Fall 2018
SEPTEMBER
Presenter: Gregory Spencer, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Studies, Westmont College
Date and Time: Tuesday, September 11, 7-8 pm, EST
Title: “Reframing the Soul: How Words Transform our Faith”
Description: This webinar revolves around Dr. Spencer’s recently released book, “Reframing the Soul: How Words Transform our Faith.” The driving question of this book is, “When we frame our lives, what’s in the picture?” Too often, we think that “the world just is the way it is and I talk about it the way it is.” But our words shape our experience and can reshape our experience. Through many personal stories and interviews—about alcoholism, family betrayal, remarriage, faith journeys, etc.—issues of reframing are reviewed through four soul essentials: remembering the past with gratitude, anticipating the future with hope, dwelling within in peace, and engaging with others in love.
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OCTOBER
Presenter: Kevin Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Arts, George Fox University
Date and Time: Thursday, October 25, 7-8 pm, EST
Title: “Faith Integration as Servant Leadership”
Description: The integration of faith and learning is often misunderstood. While the phrase is often used in Christian college circles, defining the phrase has proven challenging at times. While students may think it is just praying before class, there has to be more to it than just that. This essay defines integration as servant-leadership. Drawing upon critical pedagogy and the writings of several faith-based leadership authors, combined with real life experiences, I argue that the integration of faith and learning is a state-of-the-heart mindset of a true servant-leader.
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NOVEMBER
Presenters: Tim Muehlhoff, Ph.D., Professor of Communication, Biola University
Date and Time: Monday, November 19, 7-8 pm, EST
Title: “Professors as Spiritual Targets: The Reality of Spiritual Battle in the Classroom”
Description: Thinking biblically entails seeing the world through the eyes of Scripture. Most of us attempt to order our daily lives to fit the perspectives offered by biblical writers: We acknowledge that God exists, so we pray. We know that God’s love is for all, so we seek to find ways to share Christ’s message with others. We embrace the Scriptures as God’s communication to us, so we read it regularly. Yet, what about the reality of Satan? “On this topic,” suggests theologian Clint Arnold, “some of us suffer a double-mindedness. Although mental assent is given to the likelihood that evil spirits exist since it is affirmed in the Bible, in reality it makes no practical difference in the way we live our day-to-day lives.” As Christian educators seeking to influence students how can we tell if tension in the classroom or among colleagues is normal, or spiritual attack? And, if we determine it’s spiritual opposition what can we do?
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DECEMBER
Presenter: Mary Darling, Professor of Communication and Media, Spring Arbor University
Date and Time: Monday, December 3, 7-8 pm, EST
Title: “Thérèse of Lisieux: Communicating Love and Hospitality to Difficult People”
Description: If young Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), “the Little Flower of Jesus,” had not been asked to write about her life in her last six months on earth, her life would be hidden. Yet what she wrote was so captivating that her collection of autobiographical materials in The Story of a Soul resulted in Thérèse becoming the youngest Doctor of the Catholic Church. Her work contains captivating stories of spiritual and communication practices that resulted in Thérèse showing hospitality to others—especially those she saw as difficult others—in practical, “little ways.” These same, seemingly hidden, habits can be employed today as a means by which to generously welcome the stranger in our midst.
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