A Brave New World: Imagining Faculty Development in the Global Era

Abstract

What might globalization and the demographic shift in Christianity mean for faculty development programs? What faculty members need most is the ability to imagine globalization as Christians. This article surveys and critiques the most powerful and persistent accounts in the current contest of narratives within the field of global education. These are national security, economic success, missionary or humanitarian impact, and cultural appreciation. Each of these has constructive elements, but all are liable to reductionism and narcissism.

Christian global education needs a different narrative: Christian cosmopolitanism. Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings belong to a single world community. Christianity grounds cosmopolitanism in the belief that all human beings share an identity as special creations of God, formed in God's image to be God's children. Humans are also created to dwell in relationship with each other. This narrative framework helps Christian learners unmask their cultural assumptions and see how even their Christian faith has been colored by such assumptions. Cosmopolitanism helps them work through their cultural limits and gain an appreciation of the contributions of many cultures, including what it means to be a Christian.

The article suggests four ways to build Christian cosmopolitanism via faculty development: sharing stories about cross-cultural encounters and how they induced fresh learning; generating new encounters via traveling seminars; convening reading groups that address issues of cosmopolitan identity, global Christianity, and human connection; and creating new campus events and liturgies to enact commitment to Christian cosmopolitanism.