R. Alton Lacey, Ph.D.
President
Professor of Psychology
Missouri Baptist University

One of the greatest and most significant challenges facing administrators and faculty members of faith-based, church-related institutions is what to do about infusing subject matter with religious conviction.  Some would question, and rightfully so, that knowledge and faith should ever have been considered disjoined.  After all, for the believer, all truth is from God and we should never fear from whence it came or where it leads.  However, the fact is that within most faith-based institutions the integration of faith and learning is an ongoing quest.

There are many reasons for our needed diligence in this area, but one stands out in my mind.  Simply put, many of our professors, while fine Christians and exemplary academics, have had little training in pedagogy.  Most of our professors achieved the highest degree through study at public universities or private non-sectarian colleges and universities.  When confronted with teaching, they rely mostly on the methods by which they were taught.  Few have been confronted with the complexities of teaching from a perspective of faith until they begin their careers in the college classroom. 

During my many years in the Christian college I have had the opportunity to hear from the finest minds on the subject of faith and learning.  I do not recall any time in the past thirty years when there has been more interest in-or have been better resources-on the subject than the present.  While the philosophical and theological issues have been well presented, there still exists the need for pedagogical issues to be addressed, especially for subjects that do not lend themselves as easily to the integration of faith into the curriculum.

In an effort to assist our faculty and to better formalize a process for addressing the opportunities that we have as a Christian university, a permanent faith and learning committee was established with the charge to keep before our campus community the need for assiduousness in this important area.  In addition to the Faith and Learning Committee, we also participate in the Rhodes Consultation.  Through the encouragement and support of this group, we are pleased to bring the first edition of the journal Intégrité. It is our hope that it will provide not only a source for discussion of the theological and philosophical issues surrounding the integration of Christian faith and higher learning but also a practical guide and encouragement for the practitioner.

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