Mark Maddix - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Mark Maddix
The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of t... more The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of the topic, but to begin a conversation on the first institutional outcome for Northwest Nazarene University. The first institutional outcome is Christlike Character. It is defined as,
The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of t... more The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of the topic, but to begin a conversation on the first institutional outcome for Northwest Nazarene University. The first institutional outcome is Christlike Character. It is defined as, “NNU students will grow toward Christlikeness: demonstrating ethical behavior, loving and respecting others, offering grace as they have received it, building up the community of Christ, and representing Christ to the world.”
Journal of Christian Education & Information Technology, 2009
The paper explores the historical and theological context of John Westerhoff’s theory of Christia... more The paper explores the historical and theological context of John Westerhoff’s theory of Christian Nurture. The paper traces the personal experiences, educational theorists, and theology that influenced Westerhoff’s theories of faith, catechesis, enculturation, hidden-curriculum, and liturgy and learning. The paper also explores the major contributions of Westerhoff’s view of Christian nurture to the field of Christian education.
Journal of Christian Education & Information Technology, 2007
The intent of this article is to provide a working knowledge of learning organizations and their ... more The intent of this article is to provide a working knowledge of learning organizations and their impact on organizational development. The literature will provide a basis to compare learning organizations with other organizational models. Then a synthesis of the current literature on learning organizations will be provided to explore the advantages and possible limitations inherent to learning organization. After coming to a concise understanding of the characteristics of a learning organization, an attempt will be to see how the theory of learning organizations can be applied to congregations as learning congregations. The article addresses the question, “Can congregations become learning organizations?”
The article explores the development of online courses and programs in Christian higher education... more The article explores the development of online courses and programs in Christian higher education, with specific attention given to graduate theological online education at Northwest Nazarene University. The article provides evidence, from research and experience, that online learning communities are central to learning and formation in online courses. The article also discusses the benefits of developing online learning communities as it relates to ministry and the local church. As a professor I often tell my students, “I was a youth pastor before e-mail.” The typical response from students is, “Who uses e-mail anymore, we only text.” I remember in 1984 purchasing my first desktop computer. It was an Epson Equity II with a lighting fast 8086 processor with a 20 meg hard drive. I also remember my first e-mail experience connecting to a CompuServe account sending e-mails on my 1200 baud modem (you can hear the noise in the background). During those early days of e-mails in the 1990’s...
ExL Team Since so much of this experience depends on community, you won't be surprised that I'm n... more ExL Team Since so much of this experience depends on community, you won't be surprised that I'm not your only guide through this process. Here is the contact information for the great team that will assist us. ExL Contact Information For general questions regarding the ExL program, contact Dale Hale at
Conde-Frazier, Kang, and Parrett describe the connections between race, culture, and spiritual fo... more Conde-Frazier, Kang, and Parrett describe the connections between race, culture, and spiritual formation. The book offers frameworks for understanding spiritual formation in multicultural contexts, wisdom on multicultural spiritual formation based on decades of teaching and ministry, and insight into thinking critically about how our ministries often perpetuate racist and sexist assumptions. Moreover, the book offers robust theological reflection on the multicultural dynamics of Christian formation, which often go underexplored in works of this genre. While a bit dated (2004), the book continues to offer wisdom for Christian educators desiring to build a more multicultural approach to their teaching ministries.
In Christian higher education, most teaching and learning has been confined to the traditional cl... more In Christian higher education, most teaching and learning has been confined to the traditional classroom. However, with the advent of computer technology many universities and seminaries are offering online courses and programs. These online courses provide facilitators and teachers with a different learning context. One of the most important social learning components of online learning is discussion forums. These forums provide a context for faculty-student and student-student interaction. For teachers facilitating discussion, this can become an overwhelming task, especially when there is too much or not enough student interaction. This article addresses such questions as: How can teachers ensure that discussion is contributing to learning. How much interaction is necessary and what constitutes effective interaction? How can we ensure that students engage in thoughtful discussion? This article explores how teachers can facilitate effective online learning through discussion. The a...
This paper focuses on the relationship between John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective... more This paper focuses on the relationship between John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective with the theology and educational perspective of Nazarene pastors, Christian educators (Associate pastors), and Professors of Christian education. The paper addresses the question, “In what ways are John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective reflected in the educational ministry practices of Nazarene congregations?” The research provides an analysis of the dialogical relationship between theology and practice in Nazarene congregations as well as providing recommendations regarding a Wesleyan approach to educational ministry.
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Central to Christianity is the belief is that the Bible is inspired and authoritative for Christi... more Central to Christianity is the belief is that the Bible is inspired and authoritative for Christian faith and practice. Even though Christians affirm the authority of the Bible, there is a decline in Bible reading and Scripture usage in worship and discipleship. More recent biblical scholarship, built on a pre-modern approach to interpretation, moves to a reader-centered approach to biblical reading. The focus of this article is to explore a reader-centered approach to Bible reading that gives focus to the role of Scripture as means of formation. This rediscovery of the formative power of Scripture has implications for how the Bible is appropriated in worship and discipleship for the church.
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
The field of neuroscience and religion continues to explode as researchers seek to understand rel... more The field of neuroscience and religion continues to explode as researchers seek to understand religious experiences in the brain. Studies in religious experience, called neurotheology, attempt to draw conclusions about the truth of these religious experiences from the study of biological brain events. Given the substantial research on the science of religion, this article explores the physiological changes of college students engaged in regular spiritual practices. Students were asked to engage in intentional spiritual formational practices, such as prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, and contemplation, to see if these practices impacted their physiological activities, including brain wave, heart rate, skin response (sweat), and reaction time changes. A variety of neuropsychological measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory, State/Trait Anxiety Scale, heart beats per minute, galvanic skin response, and electrophysiological encephalography measures were gathered at the beginn...
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Spiritual formation is one of the recognized benchmarks of higher education that is Christian. A ... more Spiritual formation is one of the recognized benchmarks of higher education that is Christian. A communal commitment to spiritual formation is indeed part of the Christian higher education community's DNA, and is in fact reflected in the criteria for accreditation in both the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). However, as many Christian institutions of higher education begin to engage in online instruction, even offering entire degree programs online, how can they affirm their campus's commitment to the spiritual formation of students? This article addresses the question of providing intentional Christian nurture toward spiritual formation in online degree programs. The aim of the article is to inform participants of the challenges and opportunities for student spiritual formation in online degree programs so as to better equip participants to develop Christian nurture initiatives for online students from an info...
The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of t... more The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of the topic, but to begin a conversation on the first institutional outcome for Northwest Nazarene University. The first institutional outcome is Christlike Character. It is defined as,
The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of t... more The intent of this presentation on Christlike character is not to be exhaustive or inclusive of the topic, but to begin a conversation on the first institutional outcome for Northwest Nazarene University. The first institutional outcome is Christlike Character. It is defined as, “NNU students will grow toward Christlikeness: demonstrating ethical behavior, loving and respecting others, offering grace as they have received it, building up the community of Christ, and representing Christ to the world.”
Journal of Christian Education & Information Technology, 2009
The paper explores the historical and theological context of John Westerhoff’s theory of Christia... more The paper explores the historical and theological context of John Westerhoff’s theory of Christian Nurture. The paper traces the personal experiences, educational theorists, and theology that influenced Westerhoff’s theories of faith, catechesis, enculturation, hidden-curriculum, and liturgy and learning. The paper also explores the major contributions of Westerhoff’s view of Christian nurture to the field of Christian education.
Journal of Christian Education & Information Technology, 2007
The intent of this article is to provide a working knowledge of learning organizations and their ... more The intent of this article is to provide a working knowledge of learning organizations and their impact on organizational development. The literature will provide a basis to compare learning organizations with other organizational models. Then a synthesis of the current literature on learning organizations will be provided to explore the advantages and possible limitations inherent to learning organization. After coming to a concise understanding of the characteristics of a learning organization, an attempt will be to see how the theory of learning organizations can be applied to congregations as learning congregations. The article addresses the question, “Can congregations become learning organizations?”
The article explores the development of online courses and programs in Christian higher education... more The article explores the development of online courses and programs in Christian higher education, with specific attention given to graduate theological online education at Northwest Nazarene University. The article provides evidence, from research and experience, that online learning communities are central to learning and formation in online courses. The article also discusses the benefits of developing online learning communities as it relates to ministry and the local church. As a professor I often tell my students, “I was a youth pastor before e-mail.” The typical response from students is, “Who uses e-mail anymore, we only text.” I remember in 1984 purchasing my first desktop computer. It was an Epson Equity II with a lighting fast 8086 processor with a 20 meg hard drive. I also remember my first e-mail experience connecting to a CompuServe account sending e-mails on my 1200 baud modem (you can hear the noise in the background). During those early days of e-mails in the 1990’s...
ExL Team Since so much of this experience depends on community, you won't be surprised that I'm n... more ExL Team Since so much of this experience depends on community, you won't be surprised that I'm not your only guide through this process. Here is the contact information for the great team that will assist us. ExL Contact Information For general questions regarding the ExL program, contact Dale Hale at
Conde-Frazier, Kang, and Parrett describe the connections between race, culture, and spiritual fo... more Conde-Frazier, Kang, and Parrett describe the connections between race, culture, and spiritual formation. The book offers frameworks for understanding spiritual formation in multicultural contexts, wisdom on multicultural spiritual formation based on decades of teaching and ministry, and insight into thinking critically about how our ministries often perpetuate racist and sexist assumptions. Moreover, the book offers robust theological reflection on the multicultural dynamics of Christian formation, which often go underexplored in works of this genre. While a bit dated (2004), the book continues to offer wisdom for Christian educators desiring to build a more multicultural approach to their teaching ministries.
In Christian higher education, most teaching and learning has been confined to the traditional cl... more In Christian higher education, most teaching and learning has been confined to the traditional classroom. However, with the advent of computer technology many universities and seminaries are offering online courses and programs. These online courses provide facilitators and teachers with a different learning context. One of the most important social learning components of online learning is discussion forums. These forums provide a context for faculty-student and student-student interaction. For teachers facilitating discussion, this can become an overwhelming task, especially when there is too much or not enough student interaction. This article addresses such questions as: How can teachers ensure that discussion is contributing to learning. How much interaction is necessary and what constitutes effective interaction? How can we ensure that students engage in thoughtful discussion? This article explores how teachers can facilitate effective online learning through discussion. The a...
This paper focuses on the relationship between John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective... more This paper focuses on the relationship between John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective with the theology and educational perspective of Nazarene pastors, Christian educators (Associate pastors), and Professors of Christian education. The paper addresses the question, “In what ways are John Wesley’s theology and educational perspective reflected in the educational ministry practices of Nazarene congregations?” The research provides an analysis of the dialogical relationship between theology and practice in Nazarene congregations as well as providing recommendations regarding a Wesleyan approach to educational ministry.
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Central to Christianity is the belief is that the Bible is inspired and authoritative for Christi... more Central to Christianity is the belief is that the Bible is inspired and authoritative for Christian faith and practice. Even though Christians affirm the authority of the Bible, there is a decline in Bible reading and Scripture usage in worship and discipleship. More recent biblical scholarship, built on a pre-modern approach to interpretation, moves to a reader-centered approach to biblical reading. The focus of this article is to explore a reader-centered approach to Bible reading that gives focus to the role of Scripture as means of formation. This rediscovery of the formative power of Scripture has implications for how the Bible is appropriated in worship and discipleship for the church.
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
The field of neuroscience and religion continues to explode as researchers seek to understand rel... more The field of neuroscience and religion continues to explode as researchers seek to understand religious experiences in the brain. Studies in religious experience, called neurotheology, attempt to draw conclusions about the truth of these religious experiences from the study of biological brain events. Given the substantial research on the science of religion, this article explores the physiological changes of college students engaged in regular spiritual practices. Students were asked to engage in intentional spiritual formational practices, such as prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, and contemplation, to see if these practices impacted their physiological activities, including brain wave, heart rate, skin response (sweat), and reaction time changes. A variety of neuropsychological measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory, State/Trait Anxiety Scale, heart beats per minute, galvanic skin response, and electrophysiological encephalography measures were gathered at the beginn...
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry
Spiritual formation is one of the recognized benchmarks of higher education that is Christian. A ... more Spiritual formation is one of the recognized benchmarks of higher education that is Christian. A communal commitment to spiritual formation is indeed part of the Christian higher education community's DNA, and is in fact reflected in the criteria for accreditation in both the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). However, as many Christian institutions of higher education begin to engage in online instruction, even offering entire degree programs online, how can they affirm their campus's commitment to the spiritual formation of students? This article addresses the question of providing intentional Christian nurture toward spiritual formation in online degree programs. The aim of the article is to inform participants of the challenges and opportunities for student spiritual formation in online degree programs so as to better equip participants to develop Christian nurture initiatives for online students from an info...