Reflections from Faculty
Geoff Broughton, Lecturer in Everyday Spirituality, Popular Culture 1999-2008"Have you thought about being involved in the thing at Macquarie University?"
It was July 1998 and I was living in Los Angeles, still writing my master's thesis. I was on a roster of drivers to take Julie Banks to and from hospital for her radiation therapy, and Julie's question came on one of those journeys in response to my less-than-compelling answer of what I wanted to do after I had finished studying at Fuller. This "Macquarie thing" was Rob and Julie's Banks long-held dream of theological education for everyday Christians, making the faith and life connections. It sounded good, but fortunately neither Julie nor I had any idea about how I might "fit in."
By July 1999, Julie had tragically died soon after Rob and Julie's return to Australia, and I found myself "fitting in" by "filling in" for Robert Banks (hah!). I was suddenly co-teaching The Spirituality of Everyday Life at Fuller Theological Seminary with my good friend Simon Holt, and at the inaugural class of this "thing" at Macquarie University which now had a name, the Macquarie Christian Studies Institute. What I remember most is Simon's graciousness towards me and my obvious lack of experience.
That generous spirit has been a hallmark of MCSI through my years of association with it, parrticularly the staff and co-teachers Simon Holt and Gordon Preece (The Theology / Ethics / Spirituality of Everyday Life) and Rob Johnston and Mark Seton (A Christian Perspective on Popular Culture). I have felt privileged to be involved with students who were making faith and life connections, and in a small but significant way, to live the dream.
Like Socrates, I have always believed in the power of the right question. Thanks Julie for asking me about MCSI."
Armen Gakavian, Lecturer in Justice and Social Change, 2004-2008"After a 4-year stint as a missionary, community developer and academic in Armenia, I returned to Sydney in 2004 in search for new opportunities.
I wasn't asking for much: just an innovative faith-based educational institute that taught Christian studies (but not theology as such); that allowed for critical thought within a solid biblical framework; that attracted students with passion and with a desire to learn; and that facilitated the mentoring and pastoring of students! After all, this is what I had been doing overseas, and the passion to help thinking Christians engage with a broader understanding of the Kingdom of God was still burning within me.
It turned out that what I was looking for was not too big an ask, for there, right under my nose, was MCSI ... "Bringing faith to life" struck a chord, and the opportunity to teach on the nexus between faith and social change was too tempting to refuse. Robert Banks' invitation was one of those God-moments; the meeting with Neil Holm inspiring; and my teaching with MCSI an unforgettable time of academic and spiritual fulfilment and a valuable learning experience.
My interaction with the MCSI directors and staff, and with other members of faculty, enriched my life in innumerable ways. But above all I was privileged to be able to invest in the lives of dozens of wonderful, passionate, engaging and godly students, whose heart for God's word, compassion for the marginalised, vision for society and desire to be involved in social transformation and the hastening of God's Kingdom have given me new hope for the church.
Needless to say, I am deeply saddened by the closure of MCSI and feel a strong sense of corporate and personal loss. But I have no doubt that the good seed sown in the lives of so many will multiply, just like the yeast in Jesus' parable, bringing the Kingdom of God to hitherto untouched corners of the world. And I have no doubt that the vision of MCSI is not dead, but rather momentarily hidden in the soil of God's treasure field, waiting for an opportunity to manifest in new and innovative ways where we least expect it. Indeed, like the scattering of the Jerusalem church in the book of Acts, the closure of MCSI as a concentrated physical entity will, I believe, be the catalyst for the expansion and dissemination of MCSI as a spiritual reality into the broader community.
I look forward to seeing what God has in store."
Thomas Smith, Lecturer in Education, 2006-2008
"The highlight of working at MCSI for me was running MA units at St Paul's Grammar Cranebrook. We always had a sense of anticipation because we knew that we would fly high in exploring the implications of bringing a Christian perspective to an educational practice. Some of the students were executive staff, others were year co-ordinators and one was a new teacher. But in spite of their tiredness and exhaustion, a question would be asked and the group would be into testing and validating an idea. Their life experience, professional integrity and Christian wisdom were the grounds for out intellectual debate. Maybe the supper the school provided also reinforced our spirits too."
Neil Holm, Lecturer in Education, 2003-2008
Gordon Preece's farewell was an especially happy occasion. We were sad to see Gordon leave but we knew it was beyond his control and it was for the sake of his children. We had lunch at Lachlan's Restaurant within the Macquarie Graduate School of Management -- where we had many memorable celebrations.
Our gift to Gordon was a print of The Angelus by the French artist, Jean Millet. I had not seen this work before and it continues to bless me, in part because this image of pausing before God in the midst of the working day is so apt for MCSI. It blesses me because it also links with my childhood. For years, I worked on a poultry farm at weekends and during school holidays. Music from radio station 2SM, then a Catholic station, was played to the cage hens all day. At noon every day, the station played The Angelus. Although I attended an Anglican church and at that time, there was much suspicion between Protestants and Catholics, I am sure this repeated acknowledgment of the Word being made Flesh was an important part of my spiritual formation and this art print captured perfectly the sense of the Word being enfleshed in working people.
I am especially thankful for the opportunity to teach at MCSI. I developed new units of study for Teaching in Community; Schooling: Christian Perspectives; Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Worldview; Values and Ethics in Education; and Classroom and School Landscapes. In preparing these units, I was able to give structure and substance to the many ideas that had informed my teaching and administration as a Christian over the previous 25 years. I valued the opportunity to give students a solid foundation built on Biblical principles that drew on theological perspectives from Eugene Peterson, Miroslav Volf, Parker Palmer, Brian Hill, Gloria Durka, Rebecca Chopp, Thomas Groome, Henri Nouwen, Martin Buber, and others.
Perhaps my biggest challenge came when Ross Saunders died a few weeks before he was to teach a new unit that he had developed on the Person, Politics, and Ethics of Paul. God was gracious, and with the help of Chris Forbes, Mark Harding, and Jim Harrison who each gave four weeks of lectures, I coordinated the unit and gave continuity by leading all the tutorials and doing the marking.
I continue to be surprised and thankful for the generosity and support given by Macquarie University staff. The stereotypical strident aggression towards faith in general and Christianity in particular was notably absent. Instead we were encouraged by the welcome provided by John Loxton (Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic), Brian Spencer, and staff in the library, academic programs section, timetabling and room allocation section, Museum of Ancient Cultures, printery, flexible learning, and audio-visual section."
Murray Smith, Lecturer in World Religions & Person, Politics and Ethics of Jesus, 2007-2008MCSI has offered a unique opportunity for students and lecturers alike to integrate a biblical understanding of God with everyday life in the world. In 2008 I have taught World Religions and the Christian Faith and Jesus: Person, Politics and Ethics. These courses have forced me to rigorously think through my own understanding of God and the Christian life in the light of Jesus and in the context of our pluralist society. It has been a pleasure to share this journey with interested students from a whole range of religious backgrounds (and none). The individuals involved, and the university as a whole, have been the better for it.
Dr Mark Seton, Lecturer in Popular Culture 2002-2007
I'd like to acknowledge the significant contribution made by MCSI to the engagement of Christian faith with popular culture, in particular, film and television. This emerged out of the particular passion of Dr Robert Banks as he gathered around him those passionate to help Christians dialogue with others about the social and spiritual impact of popular culture. I was part of that first coffee gathering from which emerged a group, undergirded by MCSI, that became known as ScreenVision. Out of that group's commitment, came two successfully run CineText events - all day screenings of HSC English curriculum movies, support by panels of experts in production and film criticism, to coincide with the publication of a text by Robert for use in High Schools. In 2002, ScreenVision successfully applied for a grant from the General Synod of the Anglican Church to develop resources to encourage Christians to engage missionally with their friends and peers in seeing movies and dialoguing about their significance for life. This project became known as CineDialogue which has since been revitalised by the Uniting Church in NSW (when its Anglican support flounded) and is currently producing a second generation of activity in Campbelltown (from one of the original CineDialogue workshop participants). CineDialogue also became a key tool in the MCSI unit A Christian Perspective on Popular Culture with which I was involved, initially as a guest speaker, and then as a co-convenor. I'm very proud to have been associated with this innovative program over the years from 2002 to 2007.
Kara Martin, Lecturer in Christian Spirituality, & Sex, Money & Friendship, 2002-2008
It was a great joy to be invited by Stuart Piggin to join him in teaching his history of Christian Spirituality course. Teaching this subject was unlike any other lecturing or training experience I had been involved in. It included a weekend retreat, where people seemed to frequently be either in tears, intense conversation, or laughing! At the end of the semester I received presents and cards from the students even though they had definitely done most of the work.
One of the highlights of my experience was to make friends with staff and lecturers and students of MCSI. It was often an amazing bonding experience of shared vision or intellectual enquiry, with faith as the core. It was not unusual for lecturers to make time for students outside class, to lend books, and to maintain contact initiated by the student. Staff also often went beyond the call of duty to provide pastoral care for students.
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