Identifying Yourself the First Week of Class

My son will go to his first college class today as a freshman at the University of Florida. What will he experience his first week of classes? Will his faith in Christ be challenged, ignored, or encouraged? It is a vivid reminder of the potential positive or negative impact that college can have on a person's faith.

If you were like me, you may have gone through your entire undergraduate career and not know of one Christian professor. This is sad, because it propagates the idea that you can't be an educated person and still be a Christian.

It certainly isn't appropriate to take a large amount of class time to talk about one's faith. However, you can let students know where you stand (thus being honest and revealing your potential biases) in many ways.

One of the simplest ways is at the beginning of the semester as you are introducing yourself to the class. For instance, you might say, "I am Professor Smith and will be teaching Econ. 101 this fall semester. I have my Masters and PhD from Penn State and I have been teaching here for 15 years. My wife, Mary, and I have 3 children. I enjoy tennis and boating. My wife and I are actively involved in our church, because our faith in Christ is an important part of our lives. My office hours this semester are listed in the syllabus..."

Some have been creative with remarks like, "I will be available for special appointments any time but Wednesday evenings. That is when we have our church training for the Sunday School class I teach."

And, of course, it is often appropriate (i.e. when dealing with issues of ethics) to share one's own viewpoint in a discussion inside or outside the classroom, especially when the student(s) initiate the conversation.

Remember, if you are fearful about crossing some legal line, it is best to seek good counsel before you take the plunge. All of the ideas mentioned above are certainly appropriate.

Be prepared to be scared to death the first time you let people know where you stand. But don't let fear keep you from letting students know what makes life exciting and meaningful for you. God is glorified by -- and uses -- our faithfulness in being identified with Him. Would you like to read one professor's story of how identifying himself made a difference? You can read it in a Real Issue article.

Scripture: Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Action Point: Look for appropriate places to share the importance of your faith with students and colleagues inside and outside of the classroom. Make specific plans for when you will tell students in each class about yourself.

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