Faithful in Every Footnote

"Faithful in every footnote" is the phrase that was scripted above Dr. Christine Jones's desk as a doctoral student. While she worked on her dissertation over the apocalyptic songs of Bob Dylan, those words would morph into her personal outlook on education.

"A Christ-centered education means that all our work as educators and scholars should be approached as an act of worship," Jones shared. "We work as unto the Lord. We are called to be faithful stewards of all God has given us, even the boring details of research and documentation."

Born and raised in Joshua, Texas, Dr. Jones graduated with the inaugural class of DBU music business majors and then went on to complete an MLA and Ph.D. degree. "I've been teaching for ten years around the DFW metroplex, including UTD, SMU, DBU, and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute," Jones said. "I have been teaching full time here at DBU for the last two-and-a-half years. Along the way, I've also been a music minister, an independent singer-songwriter, and a regular contributor to the website Thinking Through Christianity."

Here at DBU, Jones teaches various English composition and literature classes as well as the introductory songwriting class for the music school. This semester, she will be teaching two sections of ENGL 1301, a section of World Lit, Intro to Songwriting, and a new class on 1960s fiction that she is excited about.

"I love to teach poetry and the literature of the 1960s," Jones said. "I also enjoy working with the Doxa literary circle- a creative writing group for students here. When I'm not teaching, working on various music and writing projects, or hanging out with my husband and cats, I'm involved in community theatre. I'm currently working on a production of Mary Poppins the musical with The Stage Door in Plano, where I've been cast as Mrs. Banks!"

As an educator, Jones seeks to incorporate a Christian-worldview in her classroom that allows her students to grapple with ideas in such a way that shines a light on biblical truths. Whether it be in one of her songwriting classes, where she stresses the importance of artistry and creativity as reflections of Christ, or in one of her English classes, where she reflects on writing as a leap of faith, each of her courses emphasizes that everything a student learns is part of God's creation.

"When we read a work of beautiful poetry, we celebrate the glimpses of God's beauty that poetry affords us," Jones shared. "When we analyze literature in order to understand the truth, we declare our hope that we will one day see the full picture of truth when Christ returns in glory. When we encounter difficult human problems in a novel or play, we gain empathy for one another and learn how to love one another better, as we work to bring all things under the rule of God's perfect love. When we write our own papers and works of creative literature, we exercise our God-given creativity, and we become more and more like our creative God, in whose image we are made. All these activities proclaim Christ's lordship over the realm of literature and letters."

For her students, Jones hopes to help them grow as independent thinkers and learners. She encourages her classes to take hold of their education in a way that proves edifying to their life holistically.

"I want my students to read widely and explore a variety of ideas, to find something fascinating in their studies, and to think for themselves. I want them to dig deep into difficult topics and not give up just because it's difficult. I want them to approach unfamiliar texts with humility. Then, I want to see them take that curiosity, humility, and growth-mindset into the world around them in love."