Reflecting on Practice in Christian Schools: Challenging the Epistemic Default toward Integrated Knowing

Abstract

The impact of western philosophy, with a particular focus on the Enlightenment, formed an epistemic default that elevated the intellectual ways of knowing at the expense of any other forms of knowing. This paper used John David Trentham’s hermeneutical approach, the Inverse Consistency Protocol, as the framework for exploring the what and the why of this epistemic default. Trentham’s first step, “envision redemptive maturity,” was used to frame the doctrinal presuppositions that undergird a call for combating the limits of the isolating and dichotomous nature of the epistemic default. The second and third steps, “read for receptivity” and “employ reflective discernment,” revealed the need for an integrated knowing that recognizes the holistic nature of the imago Dei and the impact of Jesus Christ as the truth. The work in the first three steps of Trentham’s protocol set the stage for Christian schools to make application to their particular context as they engage in Trentham’s fourth interpretive step, “identify appropriate outlets.” By using Trentham’s four steps, Christian schools may reflect on their practices and move toward an epistemology of integrated knowing that serves as the foundation for developing a culture focused on learning as formation.

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Notes on contributors

Nathan Stevens

Nathan Stevens is a PhD candidate at Johnson University and currently serves as the Assistant Head of Academic Affairs at Whitefield Academy in Smyrna, Ga. He has been in education for twenty-two years and has served in an administrative capacity for the last fifteen years.