December 3, 2018—At the heart of much of what is wrong with the educational program in many churches today is a continued failure to understand the unique corporate nature of both faith and Christian education formation. And while there is…
November 5, 2018—Starting new programs is not just a good idea, it’s necessary for cultivating a vital education and formation program. Programs tend to have a short shelf life—though many tend to be maintained long past their expiration date for…
Earlier this year, Dr. Kathy Dawson was appointed the Benton Family Associate Professor of Christian Education, a chair previously held by Dr. Rodger Nishioka. Her inauguration was held on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. in the Harrington Center…
March 12, 2018—Every now and again I come across the call from enthusiastic, often dissatisfied, church educators to create within the congregation a model of seminary or “school for faith.” The motivation is an earnest desire to make Christian education…
February 8, 2018—Soon, for many of our sisters and brothers from the eastern hemisphere is the Lunar New Year celebration. I was blessed to be invited to a celebration last year by one of our students, Loann Nguyen, to her…
January 29, 2018—If there’s one thing to learn from lone rangers, it’s that communal congregational life cannot be healthy and effective when one, two, or a few people run the show with agendas that do not consider the overall educational…
December 18, 2017—At a recent teacher development seminar for church educators a teacher came up to me after the presentation. He shared a challenge he faced in his adult Bible class. His class was made up of a variety of…
November 6, 2017—Agreement among my clergy colleagues is they would rather do funerals than weddings. And lately, it seems, most of the clergy I know conduct more funerals than weddings these days—at least so they report. A funeral often is…
By Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning and Director of Online Education.
September 18, 2017—While facts are not altogether the most important thing in learning, they remain, nevertheless very important. Acquiring factual knowledge is fundamental, but not rudimentary….
August 14, 2017—During a conversation among parents about their children—now adolescents and young adults the issue of children and money came up. There were the usual rants about children not appreciating the value of money, anxieties about paying for college…
August 7, 2017—Every once in a while I hear something in church that catches me by surprise. It’s usually not a good surprise, admittedly. More often than not the surprising comment reveals a disconnect between my perception or assumption of…
July 17, 2017—One of the courses I most enjoy teaching is on educational philosophy. It’s a course that is always interesting and one I think, when it connects with students, yields enduring understanding. Recently a former student wrote me to…
June 19, 2017—Last week I heard someone ask, “How am I supposed to think about this?” That’s a good question. Often we’re asked about what we think about something, but perhaps a more helpful question is “How are you thinking…
May 24, 2017—During the Spring meetings for the Board of Trustees of Columbia Theological Seminary recommendations were approved to appoint Dr. Kathy Dawson and Dr. Martha Moore-Keish to occupy faculty chairs. Dr. Kathy Dawson is now the Benton Family Associate…
