Faith-Learning Integration

Have you wondered how faith concepts should be engaged in your subject area? Dr. Mark Eckel has created a synthesis of biblical ideas that can be utilized by K-12 teachers. Ten are specific to content area, and ten can be applied in multiple curricula areas.

Specific Curriculum Area Content:

• Fine Arts
• Government
• Health / PE
• History
• Language Arts
• Literature
• Math
• Science
• Technology
• World Languages

Adaptable Curriculum Concepts:

• Bible
• Celebration
• Communication
• Media
• Money
• People
• Places
• Things
• Vocation
• Writing

Each subject of study includes 4 major strands. Each strand includes the discipline’s philosophy, biblical foundations, understandings / attitudes / outcomes, and activities / ideas / questions. Each strand contains biblical-theological-attitudinal-practical connections to the strand of learning.

There is a one-time cost of $50 per subject area for this content.

An example from math:

(Philosophy) Mathematical patterns are predictable and reliable because a faithful, dependable God established them (Gen 8:21-22; Deut 7:9; Jer 31:35-37; Mal 3:6; 1 Cor 1:9; Heb 13:8; James 1:17).
(Foundations) Consistency. God is constant, unwavering, and shows no partiality. He does not change and math mirrors His stability (Acts 10:34-35; Rom 2:11; Heb 6:17; 13:8).
(Attitudes) I can find joy in the discovery of God’s rich and abundant patterns in His creation.
(Ideas) God established the patterned designs of honeycombs, pinecones, snowflakes, spirals (DNA structure, shells, galaxies) etc. . . .

An example from fine arts:

(Philosophy) Artists fashion what they believe about life, God, and His creation (Ex 25-28, 31, 35-40; 1 Kings 5-7; 2 Chr 3-4).
(Foundations) The works of an artist reveal his inner thoughts, feelings, and ideas (Prov 4:23; Matt 12:33-35).
(Attitudes) The value of artistic work is found in both its aesthetic merit and its accurate depiction of truth/reality.
(Ideas) Investigate the personal lives of different artists to identify how their life experiences and worldview are reflected to specific works they produced. Conversely, speculate on the beliefs of an artist based on his artwork and then investigate his personal life to see if your speculations were correct.

An example from world languages:

(Philosophy) Learning another’s language may help to establish unified communication (Gen 12:1-3; Ps 96; Rev 5:9-10).
(Foundations) The gospel is international—crossing the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe—yet universal for all people (Gen 12:1-3).
(Attitudes) Accepting differences, meeting people where they are.
(Ideas) Ask, “How important is literacy for a nation?” See Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi, The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture. (Wheaton: Crossway, 1999), pp. 91-92.

An example from media:

(Philosophy) Experiential viewpoints mirror supernatural reality. Concrete images reveal abstract truths. Visual portraits magnify verbal directives.
(Foundations) Stories are capable of declaring who we are: fallen human beings (Rom 7:14-25). Stories are capable of defending an objective, righteous standard (Ps 15).
(Attitudes) Character is developed based on eternal, immovable standards communicated in God’s Word.
(Ideas) God communicates His Story—“the larger story”—in stories. In fact, the Christian narrative runs from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after.”

An example from vocation:

(Philosophy) When offered in service to God, work is not bondage but a joyful, liberating experience (Deut 28:47). In the new earth God’s children will “long enjoy the work of their hands” (Is 65:22-23).
(Foundations) “And you will eat the plants of the field” (Gen 3:18). There was some change from the fruit of the trees (Gen 2:9, 16; 3:2). Eden was easy: fruit of the trees, picking standing up. Outside Eden was hard: digging, bent over.
(Attitudes) How can we think of ‘rest’ as a celebration, anticipation, accomplishment, or achievement?
(Ideas) Workplace issues cut both ways—there are bad bosses and bad workers (Gen 3:16). An employer can be: uncaring (focused on production over people), untrustworthy (dishonest), unteachable (no new ideas but their own), uncommunicative (closed doors, closed mouths). An employee can be: lazy, procrastinator, complainer, even a thief.

An example from writing:

(Philosophy) Humanness transcends cultural differences. Writing is first and foremost about being people. Tradition or lifestyle differences do not matter as much as accepting others for who they are, treating all as equals (Prov 14:31; 22:2).
(Foundations) Within the very first communiqué from God to humanity, boundaries, parameters, and expectations were established (Gen 2:16, 17). “Free writing,” at its best, is not “free” but already “framed” and “limited.”
(Attitudes) I remember that what Scripture calls my “heart” makes a difference in what I write.
(Ideas) Does our teaching take into account the structure of the writing we have our students read? Are we reading different kinds of genres to expose classes to a wide variety of styles? How do we incorporate other voices from other ethnicities into our reading and writing?

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