The legacy of English teaching and Christian missionaries is a flashpoint within the field of English language teaching. This critical examination of the place of Christianity in the field is unique in presenting the voices of TESOL professionals from a wide range of religious and spiritual perspectives. About half identify themselves as "Christian" while the others identify themselves as Buddhist, atheist, spiritualist, and variations of these and other faiths. What is common for all the authors is their belief that values have an important place in the classroom. What they disagree on is whether and how spiritual values should find expression in learning and teaching. This volume dramatizes how scholars in the profession wrestle with ideological, pedagogical, and spiritual dilemmas as they seek to understand the place of faith in education. To sustain this conversation, the book is structured dialogically. Each section includes a set of position chapters in which authors explain their views of faith/pedagogy integration, a set of chapters by authors responding to these positions while articulating their own views on the subject, and discussion questions to engage readers in comparing the positions of all the authors, reflecting on their own experiences and values, and advancing the dialogue in fresh and personal directions.

Ideological and educational-political aspects of the link between language and faith—especially between Global English and Christianity—is a topic of growing interest in the field of English language teaching. This book explores the possible role and impact of teachers’ and students’ faith in the English language classroom. Bringing together studies representing a diversity of experiences and perspectives on the philosophies, purposes, practices, and theories of the interrelationship of Christianity and language learning and teaching, it is on the front line in providing empirical data that offers firm insights into the actual role that faith plays in various aspects of the language learning/teaching experience. By adding a data-based dimension, the volume contributes to the cultivation of valid research methods and innovative ways to analyze and interpret studies of the intersection of Christian faith and the practice of teaching and learning language. .

This volume critically examines how English language teaching professionals wrestle with ideological, pedagogical, and spiritual dilemmas as they seek to understand the place of faith in education.

This book explores the possible role and impact of teachers' and students' faith in the English language classroom.

This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship of religious identity and English Language Teaching (ELT). The chapters broaden a topic which has traditionally focused on Christianity by including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and non-religious perspectives. They address the ways in which faith and ELT intersect in the realms of teacher identity, pedagogy and the context and content of ELT, and explore a diverse range of geographical contexts, making use of a number of different research methodologies. The book will be of particular interest to researchers in TESOL and EFL, as well as teachers and teacher trainers.

This dissertation, "Christianity and English Language Teaching: Astudy of an English Conversation Class for Mainland Chinese Scholarsat an English-speaking Church in Hong Kong" by Kwan-mei, Yu, 余君美, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract of the dissertation Christianity and English language teaching: A study of an English conversation class for Mainland Chinese scholars at an English- speaking church in Hong Kong submitted by Yu Kwan-mei Christian English language teaching (CELT) has of late engendered increasingly heated debate within the English language teaching profession in present times of globalization. Controversial issues involve ethical, professional, ideological, and cultural aspects such as transparency, accountability, the respect for culture, power, integrity and values. The Christian service perspective is criticized with Linguistic Imperialism views, favouring critical pedagogy. Critics note and politicize the ubiquity of evangelicals in the profession and call for reflection on and by these teachers. Christian educators answer with models of professionalism, interculturality, critical thinking and Christian character. Hong Kong poses an opportune research site to address these issues recurrent in the two centuries since Western missionaries introduced the English language to China. Ten teachers, comprising native speakers and Chinese, from an English conversation class, for Mainland Chinese scholars, in an international Anglican church participated in semi- structured in-depth interviews. This qualitative ethnographic study explored teacher beliefs and their probable influence on practice. The findings suggested that positive Christian teacher beliefs may be conducive to ethical, altruistic, faithful and professional practice. More equitable and realistic re-conceptualizations were posited for CELT, whose pedagogy could find inspiration in the critical pedagogy theories. vii DOI: 10.5353/th_b3873293 Subjects: English language - Study and teaching - Foreign speakers Christian education Christian teachers - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes

English teaching is common in missions today. However, there has been relatively little discussion on what constitutes effectiveness in English ministries. This book aims to foster such discussion. It first addresses issues of concern in English ministries and then suggests criteria for effectiveness, considerations in teacher preparation, and models for the teaching of English in missions.