“Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall …
Quote of the Week, The Ethics of Speaking about Others, by John Wesley, 18th Century
“Speak evil of no man, says the great apostle; as plain a command as Thou shalt do no murder. But who even among Christians regards this command?” —John Wesley (1703–1791), The Cure of Evil-Speaking (1760). Source: John Wesley, “The Cure of Evil-Speaking,” Sermon 49, in The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, vol. 4 (Bristol: William Pine, 1771), sermon 49, …
JCTP Article, Christian Pedagogy: Formation vs. Indoctrination, by Rick Olsen and Julie Morgan
Return to Journal of Christian Teaching Practice (in Communication Studies), Vol. 13, 2026 Christian Pedagogy: Formation vs. Indoctrination* Rick Olsen and Julie Morgan Abstract: The authors call on faculty to teach Christian things, integrate a Christian point of view when teaching non-Christian things, and to be humble and humorous as an expression of “salt and light” (Matt. 5:13–16) in the …
Column Entry, November, Exile and Ache, by Brandon Knight
Column Title: Exile and the Ache for Home November 2026 Entry: “Canalizing Sehnsucht” By Brandon Knight, PhD, William Carey University Column Description: Have you ever felt disconnected? What if such moments of disconnect point to a greater reality? A lost memory of unity with creation only hinted through nostalgia. Often even as we experience nature and beauty, or a great fairy …
JCTP Article, Long Walks of Teaching and Faith, by Douglas Kelley
Return to Journal of Christian Teaching Practice (in Communication Studies), Vol. 13, 2026 Long Walks of Teaching and Faith * Douglas Kelley, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Communication, Arizona State University Abstract: The author uses the image of walking on the road to Emmaus as a metaphor for developing the “Christian” mind in pedagogy. Leaning into the theme of faith integration …
A Prayer for Words in Service to the Word, by Martin Luther, 16th Century
“Lord God, Thou hast made me a pastor and teacher in the Church. Thou seest how unfit I am to undertake this great and difficult office, and had I been without Thy aid and counsel, I would long since have ruined it all. Therefore do I cry unto Thee. I offer my mouth and my heart to Thy service. I …
Quote of the Week, The Responsibility of Christian Speech, by St. Augustine, 5th Century
“They who have just ideas, and express them in suitable language, would need to use no long discourse to refute the errors of empty conjecture.” –Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Source: Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, trans. Marcus Dods, vol. 2 of A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, ed. Philip …
A Prayer for Words that Build Up, by John Calvin, 16th Century
“Still we do not condemn words or singing, but rather greatly commend them, provided the feeling of the mind goes along with them. For in this way the thought of God is kept alive on our minds, which, from their fickle and versatile nature, soon relax, and are distracted by various objects, unless various means are used to support them. …
Quote of the Week, Words that Build Unity, by Richard Baxter, 17th Century
“The peace and concord of Believers is a thing that almost all those plead for, who call themselves Believers; and yet a thing that almost all men hinder and resist while they commend it.” –Richard Baxter (1615-1691) Source: Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory: Or, A Summ of Practical Theologie, and Cases of Conscience (London: Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1673), …
A Prayer for Speech that Reflects Christ, by John Henry Newman, 19th Century
“Lord Jesus, make Thyself to me a living, bright Reality; more present to faith’s vision keen than any outward object seen; more dear, more intimately nigh than e’en the sweetest earthly tie. Let me not by unkind word or deed dishonor Thy holy name, but grant that all who know me may take knowledge of me that I have been …
