5 minute read
How CSU Professors Changed Me
Faith Integration
— Dr. Nathan Martin Associate Professor of History A Recent Grad Reflects: How CSU Professors Changed Me
By Zach Pace ’21
CSU made me a better reader, writer, and thinker.
CSU made me a better reader by simply making me read better books. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a good or bad book. I just hadn’t put in enough hours reading to know the difference between the two.
CSU made me a better thinker by making me a better reader. I didn’t just read for a good mark on my reading quiz; I read to understand the text. The more I read to understand, the better I began to discern the arguments and intent of the author. Once I began to spot the author’s overarching goal and how all the pieces in the book led to that end, I began to see whether the author accomplished their goal and whether I agreed with their conclusion when they were through.
CSU made me a better writer by making me a better reader and thinker. The more I was able to engage with complex subjects and understand how different authors came to different conclusions about the same thing, the better I became at choosing which conclusion I would stand with. Once I was able to take a stand upon a particular conclusion, I was able to both argue for my position and argue against opposing viewpoints while using their critiques to refine my view.
Zach Pace
All this came to me, not primarily through learning in my major of choice, but rather through the teaching and guidance of those professors from the College of Christian Studies. I never expected this. In fact, I thought that the professors from the College of Christian Studies would be the most narrow-minded professors at CSU. I thought that they wouldn’t be able to engage with opposing viewpoints, and I certainly didn’t think they would be able to reason objectively.
As I studied under these professors, I found the exact opposite to be true. Professors from the College of Christian Studies were the most open-minded, objective, and reasonable professors I had ever learned from. The same was true for professors in my communication and English courses. They too approached their work from a Christian worldview in their own individual way. I have an immense trust in the professors at CSU because they acknowledged and explained their presuppositions about the world and led me to logical conclusions.
Faith integration at Charleston Southern University is not about bringing an unreasonable concept into education. It is quite the opposite. Faith integration is about engaging in deep thinking about the validity of a Christian worldview and its implications in both our personal and professional lives. While we do pray before class and read quotes from Scripture, the faith component in our education is much more than a box to check. It is the very foundation of our education. It is the lens through which we see the world and engage in its many fields of work. For some of us, it is our very identity.
Though faith in God is the foundation of education at CSU, not all choose to root themselves in it. What makes CSU different from what you might expect of a private, Christian college is that it is okay to not agree with the Christian perspective. No matter what you believe, you are welcome at CSU, and you are welcome to openly debate opposing viewpoints. Professors create an environment and expectation of gracious, civil debate backed with good evidence. This kind of environment creates an invaluable education experience for Christians and non-Christians alike because it exposes students to the radically different and prevalent worldviews that they will encounter often in the real world.
The professors at CSU changed my life, and that’s no exaggeration. They took what could be an intellectually rigid experience and showed me how God could use great minds and great reasoning to soften my heart and show me who He is. I saw that He is a God of truth and grace. I experienced that He loves me and that He is patient with me as I struggle like a child to understand the world we live in. He is a good Father leading His children to truth in His love, and therefore to Him. It’s no stretch to say that the people of CSU caused me to experience God more intimately than I’ve ever known. For that, I cannot be more grateful.
“I always tell our kids that small acts of obedience change generations. We see it in Scripture on every page. Here’s my page: it looks like a wrinkled old piece of paper – but 19 years ago a classmate at CSU shared the Gospel with me on this piece of paper. It is now framed in our home. Just who was that classmate that shared the love of Christ to a broken unbeliever? My husband Bobby Vann ’05. Thank you for your obedience in sharing the Gospel and introducing me to a Savior who rescues, redeems, and restores.”
— Virginia Vann ’06
“My professional interest is in karst hydrogeology, or how ground water travels in areas with caves, sinkholes, and springs. My previous research has used groundwater modeling and geochemical analysis of well water and springs to show water flow and structural influence. I have also served as a local environmental consultant. Psalm 91:1 states that ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’ And so do the rocks!”
— Dr. Sara Baldwin Assistant Professor of Geology
