Issue 5 - Editorial Introduction
We are pleased to present to you the Summer 2025 issue of Integration: A Journal of Faith and Learning. In this issue, we have a strong slate of thought-provoking articles
Timothy Tennent gave an address at our 6th annual conference that left us thinking we needed to include it in the journal. While he notes that we are in a period of radical change in theological education, Tennent argues that the mood should be one of hope and opportunity rather than despair. In particular, he points to a global church that is hungry for more. We must find a way to meet that need.
Mark Eckel offers an essay that fits well with our title, Integration. Specifically, he promotes a form of faith and learning integration he calls “biblical worldview integration.” In the service of that idea, Eckel sets out “umbrella principles” such as human beings made in God’s image, human sinfulness, one true God who provides coherence, common grace and the study of creation, and humans as communicators. His major question is how faculty can support biblical worldview integration.
Paul Kaak is likewise interested in the question of integration with a focus on how we might better engage in faculty development to that end. Based on his experience, he concludes that integration continues to be a challenge because of things like disciplinary barriers and difficulty in finding the right presenters and champions to aid in creating a culture of integration.
Matthew Pinson encourages us to look at culture as cultivation instead of seeing it as just a reading of where the energy is in a society. The idea is one of shaping rather than merely reflecting or measuring. In order to shape a culture, he urges Christians to see themselves as radically distinct and to preserve the antithesis the church has over against the broader culture. However, it is critical to remain in a mode of engagement and to avoid courting enmity even as we make differences clear.
Mark Boone seeks to offer a defense of the rationality of not embracing macroevolution, which is, of course, an overwhelming presumption in the broader academy. Boone is concerned that we may too easily bend the knee to Darwin and his successors and encourages more generosity between those who disagree with each other on the point.
In addition to these main articles, we also offer two reflective essays. Leah Zuidema reflects on the biblical theme of sabbath and its implications for Christian educators. We think many readers will find her essay to be both devotional and practical. Jeremy Kimble reflects on the need to develop a counter-catechesis to accompany the catechesis the church has often promoted. Along those lines, he points to work by Tim Keller, Trevin Wax, and Thomas West. His thoughts are a nice complement to Pinson’s article.
As always, we include review essays, reviews, notices of recent books related to Christian education. If you are interested in reviewing a title, please contact us. And if you would like to submit an article for consideration, or have an idea, we would like to hear from you. The vision of Integration is to promote the development of a robust understanding of the integration of faith and learning across academic disciplines, rooted in a biblical worldview, and building upon the Christian intellectual tradition. We would welcome articles that intersect with these themes and apply them to colleges and universities, theological education, Christian K-12 settings, or other educational venues that exist on the frontiers of Christian education. You can find our emails at the bottom of the journal’s home page.