NOTE: Earlier this week I published the first in a new series of one-minute videos titled, “Give Me a Minute.”
The initial entry is “Status Viator.” The present outline here is a practical example of what I meant in the video
Status Viator: My Christian Walk and its Influence on
What I Am Made to Do as an Interdisciplinary Biblical Leader
Mark Eckel, MA ThM PhD, Exec Dir Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University
“Being on the way” is my lifelong condition (status viator). God’s eternal, providential plan is being disclosed as I walk along the path of my God-given life. “Roads” or “paths” are First Testament words giving the place for my feet when I am “walking” in Second Testament shoes. Saved by God’s grace at nine, I began preaching when I was thirteen, filling pulpits at sixteen, and was ordained at twenty-six. Communication abilities—writing, speaking, or teaching—have been acknowledged since my childhood. The writings of Dr. Francis Schaeffer discovered during high school cemented a perspective of common ground Christian engagement with others that has marked my life ever since.
On my Christian Walk along “The Way,” I continue to be influenced by:
Discipling I believe in “with-ness,” being incarnationally present. The disciples were changed because they had been “with Jesus.” My focus in identifying future leaders is always the same. Succession planning is the first job of every leader. My responsibility is to recognize, guide, and help others toward leadership positions within their giftedness. I believe that spending time with next generation leadership is the best investment to make.
Teaching I am an enthusiastic learner who is excited to be with others who want to learn. Both preparation to communicate and the instructional experience bring a smile to my face. I love to teach Scripture, theology, biblical worldview synthesis, leadership foundations, and interdisciplinarity. I teach biblical-interdisciplinary courses for universities. I am passionate for the subject, compassionate toward the student. I believe in relational-educational contexts. Training #nextgen Christian leaders is my ardor.
Partnering I love to discuss ideas and their application with my colleagues. As an undergraduate academic dean, I incorporated discussions for collaborative faculty reflection over interdisciplinary ideas. Reading books, critiquing films, exegeting biblical texts, creating curricula are all best done with others, lending itself to peer review. Finding like-minded people with whom to vision the future based on the past is fulfilling.
Writing A good form of communication for me is the written word. I am a creator. Examining and explaining a topic in ways that make sense to others, gives me joy. I take pleasure in writing study manuscripts, articles, curricula, weekly essays, peer-reviewed journal articles, and an occasional book. Warp&Woof.org and MarkEckel.com are my personal website; thousands of essays and video . Cultural engagement is a delight.
Speaking The opportunity to invest in others through direct instruction is a passion at which I excel. I love to preach and deliver lectures. I instruct groups through the process of curricular development, other audiences have learned a critical-Christian analysis with movies, still others have investigated the horror genre of literature. I teach a “Theology of” series which hones apologetic-evangelistic skills. I enjoy communicating true Truth in the marketplace of ideas with believers and unbelievers.
I began to develop my own status viator around 2008. The categories are meant to indicate how I have been gifted to walk the path in this life. I have used the assignment in leadership courses, urging students to consider what gifts they have been given for the road they traverse.