Smith
Elmer Thiessen discusses his recent book, Healthy Christian Minds: A Biblical, Practical, and Sometimes Philosophical Exploration of Intellectual Virtues and Vices (Cascade Books, 2024).
Jon Berends discusses the work of Act 5 in facilitating discipleship among young people ages 18-25 through their Gap Year and Residency programs; as well as their other programs for people of all ages. Find them at https://actfive.ca/.
Paul Gutacker (Brazos Fellows, Baylor University), discusses his new book, Practicing Life Together: A Common Rule for Christian Growth (Moody 2025, https://moodypublishers.com/practicing-life-together).
Patrick Manning, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University, discusses his new book, Be Still and Know: Contemplative Practices for Christian Schools and Educators. This is our second conversation with Patrick, the first was Episode #30.
Christine Jeske discusses hope and community in the context of the pursuit of racial justice. She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Wheaton College and author of the recent book Racial Justice for the Long Haul: How White Christian Advocates Persevere (& Why). Find it at https://www.ivpress.com/racial-justice-for-the-long-haul.
A discussion of the book Reconciliation in a Michigan Watershed: Restoring Ken-O-Sha and what it tells us about Christian teaching and learning, with the authors, Gail Gunst Heffner and David P. Warners. Find the book at https://msupress.org/9781611864939/reconciliation-in-a-michigan-watershed/.
A conversation with John R. Van Wyk, author of To Understand Things as Well as Words: An Examination of Jonathan Edwards as an Educator and His Pedagogical Methodology (https://wipfandstock.com/9798385217533/to-understand-things-as-well-as-words/).
David I. Smith talks with Laurie Koning and Tom Deelstra of EduDeo Ministries (https://edudeo.com/) about their work with Christian schools around the world.
Our guest host, Quentin Schultze (Professor Emeritus, Calvin University) interviews Kuyers Institute director David I. Smith about his new book, Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom. Find it at https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802883001/everyday-christian-teaching/, and find the new Everyday Christian Teaching K-12 professional development resources at everydaychristianteaching.com.
Kiera Phyo (Reconciling Leaders Network Director to the Archbishop of Canterbury) and Lorraine Prince (Head of Networks, National Society for Education, Church of England) discuss the Difference program (https://difference.rln.global/).
In our 50th episode, Christopher Richmann (Baylor University) discusses his new book, Authority, Passion, and Subject-Centered TeachingA Christian Pedagogical Philosophy.
Alan Bandstra discusses his new book, Solutions That Heal: Responding to Infectious Behavior in Learning Spaces (2025). Find it at https://books2read.com/solutions-that-heal.
Jonathan Eckert, co-executive director of the Baylor Center for School Leadership, discusses his book Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student (Corwin, 2023).
Rachel B. Griffis discusses the book she recently co-authored, Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of Our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age (with Julie Ooms and Rachel M. De Smith Roberts, Baker Academic, 2024).
Rachel Herweynen discusses Gäwa Christian School, located on Elcho Island, in Warramiri land, in the Northern Territory of Australia: "As well as training students in God’s law and teaching the Northern Territory school curriculum, we seek to preserve Warramiri knowledge and the gifts of the wider Yolŋu culture."
John Seymour discusses designing a distinctively Christian school environment that is also hospitable to a student population with diverse religious backgrounds.
Lynn E. Swaner discusses her recent book, co-written with Andy Wolfe, Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools (Eerdmans, 2021).
Tim Van Soelen, director of the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (cace.org) discusses teaching for transformation and the Practicing Faith Survey (practicing.faith).
John Sullivan, emeritus professor of Christian education at Liverpool Hope University, discusses his book Lights for the Path (Veritas, 2022, www.veritas.ie).
Asle Ystebø, director of the Egill Danielsen Foundation in Bergen, Norway, discusses his research on practices that communicate caring in the context of Christian schools in Norway.
Caitlin Munday, research fellow at the Scots College and founding director of the Teaching Schools Alliance (https://www.teachingschoolsalliancesydney.org/), discusses teacher training in Australia and challenges faced by the teaching profession.
Jennifer Holberg, Professor of English at Calvin University, discusses her new book, Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape Our Faith (IVP Academic, 2023).
Kevin den Dulk, associate provost for the Global Campus at Calvin University, discusses his work on democratic citizenship, political polarization, and the Civic Hospitality Project (civichospitality.com)
Diane Hockridge, Educational Designer at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia, discusses her research on designing online learning.
Matthew Kaemingk, chair of Richard John Mouw Chair of Faith and Public Life at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear (Eerdmans, 2018), discusses his work on the Civic Hospitality Project (civichospitality.com).
David I. Smith discusses the Civic Hospitality Project (civichospitality.com) with Micah Watson, executive director for the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin University.
Communications scholar Quentin Schultze discusses servant teaching as effective communication. His new book is Servant Teaching: Practices for Renewing Christian Higher Education (Edenridge Press LLC, 2022).
John E. Hull, professor emeritus from King’s University, discusses his new book Education for Hope: A Course Correction.
Kevin Gary, professor of education at Valparaiso University and author of Why Boredom Matters: Education, Leisure, and the Quest for a Meaningful Life (Cambridge University Press, 2022), discusses a mindset of leisure as an alternative to either boredom avoidance or resignation to boredom
A discussion of contemplative practices in education with Patrick Manning, chair of the department of pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary.
Timothy L. Price discusses his new edition of the 17th-century text, The Labyrinth of the World and The Paradise of the Heart, by John Amos Comenius.
Kyle R. Hughes discusses his book, Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age.
Amy Wilstermann, Rachael Baker, and Julie Yonker discuss their Team Science and Christian Practices project, a study of how Christian practices such as humility and delight can contribute to work as part of a team of science researchers.
At the height of the pandemic, the authors of Digital Life Together: The Challenge of Technology for Christian Schools held a virtual forum to discuss common questions posed by students, educators, and parents about the pitfalls and strengths of technology use in school. This is Part 1 of two parts.
At the height of the pandemic, the authors of Digital Life Together: The Challenge of Technology for Christian Schools held a virtual forum to discuss common questions posed by students, educators, and parents about the pitfalls and strengths of technology use in school. This is Part 1 of two parts.
Sara Leo discusses discovering the hidden curriculum found in the way we curate public spaces in schools.
Derek Schuurman (Calvin University) discusses the role of faith in engineering, the ways technology impacts society, and his new book, A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers (IVP Academic, https://www.ivpress.com/a-christian-field-guide-to-technology-for-engineers-and-designers).
This episode is part two of two segments of a podcast co-published with Cultivating [ spaces ] (Lexington Christian Academy, https://lca.edu/cultivating/). Jean Noh (Lexington Christian Academy), Dorothy Vaandering (Memorial University of Newfoundland), and David I. Smith (Calvin University) discuss their own paths to Christian education, the changing circumstances and practices of education, and what it means to "do well in school."
This episode is part one of two segments of a podcast co-published with Cultivating [ spaces ] (Lexington Christian Academy, https://lca.edu/cultivating/). Jean Noh (Lexington Christian Academy), Dorothy Vaandering (Memorial University of Newfoundland), and David I. Smith (Calvin University) discuss their own paths to Christian education, the changing circumstances and practices of education, and what it means to "do well in school." Part two will be available in late September.
Signe Sandsmark (Worldview-Neutral Education: Is it Possible or Desirable?) and David I. Smith discuss the concept of worldview neutral education and her recent research on why parents choose Christian schools for their children in the Norwegian context.
Dr. Sarinah Lo discusses the state of Christian education in Indonesia, and the research behind her book Faith-Integrated Being, Knowing, and Doing: A Study among Christian Faculty in Indonesia (Langham, 2020).
Luke Bretherton (Professor of Theological Ethics and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke Divinity School) discusses the meaning of conversion, the centrality of listening, and the relationship between faith and secularism.
Robert J. Keeley discusses the Children's Spirituality Summit (May 24-26, 2021, find more information and register at https://www.childrensspiritualitysummit.org/), and the new book Bridging Theory and Practice in Children's Spirituality: New Directions for Education, Ministry, and Discipleship (Zondervan, April 2021).
David Smith discusses the development of new Christian schools in Kyiv, Ukraine with Tatiana Garkun at a seminar for science and Bible teachers.
Elena Sychova discusses her work in establishing Christian schools in Ukraine and India.
David Smith and Kevin Gary (Valparaiso University) discuss the roles of teachers and students in Christian teaching and learning and his upcoming book, Why Boredom Matters: Education and the Quest for a Meaningful Life (Cambridge University Press).
David Smith and Kara Sevensma, two of the co-authors of Digital Life Together: The Challenge of Technology for Christian Schools, discuss the role of technology in creating community at Christian schools.
David I. Smith and John Witvliet discuss a faculty development workshop in which they explored what John Calvin's commentary on Psalm 19 contributes to modern pedagogy.
Darren Spyksma discusses a 10-month program in which teachers consider the impact of pedagogy ("any decision a teacher makes that's going to impact learning") on faith formation.
Faith Nguru discusses her work at Daystar University and the development of Christian universities in Kenya.
Paul Burgis discusses how Presbyterian Ladies' College builds Christian character and ways of thinking and engaging with a pluralist society.
Marilyn Rhames talks with David Smith about her nonprofit, Teachers Who Pray (https://www.teacherswhopray.org/), her new book The Master Teacher: 12 Spiritual Lessons That Can Transform Schools and Revolutionize Public Education (https://marilynrhames.com/), and about her work in public school systems.
David Smith discusses the changing culture of Christian education in Australia with Chris Parker of Christian Education National and author of The Frog and the Fish: Reflections on Work, Technology, Sex, Stuff, Truth, and Happiness. The book helps young adults understand and question how much they have been shaped by their culture.
David I. Smith talks with Albert Cheng (University of Arkansas) on whether and how schools can assess faith formation in their students.
Steve McMullen discusses his research on the effects of the amount and type of "screen time" among high school students who use school-issued laptops.
(Note: Recorded in 2019) David I. Smith talks with Natasha Moore of the Centre for Public Christianity (https://www.publicchristianity.org/) about engaging with perceptions and misperceptions of Christians and Christianity.
Interview with Trevor Cooling, Canterbury Christ Church University, National Institute for Christian Education Research
David I. Smith interviews Marj Terpstra, Professor of Education at Calvin University, about the new book Digital Life Together (Eerdmans).