If the goal of catechesis is to cultivate an encounter with Christ, why do religious educators spend so much time focused almost exclusively on ideas and not experiences? The reason is that many have never been shown a method that inspires the heart while also instructing the mind. Jared Dees, creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, shows how applying the steps of lectio divina to teaching can reorient religious education toward encountering the person of Christ rather than merely sharing information about him. In Christ in the Classroom, Catholic author and speaker Jared Dees applies the five steps of lectio divina—reading/learning, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and action—to the ministry of catechesis. He offers teachers and catechists a practical framework for preparing lessons that broaden the focus of teaching from mostly intellectual learning to also encountering Christ in prayer, reflection, and action. Using this method, students and catechists come to know intimately the person of Christ at the same time that they are learning the tenets and traditions of the Church. Dees shares stories of success and failure from his own teaching experience and he offers dozens of field-tested strategies, tactics, and teaching methods to effectively integrate the steps of lectio divina into the classroom or other catechetical setting. Outfitted with these tools, both experienced and new religious educators will feel confident in their ability to teach effectively and lead their students to a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

Christian teachers have long been thinking about what content to teach, but little scholarship has been devoted to how faith forms the actual process of teaching. Is there a way to go beyond Christian perspectives on the subject matter and think about the teaching itself as Christian? In this book David I. Smith shows how faith can and should play a critical role in shaping pedagogy and the learning experience.

This book has been written with a deep impression that the place and power of prayer in the Christian life is too little understood. I feel sure that as long as we look on prayer solely as the means of maintaining our own Christian life, we shall not know fully what it is meant to be. But when we learn to regard it as the highest part of the work entrusted to us, the root and strength of all other work, we shall see that we need nothing more than to study and practice the art of praying. If I have succeeded in pointing out the progressive teaching of our Lord in regard to prayer, and the distinct reference of His wonderful promises of His last night to the works we are to do in His name – to the greater works and the bearing of much fruit – we shall all admit that only when the church gives herself up to this holy work of intercession can she expect the power of Christ to manifest itself on her behalf. I pray that God will use this book to explain to some of His children the wonderful place of power and influence that He is waiting for them to occupy and that a weary world is waiting for too. - Andrew Murray

In Teaching and Christian Practices several university professors describe and reflect on their efforts to allow historic Christian practices to reshape and redirect their pedagogical strategies. Whether allowing spiritually formative reading to enhance a literature course, employing table fellowship and shared meals to reinforce concepts in a pre-nursing nutrition course, or using Christian hermeneutical practices to interpret data in an economics course, these teacher-authors envision ways of teaching and learning that are rooted in the rich tradition of Christian practices, as together they reconceive classrooms and laboratories as vital arenas for faith and spiritual growth.

As a Christian educator, have you considered that you probably have more daily ministry opportunities than your pastor? You shape the next generation in countless ways through your conduct, character, and conversationso how can you most effectively share this gift that God has given you? Bringing Christ to the Classroom equips you to be an even more effective educator and follower of Christ through investigating scripture, illuminating what Jesus did as the master teacher, and integrating your discoveries into your instruction and interactions with students. Author and professor Charissa Dunn shares her own journey as a Christian educator so that others called to teach can discover what Jesus did to earn the title of the master teacher, applying what they learn to their positions as Christian educators. Bringing Christ to the Classroom can also help you connect with Gods message on a deeper level while you pray for guidance, listen to his voice, and ask him for transformation. God provided you with the talents, abilities, and experiences required to serve as an educator, and he called you as an educator for such a time as this (Esther 4:15). By reading and examining the Bible in a new light, you will be thoroughly prepared for every good work, serving both your students and God in faith.

In our nation, Christian teachers are prohibited by law to share the message of salvation through Christ with their students. However, as highly visible members of their communities, teachers have a tremendous opportunity to lead people to Christ directly or indirectly by projecting a life that honors Christ as the person at the head of their classrooms and in their interactions with other stakeholders in the school and community. Christ in Your Classroom is a guide for educators who wish to honor God through their work, but it also emphasizes the need for Christian integrity and consistency in all areas in one’s life. Hodgdon provides a candid look into his own life story and his frequent stumbles during his walk with Christ and how God inspired him, the least likely of people in his own admission, to create this unique manual for educators.

Hundreds of thousands of professors claim Christian as their primary identity, and teaching as their primary vocational responsibility. Yet, in the contemporary university the intersection of these two identities often is a source of fear, misunderstanding, and moral confusion. How does being a Christian change one's teaching? Indeed, should it? Inspired by George Marsden's 1997 book The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, this book draws on a survey of more than 2,300 Christian professors from 48 different institutions in North America, to reveal a wide range of thinking about faith-informed teaching. Placing these empirical findings alongside the wider scholarly conversation about the role of identity-informed teaching, Perry L. Glanzer and Nathan F. Alleman argue that their Christian identity can and should inform professors' teaching in the contemporary pluralistic university. The authors provide a nuanced alternative to those who advocate for restraining the influence of one's extra-professional identity and those who, in the name of authenticity, promote the full integration of one's primary identity into the classroom. The book charts new ground regarding how professors think about Christian teaching specifically, as well as how they should approach identity-informed teaching more generally.

Bible teachers have an ideal model for evaluating their pedagogy: the Master Teacher Jesus Read through the Gospels, and you quickly reach the conclusion that Jesus was a dynamic, remarkably effective teacher; never boring, always stimulating; never obtuse, always clear; never pompous or distant, always personal and lovingly concerned," writes Roy Zuck Zuck explores Jesus' involvement of students in the learning process, his modeling of truth, his method of responding to questions, his use of rhetorical technique, visuals, and illustrations, and his attitude toward those who sat under his instruction. Zuck covers the Rabbi's overall style and its impact on disciples, the general public, and those who rejected him.

What's wrong with these kids? You know the ones . . . tattooed skin, pierced body parts, sagging pants so low their undergarments show, clothing exposing lots of skin, flip-flops worn during winter, hair the color of the rainbow, and let's not forget the colorful language. Can a teacher teach these kids? The answer is a resounding yes! Believe it or not, most of them want to learn, and whether or not it is exhibited through their actions what they desire most of all is structure and discipline. This book was written not only out of my desire to share why I wanted to become a teacher but most importantly how my steps were divinely directed of the Lord. As you read through these pages, I hope you will find what I discovered. God had a plan for my life, and when I put my trust in Him, He equipped and empowered me to become all that He desired of me. What He did for me He will also do for you, as stated in Romans 2:11, "For there is no respect of persons with God."