My accepted paper abstract - Christian Education in a Secular Age

A few weeks ago I wrote about an abstract I submitted to the Christian Education in a Secular Age conference at Briercrest. I am happy to report that my paper proposal has been accepted! 

For those interested in a sneak peek of what I'll be saying in October, here's the abstract; it's been stripped of footnotes and bibliographic references.

Dredging The Shallows for Charles Taylor’s “Fullness”: Nicholas Carr, Human Flourishing, and Online Theological Education. 

We all see our lives, and/or the space wherein we live our lives, as having a certain moral/spiritual shape. Somewhere, in some activity, or condition, lies a fullness, a richness; that is, in that place (activity or condition), life is fuller, richer, deeper, more worth while, more admirable, more what it should be. (Charles Taylor, A Secular Age)

Does online theological education promote human flourishing? Human flourishing could be summarized by Charles Taylor as “a fullness, a richness” we come to experience in life. Taylor suggests this “fullness” is accessible “somewhere, in some activity, or condition”. The earliest forms of theological education, known as Paideia, involved culturing the soul toward “fullness”. The educational model introduced by the University of Berlin in the early 19th century changed things, downplaying Paideia’s focus on student character instead emphasizing the science of research. This prioritization of the intellect resulted in pedagogical shifts that eroded the concept of culturing the soul. In turn, this resulted in a Western educational evolution away from valuing character development instead nurturing the mind. The recent shift toward Web-based learning, hastened by the Pandemic, appears to further prioritize knowledge over
character formation. This leads to an important question: Can Taylor’s “fullness” be accessed online?

Internet education’s academic benefits are clear: learning has become more accessible, more engaging, and more creative. However, the Web’s impact on the quest for human “fullness” has a dark side. According to technology critic and author Nicholas Carr, the Web is not a place of “fullness” but of Shallows. Carr suggests Internet usage is making us more distracted and less able “to experience … empathy, compassion, and other emotions”. Additional research suggests Internet usage increases anxiety, lessens family communication, and has not yet provided the sort of character development that comes from embodied mentorship opportunities.

As the influence of online learning grows, Christian educators have an opportunity to discern and enact a theological response to online pedagogies. The doctrine of the incarnation provides a model of human flourishing that prioritizes the body as an educational medium. The incarnation, God becoming human, reveals the value of physical embodiment in relationship with others. For theological educators interested in student flourishing, consider enacting an incarnational pedagogy: Emphasize embodiment and social presence in learning while carefully discerning how technology enhances and diminishes embodied human “being” and adjusting teaching methods accordingly.