This is one of those things that ought to be required. You see, we have a huge problem in the university: students come to the university and spend from one semester to four or more (sometimes 10 or more) years and never have a professor who identifies himself or herself as a Christian. Not in class, not in advising situations, not in informal settings, never! In fact, many Christian professors are so afraid they will do or say something "religious" that might offend someone else or, worse still, get them in trouble, they bend over backwards not to let their Christian beliefs or opinions be seen or heard on the campus. The message being communicated more by what is not said than by what is said is "it is not possible to be educated and also be a Christian."

You might not think this is so. I assure you it is. I have asked many students whether they have ever had a professor identify himself or herself in class as a Christian. The vast majority say no. You might conduct your own experiment if you truly doubt the assertion. Interestingly, when I ask college graduates the same question, recent graduates uniformly respond in the negative whereas those who graduated 20 to 30 or more years ago are more likely to respond affirmatively. The university has changed remarkably in this respect during the last few decades.

Unfortunately, the opposition is not quite as silent on this score as we Christians are. I have had many Christian students tell me of being ridiculed for their Christian faith in class by atheistic professors. Many professors have causes they push in their classes -- feminism, homosexuality, drugs, sex, abortion -- the list is endless. Often the cause has nothing whatever to do with the subject matter of the course, but no matter, the professor has a platform and uses it. The bottom line is that daily, students are being exposed to ideas, philosophies, schemes diametrically opposed to Christianity. They are seeing Christian ideas and ideals questioned, belittled, and ridiculed. It is not at all surprising how effectively the message is being communicated. "There is something fundamentally incompatible with being educated and being a Christian."

So what is the solution? For one thing, Christian professors and staff need to identify themselves to their students as Christians. How?

In the Classroom

Certainly it would be inappropriate to devote significant amounts of class time for a presentation of one's Christian beliefs. However, if you are a committed Christian, your mindset and your approach to your discipline will be influenced to a great extent by your commitment to Christ. In fact, one might argue that you would be doing your students a disservice by not making them aware of your particular perspective. The attitude of the courts generally supports the view that one brings into the classroom one's entire personality, and that in communicating course content to students, a professor will also be communicating other information, including values, beliefs, prejudices, etc.

There are several ways to identify yourself as a Christian in the classroom that, if followed with discretion and good judgment, pass the test of appropriateness and legality.

The First Day of Class. The first class meeting of a course during the semester or quarter is a natural time to communicate to your students that you are a Christian. At least two different approaches have been used successfully in this context:

1. Qualifications . Professors often describe their qualifications as part of the course introduction. Consider adding a few personal touches, such as, "I'm Professor Smith. I'll be your instructor in BUS 204 this semester. I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. I've taught at the university for 20 years. I'm married and my wife and I have two grown children and two grandchildren. You need to know that sometimes in the course I will be presenting my personal perspective of various issues, and my perspective is basically a Christian one."

2. Introductions . Sometimes professors begin courses by having each student introduce himself and share some personal information. Consider sharing a brief personal comment of your own along these lines. "I'm Professor Jones. I've taught physics here at the university for 10 years. I want to get to know each of you this semester personally, and I'd like for you to get to know me personally as well. To help you get to know me, let me tell you a few significant things about myself: I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois, I'm married and my wife and I have three grown children and five grandchildren, and I'm a Christian."

During the Term. In all but the most technical of courses, there will be a number of natural opportunities during the school term to include a brief Christian testimony. Again, at least two approaches are possible:

1. In-Class Comments . Whenever a natural opportunity arises, interject a brief comment as appropriate and continue with the course content. "You're absolutely right, Jon. Profit maximization is not the only acceptable objective for a corporation. There are a number of objectives that firms ought to consider in business operations. In fact, as a Christian, I believe there are a number of very important personnel, environmental, social, and other objectives that firms routinely ignore."

2. After-Class Discussions . Students often pose questions not appropriate for class discussions, but tailor-made for after-class consideration. For example, "That raises some very interesting ethical considerations, Jennifer. As a Christian, I have some strong personal views on this issue. If any of you are interested, I'll be happy to stay after class and discuss them with you."

For a classroom situation, brief comments like those indicated above are all that is needed and all that is appropriate. To say much more or to spend much more time than that, would run the risk of imposing on the teacher-student relationship. Your objective in classroom situations is not to share the Gospel or to defend the faith: it is simply to send a message to your students that you are a Christian. Opportunities for in-depth discussions outside of class will come as you are faithful to let students know of your commitment to Christ. It's like Henrietta Mears said, "A Christian should be like the lifeguard at the beach. Everyone on the beach knows who the lifeguard is, but by and large, they go about their activities paying little attention to the lifeguard -- until someone gets in trouble. Then everyone knows where to go for help." Your students need to know of your relationship to Christ. Some of them will get in trouble during their time at the university. They will need to talk to an adult. They will need encouragement. They will need answers to tough questions. How will they know where to turn if you haven't made yourself available?

Some people have objected to the word "Christian," saying that it is not specific enough; it's ambiguous; it's a "loaded" word. "You need to tell them what you mean by Christian. Are you a 'Higher Lifer' or a 'Deeper Lifer' or a 'Fuller Lifer' or what?" they say. My reaction to this objection is (1) when we have been doing nothing along these lines -- which is precisely what Christians have been doing for 50 years -- anything at all is infinitely better than nothing and (2) the objective is to send a signal; those students genuinely interested in pursuing the point will do so outside of class, which is the appropriate place for such discussions.

© Rae Mellichamp Used by Permission of Faculty Commons