Worldview Conflicts in Education: Not Shakespeare's Theatre
By Dr. Robert Acuff|Published Date: August 23, 2010
“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” – C.S. Lewis
"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts” - Jaques (Act II, Scene VII, from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It)
Prior to writing As You Like It and other comedies in the late 1500’s, there was theatre before William Shakespeare. The first public presentation occurred in Greece, in the early 500’s by Thespis a poet and from whom is derived the name or label most stage actors prefer - thespian. With dance and ballet, singing and music as well as other elements added over the centuries, theatre has come to its present form.
It seems all walks of life are attracted to the theatre not only to view but to participate. According to several organizations that keep track of audience attendance, the theatre has remained relatively stable in attracting attendees over the past several decades. Even as the price of a ticket has increased, the attendance of Broadway plays in New York City has surged from 10 million to above 12 million from the 2009 to 2010 season. What attracts people to the theatre? Is it as Jaques stated in his proclamation that “all the world’s a stage” and we attend plays to get a glimpse of the “many parts” that men and women play in life? Or is it the attraction of an alternate worldview? And what about the individuals that pursue an education to become a professional actor – what are they seeking? How does an institution of higher learning whose mission and goal are to train the next leaders with a foundation based on a Christian Worldview achieving this as they train students in theatre? And what about those that become playwrights and directors; what might be the worldview they are projecting through the actors?
To help us gain an understanding of modern theatre and its current state in our culture, as well as answer some of the questions we have raised above, the Forum welcomes Kenan Minkoff from The King’s College to the broadcast to discuss theatre in general and as a discipline in higher education. Mr. Minkoff received a BFA in Acting from the North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Drama, under the direction of former New York Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Gerald Freedman and was a professional actor in New York before he moved into talent management, producing, and creative development, working for companies such as Abrams Artists Agency, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Clear Channel Theatrical Entertainment. As a writer, his plays have been produced in New York, and he was the recipient of a 2007 MacDowell Colony Fellowship in playwriting. He has a MA in Psychology from NYU where he did research on language and cognition as part of the Bruner/Feldman Lab. Join the discussion on Monday, August 23rd, at 8 pm EDT at the Colson Center (ColsonCenter.org) under the Wilberforce Forum page.
Worldview Conflicts in Education: Origins and the Basis of Science Education
By Dr. Robert Acuff|Published Date: August 09, 2010
“The wonder of life arising from nonliving matter, from rocks and water and a few basic molecules, is life itself. Is life miraculous? According to our understanding of the origins of information and how we make scientific decisions, life’s emergence fits the description. Science and a miracle in a single sentence. There was a time when that would have been seen as an obvious oxymoron.” – Gerald L. Schroeder, PhD.; in, God According to God
Critical to every purpose of life discussion is the ‘origins’ question: ‘Where did I come from?’ - It sets the stage for all other inquires of the world we experience and the conclusions we reach regarding our purpose. Choosing to eschew a Creator, Intelligent Designer, or God as the Mastermind behind all of creation, leads to a roll of the dice (chance), aliens, or the primordial soup of evolution. The later choices leave little hope and purpose for life and certainly will impact how we view and interact in every other worldview sphere. In the Science and Technology Worldview Sphere, the divide relating to origins couldn’t be greater.
In sorting through the issues of origin, most secular institutions of higher learning stand firmly in the Darwinian and Neo-Darwinian camps, having arrived at that conclusion decades ago; this is what will be taught in the biology classroom. In fact the lines of demarcation are so deeply drawn and job security and academic tenure so dependent on towing the evolution party line, no other view point is entertained or welcomed. Students enrolled in these institutions are taught evolution, regardless of the gaping holes in the theory; however, why are the large majority of biologists incapable of pointing to the very conclusion Schroeder declares above – “Science and a miracle in a single sentence”? What about Christian institutions of higher learning? Are the instructors bringing a Christian worldview into the classroom? Are science faculty in Christian institutions different than their secular counterparts or have they been compromised in adopting a “real view” presented by science and a “moral view” by Scripture? How are Christian institutions encouraging promising students to enter the sciences without compromising their Christian worldview in the process?
Dr. Bruce Gordon, Associate Professor at The King’s College (www.tkc.edu) in New York City and Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington (www.discovery.org) will be our guest on the Forum as we continue our series on Worldview Conflicts in Education. Dr. Gordon has a rather eclectic path to science, first pursuing a degree in piano performance at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto before moving to a bachelor degree in applied mathematics and philosophy from the University of Calgary. He holds a masters degree in analytical philosophy at Calgary and a masters of arts in religion from Westminster Theological. His doctorate from Northwestern University is in the history and philosophical foundations in modern physics focusing on the implications of statistical phenomena in quantum theory for the metaphysics of possibility and necessity. Join the discussion on Monday, August 9, at 8 pm EDT.
Worldview Conflicts in Education: Morality in Media?
By Robert Acuff|Published Date: July 19, 2010
“The world chooses its own methods and draws up its own plan of action in order to solve its problems; and people often think that, if Christians are to help preserve the world, they ought to join in these movements.” – Jacques Ellul, in The Presence of the Kingdom
The use of media in all its technological forms is becoming ever popular with today’s youth. Studies from the Pew Foundation and others have demonstrated a substantial increase in the use of social media, on-line computer time, and phone texting, watching TV and film in the past 5 years. Kids 2-18 years of age spend more time watching TV in America than any other activity with the exception of sleeping. What can we make of the impact of technology on the next generation? How will the increasing use of media by the current generation affect learning those that will become leaders in all walks of life, citizens to preserve the republic, and take responsibility in society? Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, Parents Television Council and other faith based organizations have for years, critiqued individual films, television and the industry that produces all kinds of media for its content and impact on children, the family and behaviors. The quote from Ellul above, suggests that Christians join in the culture to preserve the world for the Kingdom, but how far are we willing to go to accomplish reclaiming media for the Kingdom?
As we continue discussing worldview conflicts in education, our focus for the upcoming broadcast will be to learn how universities are using media with specific emphasis on film to educate as well as entertain students. In one arena of media, film making is used to produce ideas and shape worldview. Some universities have permitted students screen X-rated films as part of the “educational experience”. This has occurred at the University of California at Los Angeles, Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University. Are today’s university students struggling with what they see in film? What can we declare about the current state of media use by the American university? Is it used with education in mind or does it merely entertain? How will the increase of media in general, impact creative writing, critical thinking and other necessary skills to lead? How does a Christian university like The King’s College in New York City utilize media to educate students and meet their Christian Worldview mission?
The Forum welcomes Alissa Wilkinson to the broadcast. Alissa teaches writing at The King's College in New York City and is the founding editor of The Curator and associate editor of Comment, and until recently was on staff at International Arts Movement. Her articles and film criticism have appeared in a variety of publications, including Paste, Christianity Today, WORLD, Relevant, Comment, and the Center for Public Justice's Capitol Commentary. Over subsequent weeks, we will be learning from members of The King College’s Faculty, their observation of conflicts in worldviews in specific disciplines. Join the discussion on Monday, July 19, at 8 pm EDT at the Colson Center.
Worldview Conflicts in Education: Origins of Unbelief in America?
By Robert Acuff|Published Date: July 05, 2010
“It is within the memory of some of us when professors and tutors were taken, almost as a matter of course, from among the clergymen and students in divinity; now, as a general rule, a professor is as much a layman as a lawyer or a physician is.” – Rev. James Walker, president of Harvard College, 1855
With short memories of institutional founding, most Americans don’t realize that the establishment of education and higher education in particular in this country had its genesis in the church. As case in point, only a mere 15 years after landing in the new world, the Pilgrims established Harvard College in 1636 as part of the civil government, but one could easily support the fact that there was little difference in the sacred and secular lives of the Puritans. Other notable institutions began to obtain charters and open their doors to students; William and Mary, 1693; Yale, 1702; Princeton, 1746; Brown, 1764 (to name but a few). All were either founded by clergymen or religious institutions, for training clergy. Suffice it to say, the American university system was built on a foundation of Evangelical Protestant Colleges with most of the major universities evolving from these beginnings with clergymen as president even into the late 1870’s.
As noted above, the Reverend James Walker was laminating the beginning decline of the practice of choosing leadership of colleges and classrooms by clergy as early as 1855 – Walker was the last clergyman to be president of Harvard College. By the 1920’s even evangelical Protestantism had been effectively excluded from leading university classrooms. The ideals for which the Protestant establishment stood included freedom, democracy, benevolence, justice, reform, brotherhood, inclusiveness and service; certainly all parents it would seem, should aspire these qualities and characteristics be embraced and reinforced in the education of their children. What can we declare about the current state of education in America? Does it truly embrace the ideals that were so prominent in early Protestantism? Or has it declined to the point that its mission is compromised? If so, does this jeopardize the very faith and principles of the Founders? Could it be that the ideal espoused by Henry Tappen, president of pre-Civil War University of Michigan has been embraced– “Great universities are made up of scholars and books”?
The Forum welcomes Dr. Marvin Olasky, Editor in Chief, World Magazine and Provost of The King’s College (www.tkc.edu) in New York City to explore the status of education in the United States with particular focus on higher education. Over subsequent weeks, we will be learning from members of The King College’s Faculty, their observation of conflicts in worldviews in specific disciplines.
Join the discussion on Monday, July 5, at 8 pm EDT.
Faith and Science: Where Will the Truth Lead Us?
By Robert Acuff|Published Date: June 21, 2010
“The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man”. – G. K. Chesterton
The first question we are confronted with as we examine the purpose of life is ‘Where did we come from?’ For those of us in university, the dogma of the day is Evolution. Pick up any major text on cell or molecular biology that is used in a biology undergraduate major or even a survey course and you quickly discover science and most scientists insist in the evolution of the cell. As an example, I have on my home bookcase a seminal text entitled Molecular Biology of the Cell. The lead author is Bruce Alberts, a distinguished scientist and president of the National Academy of Sciences. In the list of other major contributors of information contained in the text, is James D. Watson who along with Francis Crick, was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for the discovery of the helical structure of DNA – the nucleic acid that carries genetic information for all living organisms. The first chapter in this text is titled, The Evolution of the Cell, so we know what to expect. In today’s biology classroom- high school or university, the prevailing view of how man arrived on earth is he evolved. Throw any other theory into the university classroom, Intelligent Design, Creation Science, Progressive Creation, even Theistic Evolution and you have a fight on your hands.
Scripture (Romans 1:20) informs us that God has revealed creation of the world as it is clearly seen, thus providing man with no excuse of His existence and His worthiness of all glory and praise. Evolution, Darwinism or any mix thereof insists that we evolved by chance without purpose. There are now increasing voices from notable scientists that take issue with this position. Some are proponents of Intelligent Design, others insist that God directed the origin of man through evolution (Theistic Evolution), still others maintain the Biblical account of men’s creation. In this worldview sphere of Science and Technology what are the arguments and where might the evidence lead us? The Center for Faith and Science International (CFSInt.org) was established to explore the truth as related to origins and bring together faith and science not as an irreconcilable force, but to recognize that at the end of the day science and Scripture will be in perfect accord. Dr. Rob Zimmer, Director of the Center will be our guest on Monday, June 21 to explore the current thought in science relating to origins and the Christian’s role in the discussion.
Tune in and join the discussion this Monday, June 21 at 8 pm EDT.
Voicing Creation’s Praise
By Robert Acuff|Published Date: June 07, 2010
Using the Arts to Reclaim Culture for Christ
“The world of sounds, the world of forms, the world of tints, and the world of poetic ideas, can have no other source than God; and it is our privilege as bearers of His image, to have a perception of this beautiful world, artistically to reproduce, and humanly to enjoy it”. – Abraham Kuyper
As Centurions, we all watched The Shawshank Redemption in the course of our training. The most memorable scene in the film for me is when the main character Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins), locks himself in the room containing the public address system and plays “Duettino-Sull’aria” from The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, for the entire prison to hear. I will never forget both the look on the faces of the prisoners as the camera pans the yard and around the prison, but also the stand still attention the music brought to the inmates.
For the past several years I have been blessed by participating in an outreach choir and men’s ensemble. During our concerts in prisons, assisted living facilities, parks in economically depressed communities and in homeless facilities, I have observed the same expression on the faces of those that gather to hear us sing, ring bells and play musical instruments – a look of wonderment, curiosity and emotion. And with the addition this year of drama productions and dancers to the outreach effort, the arts are well represented for the purpose of reaching into the culture for Christ.
Abraham Kuyper the Dutch scholar, pastor, journalist, politician, educator and man of letters quoted above, held out the arts as having great potential to bring both honor and glory to God, but also a great blessing for people. Why has the church not effectively used this great gift from the Creator to impact culture and reclaim Kingdom ground for Christ? Is it as Dorothy Sayers once proclaimed that, ‘we have no Christian aesthetic – no Christian philosophy of the Arts? The Church as a body has never made up her mind about the Arts, and it is hardly too much to say that she has never tried”? Or is it a comfort zone issue and the inability to escape the four walls of the church? Or could it be that we don’t use the talents and gifts God has bestowed on us with outreach in mind? To help us gain a better understanding of Christian Worldview as it relates to culture and institutions focusing on art, music, dance and drama, we welcome Dr. Jill Lagerberg, Director of Knox Christian Arts Ministries (knoxchristiansarts.com), in Knoxville Tennessee to the broadcast for Monday, June 7th. The mission of KCAM is two-fold: 1) to minister in the Knoxville area and beyond by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through the medium of the performing arts; and 2) To minister to accomplished Knox-area Christian performing artists by providing a place for them to serve God through their art. This Forum will examine and ask the questions: “How can we use the talents and gifts that God has giving us in reclaiming the culture for Christ?” What is the implication for the church, for our lives as believers and for today’s culture?
Tune in and join the discussion this Monday, June 7th at 8 pm EDT at the Colson Center for this live broadcast!
