Matt Roberts (2007-08) visiting assistant professor of philosophy
This has been a good year for me here at Whitworth. I've enjoyed my colleagues in the department and have grown in my ability as a teacher. This was my second visiting position after defending my dissertation at the University of Colorado in summer '06. I taught at Wheaton College last year. I've been enriched by the opportunities to teach at two Christian institution -- similar in some ways, but quite different in others. While I would have liked to stay at Whitworth, I trust that God's direction for both my family and Whitworth is better than our limited comprehension. I will be joining the faculty of Patrick Henry College, in Purcellville, Virginia in the fall. While Patrick Henry is a non-tenure-granting institution, we hope to be there for many years to come. I am excited about the opportunity to teach there, given the school's emphasis on classical Christian education and its unique student body, 80 percent of whom have been home-schooled.

In the fall I taught Epistemology (for the first time) and two sections of Introduction to Philosophy (which I've taught many times before). Jan Term brought another new course for me: Reasons for Faith. A trip to Seattle to discuss the course with its founder, Stephen Meyer, proved invaluable to me in teaching the course in the unique format of three hours a day for three weeks (whew!). This spring I taught another section of Intro to Logic and worked on the Core 250 team. Having taught Intro to Logic once before, I found this second pass to be significantly better; I really enjoyed it. Working on the Core 250 team was a great opportunity to see master teachers, especially Forrest, teach through the history of philosophy. I think this will be of significant use to me as I teach history of philosophy at Patrick Henry in spring 2009.

This year has also been rich at home as we've watched our daughter, Karis, grow and change every day. She will be two on August 24. We welcomed our newest addition, Lucas James, on April 14. We are delighted with two happy, healthy kids. Jess has been active in the North Spokane Mom's Club and in a women's group at Garland Avenue Church of the Christian Missionary Alliance, where we have attended on Sunday mornings. We have also really enjoyed our involvement in a Friday-evening house church. Our year in Spokane has been one of significant spiritual growth, especially in the area of supernaturalistic, third-wave Christianity and our exploration of house-church ecclesiology. We look forward to what lies in store for us in Virginia!