Resident Theologian
About the Blog
Ethics primer
There are two sets of fundamental distinctions in ethics. The first concerns the kind of ethics in view. The second concerns the difference between morality and other terms or concepts we are prone to confuse with morality.
What do I want for my students?
I teach theology to undergraduates. That means, on one hand, that I’m not teaching them a skill. Many professors pass on a set of concrete skills meant for a job or some other professional activity: how to interview a client; how to detect a speech impediment; how to parse a verb; how to mix solutions. Not me. That’s not what theology is about.
(Re)construction
There’s a lot of talk these days about deconstruction. I’m often asked how I approach deconstructing my students’ beliefs in the classroom; it’s typically a given not only that I do it but that I ought to do it, that it’s part of my job description. I do not deconstruct what my students come into my class believing. I don’t as a point of fact and I don’t on principle. Why?