Academics need partners. Give me a minute to explain. The academic life is not for everyone, but I love it. It is good to be with other like-minded professors at conferences or on campus. There are two groups of likeminded Christian profs I would like to mention. The Consortium of Christian Study Centers is dedicated
Why be in a hurry? Give me a minute to explain. A young leader, a recent president of Liberty’s student government, spent a couple of hours with me last semester. He wanted to discuss his new student life position. He has been tasked to consider an approach with students about their use of technology. I
I would never be the same. Give me a minute to explain. When I first started teaching in 1983, “classroom discipline” was much different than it is now. A young seventh grade boy was – in my estimation – quite recalcitrant in class. I arranged as “discipline” that he come to my house early on
What will A.I. take from us? Give me a minute to explain. [And don’t miss the Afterword!] It happened to the 19th C. whalers who were providing oil for lamps. The discovery of crude oil powering electric lights put them out of a job. You can fill in the blanks here with other jobs. Change
What happens when you break a pattern? Give me a minute to explain. Something sweet happened at the end of my last class last semester. Saying goodbye to my “academic children” is always hard. I was expressing such sentiments, trying to control my emotions. Thinking it was finally time to go I said my final
I forgot a question. Give me a minute to explain. [Don’t miss the slide in the Afterword] Over five decades of teaching there are four questions that I impress on students when studying anything. Number one: What is the source or origin of your subject? Who is the person most well known for the idea
Why do Christian educators teach? Give me a minute to explain. John W. Peterson’s, “A Student’s Prayer” is the best Christian educator’s hymn. It reads, 1. God, the all wise, and Creator of the human intellect, / Guide our search for truth and knowledge, all our thoughts and ways direct. / Help us build the towers of
You REALLY want to stand against “the system”? Give me a minute to give an answer. Ray Bradbury’s science fiction thriller “Fahrenheit 451” shows the author’s concern about education and an apathetic reading public. In one place Bradbury writes, “School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English ignored. No wonder books stopped selling.”
Why do I have concerns about hierarchies and taxonomies? Give me a minute to explain (and don’t miss the Afterword). It is important to think about “thinking.” There is a new book out on biblical integration that accepts the patterns of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Maslow’s Hierarchy as if they were given from Mt. Sinai. That
Does a having a doctorate equal good teaching? Give me a minute to answer. One of the greatest disservices promoted in higher education is the assumption that simply because a person has PhD behind their name, that person is qualified to teach. I am not questioning anyone’s credentials. I am saying having a doctorate does
At Thanksgiving, be thankful where you live. Give me a minute to explain. During the year 2025 through July 4th 2026, America is celebrating its 250th birthday. It is important to notice that no nation, no people, no family, no person can move forward without acknowledging – consciously or unconsciously – what and who has
How is liberty maintained? Give me a minute to explain. Jon Meacham’s book, American Gospel: God, the Founding Father, and the Making of a Nation should be required reading for all Americans. Meacham suggests that the distinctive feature of America’s founding is etched on the Liberty Bell. Found there is the line from Leviticus 25:10,
A.I. will solve all our problems. That statement is a problem. Give me a minute to explain. More and more information comes out weekly about artificial intelligence, and not all of it is good. It seems that AI can misdiagnose a problem creating “hallucinations,” meaning, AI is making stuff up. In one case, professors staffed
My words were a warning, a warning I never wanted to witness. I was asked to address the Liberty University research week awards ceremony last semester. My comments were based on the famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury who encouraged the maintenance of libraries and protection of free speech. In part, I said, “Every generation
This speech was delivered during the 2025 Research Week Awards Ceremony (30 April 2025). Many thanks for the kind invitation from Jeremy McGinness, Associate Dean, Research, Instruction, and Collections. Further thanks is owed to Dr. John Eller whose three-volume biography of Ray Bradbury I mined for background information. In addition, I thank The Ray Bradbury
What to say and how to say it. Give me a minute to explain my approach to social media. Here are seven of my approaches to social media. (1) I will *never* apologize for communicating a biblical mindset. (2) I will seek to begin with Scriptural doctrine applied to life. (3) My starting point will
Do you eat salt with your friends? Give me a minute to explain. I titled my talk to a men’s group, “Eating Salt Together: How Men Become Friends.” I got the idea from Aristotle who said, “Friendship requires time and familiarity, men cannot know each other till they have ‘eaten salt together’ until each has
How can God’s Word benefit public health? Give me a minute to explain. The Bible is good for people. It seems that Harvard University might agree! The question is raised, “Is religion a determining factor of public health?” Yes, says Harvard Public Health. “Documentation suggests that weekly religious service attendance is longitudinally associated with lower
Dreading those potential disagreements over politics, culture, and other issues that might come up at the dinner table and other family events? Here are 10 Proverbial principles that will help you engage in lively conversation without losing your Christian witness. “All I wanted to do was argue.” So said a student enrolled in my public
I love Jesus. I love my country. I see no reason why one should be conditioned by the other. From time to time, I read articles from a brother or sister in The Faith which try to label what I accept as true as an “ism” (some call it “Christian Nationalism”). So, during this election
When I was in high school my nickname was Padre. I was always preaching. During football season, my teammates would mock me, until they needed someone to block the middle linebacker. I wood-burned the name Padre into my lacrosse stick. But it wasn’t until I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer that my preaching was
Can A.I. become ‘god’? Give me a minute to explain. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, meets an evil Entity in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. The hero calls it, “An anti-god that thinks it’s God.” “The Entity” – notice the capitalization – of the sinister agent known as “AI” (artificial intelligence) is given a
Why do I own so many books? Give me a minute to explain. 5,000 books. That is the approximate number of volumes I own. Stating this fact is not a matter of arrogance but one of humility. Every time I open a book I discover again how much I do not know. Often as I
I am an honest, transparent unicorn. Give me a minute to explain. Being honest sometimes gets me in trouble. I see the raised eyebrows or the eyes that go wide when I make certain statements or question what is culturally accepted. I don’t always think the way others do. I tend to come at things
Everyone should have a mission statement. Give me a minute to explain. Recently, I was able to help someone online with their personal mission statement. As I said in my Personal Faith Statement, I have been given the responsibility to “guard the good deposit given to me with the help of the Holy Spirit” according to 2
Whenever I hear these words, I am wary. Give me a minute to explain. Henri Nouwen, in his book Out of Solitude says, “When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who have chosen rather to share our pain and touch
Are you a YouTube commercial, advertising your beliefs? Give me a minute to explain. Sports teams and race car drivers wear the names of advertisers on their uniforms. And I wonder what kind of advertisements are seen on us? How have we been influenced by groups, organizations, institutions, or communities? How do our views of
What would you do? How far would you go? Give me a minute to explain. The word “commitment” reminds me of a scene in Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars: “To protect her Jewish friend, a Christian girl tears from her neck a gold chain bearing a Star of David and clenches it in her fist
Decision making can be difficult. Give me a minute to suggest three questions that could help. How to respond and when to act are hard to know for certain. Here are three questions to ask yourself (1) CAN I? What is your time and place in the world. What vocational gifts have you been given?
What does it mean to be a success? Give Me a Minute to explain. Do millions of followers on social media make one successful? What of the business people, actors, entrepreneurs, or athletes who seem to have it all? Can we judge celebrities by the front covers of Vogue or Forbes? We often think of
What does it take to defeat a bully? Give me a minute to explain. I have been following the writing and speaking of Victor Davis Hanson for twenty-five years. Hanson is a historian, classicist, and fellow at the Hoover Institute. He is famous for reflecting on our present circumstances in light of past people, places,
What is your mission? Give me a minute to answer. “Mission is God” This was the answer given by a military friend when I asked the question, “What is the most important order when in combat?” The answer, “Mission is God.” I think of that remark often. When I consider what you or I or anyone does,
What is keeping you from your mission? Give me a minute to consider. Most of our choices we make are between “good” and “good.” Distraction is the greatest enemy of any mission. Back in 2010 I wrote about distraction, specifically focused on technology. It was then I was developing the line, “we are changing technology
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
Having one’s name changed can mean changes in his future. Find out why name changes matter by watching our Truth in Two. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at
To preserve any kind of future, You plant what you want to harvest. To find out how, watch our Truth in Two (full text below). Don’t miss the “Afterword”! Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people
Clear thinking and communication necessitates three important stages. Find out what they are by watching our Truth in Two (full text below). Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at
“In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom.” – Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley contributed the first publication by an African American in 1773; a book of “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.” What attracted me this past week to Wheatley and her writing was a letter she
“How do I know if it’s the right thing to do?” This question has been asked often by students in my four decades of teaching. Many years ago (first published online in 2009) I developed what I call “The S.P.U.D. Test.” I was using it again this week in classes. Perhaps this work page will
Helping students to understand the outcomes of their assumptions. These are comments I send to each student after they have written their final project for one of my classes. The lines of thought deal with issues of anthropology, sociology, and economics based on the movie “Parasite” (Joon-ho, 2019). Most students write about class, capitalism, discrimination,
Quotes About, Concerns For, Comments On, & Encouragement Toward Education It’s the end of the semester for most of us teachers. Robin, my wife, is retiring from full time teaching in May. Final papers and grades are due soon. Perhaps this is why I decided to focus on education this week at MarkEckel.com. On this
Research from my Reading Click on the Hyperlinks for the Page Mark Wahlberg, a committed Catholic AND Hollywood film star, is dedicating himself to Faith Based Movies to “Serve the Lord” Thomas Sowell, one of my favorite intellectuals, is profiled in the article Tragic Optimist. Here is an excerpt from the article telling the story
One can judge the character of an author by his self-deprecation. Immediately, in the introduction to Faith, Reason and Beyond Reason, Mark Boone makes clear he does not know it all. Knowledge (epistemology) is the framework for Boone’s book, yet his first paragraph admits how much he learned from a student. Were I a screenwriter,
Dave Beck honored me by asking if I would write the foreword to his book. Here is my reflection on his memoir Fragments. Find his book here. Professor’s offices in older buildings are quite small. David’s 8 x 10-foot space was where we first met. The discussions we had knocked down walls, opening literary vistas before
When I first began teaching Christian high school students in the 1980’s I would often reference First Testament teaching on “the remnant,” reminding students that Christians are never far from persecution. Students were exposed to names such as Justin Martyr, Origen, Irenaeus, or Tertullian and texts such as “The Epistle to Diognetus,” Pliny’s letter to
When I was a boy, I wanted to be an astronaut. My favorite TV program was “Lost in Space.” I remember fervently praying that I would be allowed to be someone who could travel to distant stars. [I became a theologian instead. Some may see a connection there. 😊] Coupled with my space odyssey, I
“Tech Execs Require Nannies to Sign Contract Barring Screens,” was an article I introduced in a course I teach entitled “Reading, Writing & Inquiry.” The students were stunned to learn that Silicon Valley leaders do not allow their own children to view anything on screens during the day. Students astutely noted, “they must know something,
My review of Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell by Jason L. Riley (New York, NY: Basic Books. 2021. 291 pp. $30. Hardcover.) will appear in an upcoming issue of Christian Education Journal. A legacy of ideas generates generational impact. For a long time, I have wondered if my own ideas would be lost to the
Atheists believe in miracles? Give me a minute to explain. A number of Christian apologists are pointing out that atheists believe in at least six miracles: (Number one) something must come from nothing, (Number two) reason originates from non-reason, (Number three) life appears from non-life, (Number four) the personal arises from non-personal, (Number five) order
To understand the natural world There is need of a supernatural lens. Give me a minute to explain. In the movie Fallen Denzel Washington plays a detective, trying to catch a criminal. But this is no ordinary criminal. The evil entity in this movie is a supernatural force which is attempting to invade Denzel Washington’s
The Word of God is just that. Give me a minute to explain. Theology is not built by human thought. The self-authenticating Voice is the Word of God. He discloses to humanity what The Eternal Trinity desires to communicate with humans. I am not building an outline based on my views of God. The Almighty
What do you do with time? Give me a minute to give an answer. I abide by Ecclesiastes 9.10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it will all your might.” Some of my work-ethic is my Germanic heritage but much of my drive comes from an inner compulsion of The Spirit to “work for
Scripture is its own jurisdiction. Give me a minute to explain. The word “biblical” is an authority all its own. The Bible stands alone and does not acknowledge critique of its authority. Accept it or reject it, it makes no difference. There is no human arbiter, no human interpreter whose jurisdiction is imposed upon The
John 1 and the linguaphile had a conversation. Give me a minute to explain. Julie Sedivy refers to herself as a linguistic scientist in her book Linguaphile. Like Sedivy, I love words. What struck me was her desire to give scientific quantification – a statistician’s measure – for the following words: pleasure, beauty, paradise, joy,
Christianity is different than other religions. Give me a minute to explain. The difference between the Christian worldview and all other religions or philosophies can be summarized by putting two, five-letter words next to each other: works vs grace. Salvation, the redemption only found in Jesus, finds us dependent upon a Transcendent source of grace, what theologians
What are you trying to hide? Give me a minute to answer. Proverbs cautions “beware the person who disguises his words with grace but harbors deceit in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed.” No one can know for certain the intentions or motivations of a person. What
What anxiety weighs you down? Give me a minute to respond. Studying the original languages and context of passages helps me understand the Bible. Last week, I talked about language study and context, being anxious in the dentist’s chair. “Anxiety” means severe emotional distress which “weighs down” a person according to Proverbs 12. I am
“Be anxious for nothing”?! Is that really what the words mean? Give me a minute to explain. My blood pressure at the endodontist was high. The assistant who gave the news to the doctor seemed concerned. The doc said, “If I had to be here, I’d have high blood pressure too.” Then the endo