Dr. Mark Hayse is Professor of Christian Education, and Director, Honors Program, MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Ordained Elder, Church of the Nazarene
Education:
PhD; Educational Studies, 2009, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
MRE; Religious Education, 1993, Nazarene Theological Seminary
BA; Religion, 1998, MidAmerica Nazarene University
"The following passage reminds me that the central qualities of Christian faith are suffering love and resurrection hope. In my present life, this passage lends me strength to face the crises of life. I can face suffering - for the sake of loving others - because hope sustains me in the middle of it all. 'But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).'"
Awards and Honors:
Alpha Chi Donald Metz Award - Faculty Member of the Year for Distinctive Academic Contributions, 2007
Who's Who among America's Teachers, 2005
Summa Cum Laude, Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1993
Outstanding Graduate in Christian Education, North American Professors of Christian Education, Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1993.
The ubiquity and popularity of video games suggest a new medium for religious education. However, the capitalistic and militaristic architecture of many evangelical Christian video games undermines their potential for faithful religious education. Thus, these video games ironically propagate a curriculum of redemptive violence. Video games with religious educational aspirations call for a distinctively religious architecture that intertwines aspects of myth, identity, contemplation, discernment, revelation, transcendence, mutuality, and creativity.
The "Games for Change" organization sponsors video game innovations that seek to teach justice and compassion through digital play. Play encompasses many dimensions: learning and growth, perspective taking, self-reflection, critical thinking, and adaptive thinking. However, the educational aims of these games may be diluted by the latent structural qualities within the chosen medium of digital play. In addition, religion appears to be an underutilized resource within these games, despite the great promise and potential of religious education.
Jason Rohrer's independently produced video game - Passage (2007) - illustrates the potential of video games to mediate transcendence and epiphany through digital play.
Thesis: Video games hold promise for situating players within a religious education curriculum that sponsors playful engagement with the ethical and the transcendent.
* At its best, video game curriculum integrates both narrative (explicit) and procedural (implicit) educational strategies.
* However, some evidence suggests that religious video game designers fail to understand either the full curricular potential of the video game medium or the implicit curricular significance of conventional video game procedures.
Youth Leader Training is a collection of 20 lessons designed to provide youth leaders and volunteers with sound principles for shaping and guiding local youth ministries. These lessons attempt to provide a comprehensive approach for a theologically grounded, faithful, ministry with young people for the sake of the Kingdom of God. These lessons are the diligent work of more than fourteen youth ministry educators across the globe. Both seasoned and emerging youth educators, working individually and collectively to design and write the lessons.
Youth Leader Training is a collection of 20 lessons designed to provide youth leaders and volunteers with sound principles for shaping and guiding local youth ministries. These lessons attempt to provide a comprehensive approach for a theologically grounded, faithful, ministry with young people for the sake of the Kingdom of God. These lessons are the diligent work of more than fourteen youth ministry educators across the globe. Both seasoned and emerging youth educators, working individually and collectively to design and write the lessons.