Mentor's Manual

120 For the Nex t Generat i on: The Urban Mi n i s t r y I ns t i tute ’ s Mentor Manua l

Dealing with Difficulties in the Classroom

Doctrinal Controversies To operate a TUMI site is to experience a fair amount of controversy, conflict, and debate. This kind of interaction in the classroom is both inevitable and invaluable, given that your students may have been spiritually formed in diverse theological persuasions in their respective Christian denominations. A significant role of your intellectual responsibility in the classroom will be serving as referee and facilitator as you maneuver through difficult and thorny issues with your students. As you negotiate various kinds of interactions between and among them, you will need to constantly be aware of the dangers of extremism and dogmatism. Ignoring the reality of conflict won’t eliminate it; we must face it, charitably and directly, and trust the Holy Spirit to make us clear, loving, and helpful as we deal with these issues. Of course, you will need to be sensitive to the genuine differences in doctrine and practice among your students. Differences are neither cosmetic nor unimportant; rather, as the adage goes, differences make all the difference in the world! In doctrinal and theological discussion, you should strive to recognize and affirm the real, substantive differences among your students and the traditions they represent. You will need to emphasize our common commitment to the ancient consensus of faith, as well as the interdenominational status of TUMI. We seek neither to alter nor dictate what our students represent in their various communions, but only to show all legitimate traditions of the Christian faith derive their identity and substance from the orthodox Christian core of belief and practice, settled since the apostolic age. You may need from time to time to silence the controversialist among you, i.e., that student whose singular desire is to argue over every obtuse point of theology and doctrine. While we ought to encourage dialogue and interaction, seek to emphasize the importance of etiquette and courtesy as we engage one another, and realize that how we resolve our differences is as important as the subject matter of them. Let us strive to allow for freedom in the non-essentials, for fidelity to the essentials of the faith, and for charity, love, and grace in all matters of theology and doctrine that gets discussed in our classrooms.

in the Classroom

Dealing with Difficulties