Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education: Connecting Parallel Universities PDF
Preview Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education: Connecting Parallel Universities
SACRED AND SECULAR TENSIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Both sacred and secular worldviews have long held a place in US higher education, although nonreligious perspectives have been privileged in most institutions in the modern era. Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education illustrates the importance of cultivating multiple worldviews at public, private, and faith-based colleges and universities in the interest of academic freedom, and intellectual and moral dialogue. Contributors to this edited collection argue that sacred perspectives are as integral to contemporary higher education in the United States as the more dominant secular perspectives. The debates and issues addressed in this book attempt to rebalance the dialogue and place an emphasis on pluralism, rather than declare victory of one paradigm over the other. Student aff airs a dministrators, higher education and religious studies faculty, and campus ministers and chaplains will benefi t from better understanding the interplay of these sometimes competing and sometimes complementary ideas on campus, and the impact of the debate on the lives of faculty, students, and staff . Dr. Michael D. Waggoner is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Northern Iowa and Editor of the peer-reviewed journal, Religion & Education (www.informaworld.com/urel). SACRED AND SECULAR TENSIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Connecting Parallel Universities Edited by Michael D. Waggoner First published 2011 by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2011 Taylor & Francis The right of the editor to be identifi ed as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without p ermission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation witho ut intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sacred and secular tensions in higher education : connecting parallel universities / [edited by] Michael D. Waggoner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Education, Higher—Aims and objectives—United States. 2. Universities and colleges—United States—Religion. 3. Religious pluralism—United States. I. Waggoner, Michael. LB2324.S23 2011 378’.01—dc22 2010039711 ISBN13: 978-0-415-88755-7 (hbk) ISBN13: 978-0-415-88756-4 (pbk) ISBN13: 978-0-203-83383-4 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo and Stone Sans by EvS Communication Networx, Inc. Printed and bound in the United States of America on acid-free paper by Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, MO CONTENTS List of Figures and Tables vii Permissions ix Preface xi 1 Sacred and Secular Tensions in Contemporary Higher Education 1 Michael D. Waggoner 2 Taking the Tournament of Worldviews Seriously in Education: Why Teaching about Religion Is Not Enough 18 Perry L. Glanzer 3 Teaching Spirituality in Public Higher Education 35 C. Carney Strange and Judy L. Rogers 4 Understanding the “Interior” Life of Faculty: How Important Is Spirituality? 49 Jennifer A. Lindholm and Helen S. Astin 5 Inviting Atheists to the Table: A Modest Proposal for Higher Education 72 Robert J. Nash 6 Jesus, the Enlightenment, and Teaching World History: The Struggles of an Evangelical Scholar 92 Ralph E. Lentz vi Contents 7 Evangelicals on Campus: An Exploration of Culture, Faith, and College Life 108 Alyssa N. Bryant 8 Exploring Religious Pluralism in Higher Education: Nonmajority Religious Perspectives among Entering First-Year College Students 134 Alyssa N. Bryant 9 Spirituality and Religion: Through the Eyes of the “Hidden Educators” 155 Christy Moran Craft 10 University Student Aff airs Staff and Their Spiritual Discussions with Students 171 Jill A. Burchell, Jenny J. Lee, and Sara M. Olson 11 Addressing the Identity–Relevance Dilemma: Religious Particularity and Pluralism at Presbyterian Church-Related Colleges 185 Robert C. Spach 12 Exploring Spiritual Engagement at Secular Knox College 204 Louisa Sue Hulett Afterword: Connecting Parallel Universities 238 Michael D. Waggoner Contributors 246 Index 249 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures 3.1 Dimensions and approaches to teaching religion and spirituality 37 3.2 Roles in teaching religion and spirituality 41 4.1 Percentages of high and low scorers on spirituality who have high scores on each of six scales 57 Tables 4.1 Gender Diff erences in Spirituality (Percent Who Score “High”) 54 4.2 Demographic Characteristics and Spirituality (Percent Who Score “High”) 54 4.3 Professional Characteristics and Spirituality (Percent Who Score “High”) 56 4.4 Self-Described Religiousness Among Faculty Who Score “High” On Spirituality (percentages) 57 4.5 Correlates of Spirituality (Simple Correlations and Standardized Coeffi cients) 58 4.6 Correlates of Spirituality (Unstandardized Coeffi cients) 59 4.A Variable Defi nitions and Coding Schemes 69 8.1 Demographic Characteristics and Self-Perceptions 139 8.2 Religious Engagement and Spiritual Practice 141 8.3 Attitudes and Values 143 8.4 Spiritual Beliefs and Perspectives: General 144 8.5 Ultimate Spiritual Quest 146 viii List of Figures and Tables 8.6 Current Views about Spiritual/Religious Matters 146 8.7 Spiritual Beliefs and Perspectives: Pluralistic Emphasis and Scientifi c Skepticism 147 8.8 Experiencing Spiritual Struggles 149 10.1 Interview Questions 175 10.2 Demographic Information 176 12.1 Selected Frequency Tables 223 12.2 Cross Tabs 227 PERMISSIONS Perry L. Glanzer, “Taking the Tournament of Worldviews Seriously in Educa- tion: Why Teaching about Religion Is Not Enough,” Religion & Education 31, no. 1 (Spring 2004): 1–19. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., http://www.informaworld. com. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Carney Strange and Judy Rogers, “Teaching Spirituality in Public Higher Education,” Religion & Education 30, no. 1 (Spring 2003): 24–39. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., http://www.informaworld.com. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Jennifer A. Lindholm and Helen S. Astin, “Understanding the ‘Interior’ Life of Faculty: How Important is Spirituality?” Religion & Education 33, no. 2 (Spring 2006): 64–87. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., http://www.informaworld.com. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Robert J. Nash, “Inviting Atheists to the Table: A Modest Proposal for Higher Education,” Religion & Education 30, no. 1 (Spring 2003): 1–23. Taylor & Fran- cis, Ltd., http://www.informaworld.com. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Ralph E. Lentz II, “Jesus, the Enlightenment, and Teaching World His- tory: The Struggles of an Evangelical Scholar,” Religion & Education 32, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 46–64. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., http://www.informaworld.com. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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