Christian Faith 

Westmont has equipped me with the necessary tools to comprehend my faith at a profound and extensive level. Ranging from studying Church history and doctrine to encouraging exploration of the Old and New Testament, Westmont has endowed me with practical and academic tools that will enable me to be a knowledgeable follower of Christ who remains steadfast and thoughtful. In every course, whether it was a Religious Studies pre-requisite or GE, professors would invite us into a posture of, What does this academic discipline mean for the Christian faith, and how is God working in and through this? Westmont as an institution prioritizes teaching that faith in God is not restricted to the study of Christianity, although the invitation to this vast, complicated, and intense history does help students make sense of their beliefs. Faith, rather, penetrates every aspect of our lives because God is continuously moving and working through the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us (to guide and lead me) to know more about God’s personhood and creation. 

However, while Westmont has had a positive impact on my faith, it has also hindered it in some ways. The pressure to conform and perform in the chapel, say the right words, and pray the correct amount often felt performative and insincere. Yet, despite this, my commitment to the Religious Studies department (through my minor), the friendships I formed with faculty, and my experiences in the Westmont in San Francisco program revealed to me that God is bigger than Westmont College. God is not only bigger than Westmont as a religious institution, but God is bigger than the Americanized, white-washed Christianity that I grew up being taught to believe in. God is greater than any gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, or anything that puts people into boxes. God is greater than these identities because it is God that bestows identity, through the truth of imago Dei: that everyone is made in the image of God. My classes at Westmont, such as Gender in Theology and Jesus and the Meaning of Life, taught me that my faith is rooted in the Christian belief of imago Dei and that this truth alone impacts everything.

If faith permeates everything I do, it is inevitable that the commitment to my faith will also impact not only how I engage with my teaching vocation but also my interaction with students, faculty, and caregivers. One way that my faith changes things tangibly is through perception. Because of my faith, I view people differently. I see every student, faculty, and caregiver as a unique and valuable creation of God, and therefore treat each one with respect, empathy, and love. As well, my faith would influence my classroom environment and expectations. I would strive to model Christ’s character and values in my teaching, such as humility, compassion, and justice. This might mean being sensitive to the needs of all my students and seeking to create a classroom environment that is inclusive, supportive, and affirming. This sensitivity and understanding are also given to families and caregivers because they too are human beings, full of complexity. This might look like extending a little more grace to parents who might be late dropping off their child at school, or accommodating to family’s needs such as being flexible with scheduling and location for Parent-Teacher conferences. 

My faith will also influence what I emphasize in the classroom. For example, I would hope to integrate Biblical values and principles into my teaching, such as loving your neighbor as yourself, stewardship of creation, and the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness. I would also hope to seek to engage my students in meaningful discussions and exploration of the intersection between faith and culture, and how the Christian worldview can help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Some theologians that I would echo in the classroom are NT. Wright and Pádraig ó Tuam, whose faith to them is more of an invitation to see how God is continuously making things new in a broken creation and we are living in the “all-ready-not-yet.” I only hope that the environment of my classroom will echo what ó Tuam invites in his book In the Shelter: You will find meaning where you give meaning. The answer is in a story and the story isn’t finished.

In the book Faithful Education, I want to highlight the values of empathy, wonder, and service that I hope to steep the culture and environment of my future classroom. For me, being a Christian means striving to love God and others, which should permeate every aspect of our lives. As an aspiring teacher, I aim to exemplify this love by showing and modeling genuine hospitality, encouraging wonder at God’s creation (including nature and humanity), infusing joy, apart from happiness, into the classroom, teaching my students how to empathically and actively listen to one another, and foster a sense of community. Ultimately, I hope to steward my profession well, so my students leave my classroom enriched in all aspects of their lives, ready to face the world and all its challenges.