Foreword

Arlen R. Dykstra, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Missouri Baptist University

On the threshold of the new millennium, Christian colleges and universities are faced with new challenges, as never before. The postmodern way of thinking—which regards plurality, diversity, and tolerance as prime virtues—questions the exclusive truth claims of the Christian faith. Pluralist theologians argue that Christianity is not above any other religions. Professor John Hick of the University of Birmingham, for instance, declares that Christianity is neither better nor worse than other major world religions and that the Bible and theology are human creations. America has also experienced radical changes in demographics and cultural perspectives. With the rise of racial minorities and new immigrants, multiculturalism and global thinking have become an integral part of school curricula.

Intégrité: A Faith and Learning Journal was conceived to provide a forum for discussing various theological and pedagogical issues confronting church-related institutions of higher learning today. Combining faith and learning is not an easy task, as some might think. Christian schools have an added burden that secular schools do not have: pursuing academic excellence while maintaining the Christian soul. Although Intégrité neither believes in nor seeks easy answers to the complex task of faith and learning integration, we are confident that, with humility and open discussions, we can somehow advance the cause of Christian higher education.

Christian institutions across the nation recognize the difficulty inherent in maintaining a faculty who publishes scholarly works while teaching heavy academic loads each semester. A number of faculty members at Missouri Baptist University have been successful in accomplishing both. The current issue of Intégrité includes four scholarly articles and four book reviews. Except for the lead article, all works were contributed by Missouri Baptist University faculty. In “Ecclesiastes and Revelation: The Embodiment of Authentic Hope in the Classroom,” Harold K. Bush, Jr., of Saint Louis University focuses on the Christian concept of hope in the classroom setting. Mary C. Bagley’s “Teaching Dramatic Works in a Christian Institution of Higher Learning” discusses how a Christian environment can be challenged in teaching secular literature. C. Clark Triplett’s “Thinking Critically as a Christian: The Possibility of a Critique of Knowledge after Foundationalism” explores the need for a critical framework for relating faith to other disciplines. Meanwhile, in “Love, Time, and Eternity: Teaching Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress,” John J. Han exemplifies how faith can be incorporated into a literature class. I trust that the reader will find in this journal some hints and suggestions for pursuing both an undiluted Christian faith and academic excellence.

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