As a new semester begins – and due dates for next year’s syllabi are coming up – it’s a great time to think afresh about curricular integration of oikonomia issues in your classes. The insights of whole-life discipleship, fruitful work and economic wisdom are not some separate subject over on the side for theological education. They represent one of the deepest patterns across the whole canon of scripture, a central commitment of the theological knowledge tradition, a critical factor in the history of the church and the world, and a primary principle of sound ethics and pastoral leadership.
For years, this newsletter has carried monthly articles to help you with curricular integration. Some have presented bite-sized ideas – a paper assignment, an exam question – and some have been deep dives. Lately we’ve run a series that arose from curricular workshops with faculty at three of our schools. (We’re grateful to the Theology of Work Project for having written so much insightful material for these articles!)
We’re now launching a new Curricular Integration page on the ON website to help you access all the material we’ve published that can help you find new ways of making these connections in class. Just click the Resources tab and select Curricular Integration.
You’ll find links organized by discipline. Whatever your field is, we have a page for it.
And it’s not just a big list of links. We’ve selected Editor’s Picks to help you get started with the best articles. We worked to provide a mix of deep dives, bite-size ideas and workshop insights. (But if you want the big list with everything on it, we’ve got that, too!)
If you’re familiar with the ON, you will not be surprised to hear that we’re also pointing you to videos in our library of Economic Wisdom Project Talks. These are top-notch pedagogical tools, and they’re short enough that inserting them into a class is easy. Do you teach systematics? Consider assigning these talks. Old Testament? We have you covered. Spiritual formation? Right here.
Check out the new Curricular Integration page as you continue exploring new options for your classes. And, as always, let us know what you think! We’re always looking for ways to serve you better.
