Teaching as Believing: Faith in the University

Review From his unique perspective as both Catholic deacon and university professor, Chris Anderson explores, in a remarkably creative way, the age-old question of the relation between faith and reason. Drawing on sources as diverse as Augustine, Homer, Paul Ricoeur, Dante, and David Tracy, he shows that university culture, while retaining its proper independence, is nurtured by moral and intellectual virtues flowing from the heart of the Christian church. Anyone interested in the rapport between religion and secularity should read this provocative, humorous and deeply insightful book. -- Robert Barron, Professor of Systematic Theology, Mundelein Seminary Product Description The public university classroom is a place where socialization still occurs: it's where students learn to be citizens of the world. Having attended to political correctness and multi-culturalism, universities are now facing the issue of spirituality in their quest to educate the whole person. In this book, Chris Anderson takes up this task by carefully exploring how a professor of faith can help a public university accomplish its pluralistic mission. Anderson illustrates how the study of secular literature throws fresh light on the ways in which the Bible can be read. He also deftly shows how a sympathetic study of the Bible trains secular readers for understanding the abiding significance of the Western literary canon as a kind of scripture. Anderson thus gives readers a book that is as much about the experience of a faithful teacher and the proper ends of education as it is about discovering the right ways to read texts―be they sacred or secular. About the Author Chris Anderson (Ph.D. University of Washington) is Professor of English at Oregon State University, where he has taught since 1986. He is the author or co-author of ten books, including My Problem with Truth (2003), Asking Questions (2000), and Edge Effects (1993)―a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in creative nonfiction. Anderson is also a Catholic deacon and is active in parish and campus ministry.