Since its inception in 2005, the Institute of Faith and the Academy has sought to become part of an interdisciplinary conversation between Christian academics about how to better work and live as faithful teachers and scholars. Both to the faculty and administrators of Christian universities, and to the Christian professor in the secular school, IFA serves as a resource for institutions and individuals to labor in their vocation and to grow in their faith.
IFA Mission
Because many state and private schools are ignoring their original charters, we believe that a Christ-centered mission is more critical than ever. Emphasizing a strictly materialist paradigm with strictly utilitarian aims, most institutions today are centers of non-religious job training rather than places of thoughtful reflection, teaching technical skills instead of the education of the whole person. In a pluralistic society where religion is often marginalized, IFA encourages faculty to restore the voice of faith in the classroom and in scholarship.
To that end, we hold as our mission statement:
The Institute of Faith and the Academy is devoted to the research and reflection on how the Christian faith shapes and informs the study and teaching of all academic disciplines as well as how the Christian faith unites all fields of teaching and learning.
The Institute of Faith and the Academy promotes the investigation and demonstration of the Christian faith as the foundation of learning. In order to fulfill its purpose, the Institute offers three initiatives: (1) an annual spring conference; (2) a biannual journal, published in the spring and fall; (3) monthly faculty development opportunities in the form of presentations, discussion forums, and reading groups among Faulkner faculty and staff members and administrators.
IFA Initiatives
Journal of Faith and the Academy
Members
Andrew Jacobs Co-Director
Taten Shirley Co-Director
Todd Brenneman
Rebecca Horn