Helping Students Navigate Faith Challenges in the Biblical Studies Classroom

Abstract

What happens when students encounter the academic study of the Bible in the seminary or undergraduate classroom? Does a teacher have a responsibility to help students navigate challenges to Christian faith that might arise? What pedagogical problems and opportunities does this encounter present? How does this issue manifest differently in undergraduate compared to theological school classrooms? And how are the issues different for students with a strong personal faith commitment compared to students who have never considered the Bible to be relevant to their understanding of themselves and the world? At the 2010 national conference of the Society of Biblical Literature two theological educators, who recently published introductory textbooks, provided brief presentations on this issue. The audience then broke into ten separate conversations roughly organized by institutional type before reconvening for a plenary discussion. The transcript of the presentations and discussion provided here surfaces and juxtaposes the many varied and rich positions that are possible in this topic. Carolyn J. Sharp, Yale Divinity SchoolIt is a joy to see so many scholars and teachers here who are interested in reflecting on pedagogy in the biblical studies classroom. In my brief time with you, I would like to articulate my pedagogical goals both for our year-long introductory Old Testament course at Yale Divinity School and in writing my textbook Wrestling the Word (2010), which was written expressly to address student needs that emerge during that course. I hope to catalyze reflection on pedagogical goals and challenges in the biblical studies classroom.I teach at a multi-denominational divinity school situated within Yale University. About half the students are in the M.Div. program and about half are in the Master of Arts in Religion program. This makes for a lively diversity of vocational goals in the classroom, with many students headed for parish ministry, many others preparing for doctoral work, and still others training for leadership in social service or advocacy work. We offer a full-year Old Testament introductory survey course with lectures and weekly discussion sections led by teaching assistants. The course is required for the M.Div. degree and normally enrolls eighty-five to a hundred and fifteen students.Pedagogical priorities and strategies are tailored, of course, to the students in a particular institutional context. But no matter where we teach, I would submit that adept and generous facilitation of student learning about the Bible requires pedagogical sensitivity to the rhetorical power of these biblical texts for personal formation and deformation. And it requires sensitivity to the reasons that our students care about these texts. We need to know who our students are and what their learning goals are. IN THE CLASSROOM Conversation