Tag: pedagogy

Wisdom Culture & the Juvenalization of American Christianity

January 21, 2020

“Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 Churches are busy with many good endeavors, but seeking and passing on wisdom seems to have fallen down the list of priorities. According to my teacher, Scot McKnight: “People today care less about growing up or gaining wisdom and far more about staying young, maintaining relevancy, and dressing according … More Wisdom Culture & the Juvenalization of American Christianity

Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony

November 11, 2018

This is an excerpt from a much longer essay I wrote called “Royal Scribes in the King’s Court: Ancient Education & Christian Discipleship” published in a little book of essays called “Life in King Jesus’ Colony” from my doctoral studies.     I hail from good Lutheran stock from the Midwest (Minnesota) where we shared … More Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony

ESSAY: Rabbi Jesus & the Embodiment of Torah

October 24, 2017

Here’s a small portion of my first doctoral research essay exploring Jesus and Rabbi-pupil dynamics in the ancient world. Warning: Academic essay. ——————————— There’s no denying the fact that at the center of Jesus’ earthly ministry was a group of pupils called disciples (Gk. mathetes; Heb. talmudhim), and that Jesus was called a ‘rabbi’ on … More ESSAY: Rabbi Jesus & the Embodiment of Torah

Teaching & Interpersonal Relationships

August 22, 2017

Matt Friedeman’s book The Master Plan of Teaching (1990) examines Jesus’ teaching style and suggests the following formula emphasizing that content alone is not enough, but the teacher-student relationship is a central ingredient: COMMUNICATION = CONTENT + RELATIONSHIP He then offers some steps toward effective interpersonal relationships in the graph below. Pastors and teachers who want to … More Teaching & Interpersonal Relationships