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FAITH AND LEARNING INTEGRATION PAPER

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A Paper

Presented to
Neal Ledbetter

UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for CMS 310

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by

Austin Boyett

aboyett54@rams.umobile.edu - 276954

12/5/2014
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My story is quite simple. I grew up in a well-grounded, good, Christian home. My

parents raised me to merely love the Lord. A verse that has been ever-present throughout my life

is Luke 10:27, which commands each person to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,

and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.” They taught me to be a light for

Christ in all aspects of life: in my home life, at school, in my church, everywhere that I went. We

were very involved in our church, actually; I grew up doing choirs and mission trips and youth

camps. However, I took no genuine possession until I was well into my high school career. I

absolutely knew God existed. I never really doubted that at all, but I never gave it much more

thought than that. I had not known anything other than church. Therefore, Christianity was just

something that I did; not something that I truly believed. A passage that I clung to during a

darker part of my life – when I was on the brink of salvation – was Proverbs 2:3-5, which

commands each of us to, “Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you

would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear

the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.”

During my sophomore year of high school, I went on a mission trip to Cork, Ireland, the

southern-most city on the coast of the beautiful country. It was there that we shared the Gospel

with the citizens that we met during our travels. We would do some sort of a musical

performance on the streets throughout each afternoon, which would easily draw a crowd and

open the door for these relational conversations. Ireland is a very dark culture; whereas most

people assume that Ireland is a Catholic nation, it is actually quite the opposite. The majority of

the Irish nation grew up in the Catholic Church. They learned all the normal things. They have a

very firm understanding of the Ten Commandments and about each Bible story, but none of it is

really taken to heart. It is rare that you find someone there who has accepted Christ as their
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Savior. They would soon discover the politics and the pollution of the leaders in the church and

would make a decision to leave the church once they became old enough to think in such a way.

This showed me how privileged I was to have grown up the way I had. My faith in the Lord

should be the most valuable thing in my life, not the mere act of going to church. I credit this trip

to starting my salvation and giving me a hunger for the Word and for the Lord. God may let you

on a plane to Ireland with the wrong intentions, but I guarantee – from experience – that He will

not let you come back unchanged. Our God is not stagnant in any way, shape, or form, so his

plans for our lives are not. They are beautifully mapped out.

I am currently studying as a Music Education major. When it comes to major coursework,

there are a lot of very interesting classes that are offered here at the University of Mobile. We are

required to take six semesters of music theory, two semesters of music history, six pedagogical

classes – which are classes that teach you how to teach – in all instrument classifications, a

myriad of education classes to receive an education certificate, and private lessons in our

respective applied area. I have loved each class that I have been privileged to take; it allows to

me to step away from my musical comfort zone and learn things that I never even dreamed of

learning. I played piano in my free time in high school. I had not taken a single formal lesson,

but had taught myself how to play. Coming to school my freshman year, I never anticipated that I

would really hone in on my piano skills, but now it is indeed one of my favorite things that I get

to work on while in school.

My passions in life are of music and of people, and the best way that I can see to combine

the two is through music education. My primary instruments are voice and piano. I learn how to

sing properly and play piano with accurate technique so that I can one day pass on the

knowledge that I gain. I feel that I am being called to become a collegiate voice teacher and
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musical theater director. My past few years have been seasoned so that I may pursue this type of

work after receiving all of my degrees. My love for music, theater, and people go perfectly in the

collegiate world. I cannot teach someone who has no concept of the arts, but I excel and find

pure joy and passion when I find someone who has a solid foundation and is willing to learn all

that he or she can in their applied field. I love seeing people make progress to higher goal. I love

being able to play a part in that sense through professorship and mentorship and even through

just being a positive influence on those that God blesses me with.

Out of Cosgrove’s four faith and learning integration models, I agree most with the

Foundational Authority Model, which – in short – says that both the Bible and other source

materials are used to develop the worldview and to make choices, but the Bible’s stamp on each

subject is forth most and is absolutely final. I do tend to lean towards the Separate Authorities

Model, as well, though. In my case, I will use different sources to approach a piano piece than I

would when it comes to dealing with personal issues. I simply will not find the guide to playing a

Beethoven Sonata in the Bible; the Lord did not put that in His Word. I do, however, use the

Bible as a stronger force when it comes to the ethics side of performing and teaching. You can

find answers to that aspect of life all over His Holy Word. The Bible may not directly help me

with said piano piece, but the Bible does help me in deciding what opportunities to pursue and

what kind of people to interact with (Cosgrove).

Academic discipline is very important when it comes to the Christian life. We are all

called to excellence; to do all things for the glory of God. The Bible even tells us this, “So

whether you eat or drink or whatever do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Academics are certainly included in the “all things” portion of the Scripture; this specific verse

by no means says, “…all things, except for academics”. Therefore, we are each called focus quite
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heavily on every task that we are given. We are held to a higher standard since we are believers,

so we must make extra sure that we are being good stewards of the gifts that the Lord has given

us. Slacking off on an assignment is by no means being good stewards of the abilities that God

has given us. To be able to do the things that God has called each of us to do, we have to do

many things that we do not want to do. The work we put in, though, does not turn up void. No,

we will reap what we sow.

Music was invented as a form of worship; it was created by God for that very purpose.

Gregorian monks wrote chants to praise their Lord, which would then turn into sacred church

music used during the Middle-Ages. The 1800’s marked the beginnings of the hymn, which has

led to the invention of modern worship music. Music was made to communicate in a way that

simple words could not. Conversation and words are used when communicating something

simple. I consider myself to be quite a good communicator. There are many things in life,

though, where words fails to accurately communicate what we feel exactly. What do we do then?

We usually look to music for a manifestation of our emotions; usually through a lyric. Whereas

lyrics are indeed words, lyrics are far more poetic, and – for whatever reason – our hearts and our

souls tend to stick with the artsier, more poetics things in life. The actual music itself is

significant as well. Our hearts are tuned to recognize beauty and power, and I find that the most

beautiful and powerful of moments and expressions come from a musical construction that we

cannot explain.

Dockery talks a lot about this in his essays. He speaks on the relationship between the

Christian Worldview and Music, saying, “Christians are biblically justified in fully-celebrating

artistic activity of the most diverse sort, including that which may have been created in

downright unbelief” (Dockery). There is more on this in a moment, but it is downright foolish to
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pursue a different path of life – one of which one has not been called – when one knows very

well that God has set out an appropriate, dare I say, better path of life for each believe.

With all of this being said, music has become quite the secular field as of the recent years.

It can be very self-praising, as opposed to using it to glorify the One who gave the talents in the

first place, if our intentions are in the wrong place. A Christian worldview – when it comes to the

music education field – has a lot to do with using the music in the form of worship, which can be

defined as leading others to see how wonderful the Lord is, and using the talents that He so

graciously gave each and every one of us. A secular worldview has a lot more to do with using

the talents you “naturally” have to earn money and fame; lifting yourself to the glory that

belongs to the Lord. This is wrong because the Lord works all thing for good and to draw His

creation closer to Himself, so us drawing attention away from the Creator is not very productive

at all.

God honors our efforts when we commit to living for His purpose. I came to school

during my freshman year as a worship leadership major. Whereas it is a great degree program

and worship is still very much a part of my heart, I realized about two months into the semester

that it was not my calling. God gave me a different set of skills. With this newfound knowledge, I

could not spend any more time wandering in the completely wrong direction. C.S. Lewis talks a

great deal about that, actually. He says:

“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a

wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong

road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that

case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man” (Lewis 51).
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It is never too late to get on the right path; the path that God has set for everyone’s lives. If

nothing else, my life can attest to that, and I am very grateful to know that the Lord incorporates

everything in my life for an exact purpose. Nothing is for not. In fact, He places in our lives so

that we may one day use our experiences to help other through a similar situation. We find proof

of this in 2 Corinthians 1:4, which points out, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can

comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has

given us.” The only way that we can complete the task and affectively comfort others is to

harness the fact that we are indeed weak, but that we serve a very strong and steady God who is

loving and willing to get us through anything that we may encounter. The battle was won before

it was even set in our path.

Now that I am a music education major, I feel like I am going in the correct direction –

the direction which God set for me before I was even conceived. I know for a fact that I am not

called to become a public high school teacher in any way, which is what this degree is designed

license and accomplish, but this degree will give me the skills I need to be able to one day teach

at the collegiate level. The best portion of scripture that comes to mind is Romans 12:1, which

says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as

a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Oftentimes,

pursing the Lord’s higher calling on our lives will require the believer to do many things that he

or she does not particularly enjoy doing. This “sacrifice” is honored by God, for every good

thing requires some sort of a sacrifice.

Integrating faith and learning at the University of Mobile is very important and is

emphasized in the classroom setting by most every professor that I have encountered. Once

students realize that learning and faith go hand in hand, there is a sense of confidence and
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determination that comes over the student. It is a realization that all of this work is actively going

towards the ultimate goal that God has set out, working hard to pursue His purpose is another

way to love the Lord with all your mind. Bad things happen when we lose sight of God’s goal.

Work becomes tedious and attitudes become rotten; we pursue the wrong things when we lose

sight and lose energy. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully, in my opinion. The author say, “And out of

that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition,

war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find

something other than God which will make him happy” (Lewis 87). I feel very blessed to be

surrounded by each of my amazing professors. These professionals not only teach classes daily

and in very attention-captivating ways, but they all also teach that doing well in school is,

indeed, a form of genuine worship; again, a way to love God with all of your mind. If the student

does not use the gifts God has given him or her – and in the way that the Lord intended for the

gifts to be use – then he or she is just wasting time.

In my own academic pursuits, my piano professor – Mrs. Wendy Lockhart – really

emphasizes the integration of faith and learning in our pursuit of higher education. She fully

agrees with the Foundational Authority Model. In fact, Mrs. Lockhart decides teaches her

students with this worldview; with this philosophy. She would not only teach this, but live it

inside of the classroom and even outside of the classroom. I was so blessed to take my first year

of music theory with her during my freshman year. She helped set the bar for my college

education very high. She would teach each lesson as a normal teacher would – with lesson notes

and homework assignments in hand – but would also have particularly special class periods

where we would come in and have an hour-long devotional time or an hour-long prayer time. It

was always relevant in each of us students’ lives, too. Subjects would range anywhere from
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putting the Lord first in your life to pursuing godly friendships, something that I definitely

needed to learn during my first semester and something that has made all the difference; from

having a steady prayer life to managing your time wisely. She made sure I knew this, “At a

Christian university – such as the one that we attend – you are permitted to directly mention God

in the classroom lectures or in assignments, but if you go on to some other sort of a secular

university, you can still glorify God through your schoolwork. Take every opportunity to

mention God directly. Even in your honesty, discipline, respect for others, willingness to sacrifice

for others, excellence in the completion of your assignments, you can glorify God by simply

living a way that stands out in today’s society.”

Regardless of the specific lesson taught, this specific professor took time each and every

week to make sure that every student was exposed to Scripture. On a related and personal note,

this made the biggest impact on my life and even on my plans of how to one day teach a music

theory class, if the Lord so wills that for me life. Mrs. Lockhart even said during our interview, “I

can only recommend that you read God’s Word and consult additional mentors in your desired

field for further advice on how best to integrate your Christian faith into your major. “ These

special, spiritual-oriented class times inspired each of us students to keep going towards the end

goal, whether we realized that it was pushing in the direction or not. If a teacher is a believer and

knows that they have truly been called to the educational field – regardless of the specific subject

– it is the teacher’s goal and mission to ensure that each student hears about the Lord’s grace and

tender mercies.

Still in regards to my interview with Mrs. Wendy Lockhart, she explains that, “Your

Christian faith should permeate every aspect of your life – academic coursework included.

When you try to separate your life into different areas – spiritual, social, academic, work-related,
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etc. – you are neglecting the Lordship of Christ. If Jesus is Lord of your life, He is the boss in

all things. If you present your body as a living sacrifice to God – Romans 12:1 – then you can’t

take it back and do things your own way later that day” (Lockhart). To clarify and because I

really do enjoy this specific piece of scripture, Romans 12:1 says, “And so, dear brothers and

sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them

be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship

him.” This interview revealed to me that being a good steward in your academic coursework –

and in every other aspect of life for that matter – is not only the right thing to do, but is also a

form of true and genuine worship.

In our private piano lessons, she will often emphasize what this particular work ethic

looks like in the practice room. A question often arises with new students. How am I to apply

Biblical principles when all that I am working with are my hands, a piece of sheet music, and a

piano? She simply answers that I should simply “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not

on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). It’s been proven to me more and more than my

talent is not at all a result of my own doing. Each person’s talents come only from God.

Therefore, I cannot “lean on my own understanding” at all since I am not the source of my

talents or of my knowledge or of my livelihood. The moment I start to think that any of the

success that I have while sitting in front of a piano or success in teaching a friend something in

the realm of music or is from my own talents or my own understanding, God makes it blatantly

obvious that it is He who allows me to do such things. I immediately mess up when I gain even

the slightest bit of arrogance.

Referencing the aforementioned materials, academic coursework – when done with a

genuine heart of gratitude and a very strong sense of determination – can be a form of genuine
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worship. It is a way to portray gratefulness, love, and gratitude to the Lord; it is a way to love

God with all of your mind. When each individual realizes how great the Lord, our God, truly is,

realizes how much better His divine plan for each individual’s life, and realizes that out talents

are not our own, it sets the stage for our lives to exhort a Christian Worldview and a spirit of

worship.
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Works Cited

Cosgrove, Mark: Foundational of Christian Thought. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2006

Dockery, David S.: Shaping a Christian Worldview. Nashville: B&H Publishing Company, 2002

New Living Translation. Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. 3 Dec. 2014.

Lewis, C.S.: Mere Christianity. New York City: HarperCollins Publications, 1952

Lockhart, Wendy. Interviewed by Austin Boyett. Mobile, AL. 10/8/14