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Education, Faith and the Critique of Reason. Mary Ellington Quinn Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

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Education, Faith and the Critique of Reason. Mary Ellington Quinn Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1997 Education, Faith and the Critique of Reason. Mary Ellington Quinn Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Quinn, Mary Ellington, "Education, Faith and the Critique of Reason." (1997). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6513. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6513 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. 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EDUCATION, FAITH AND THE CRITIQUE OF REASON A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment o f the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Curriculum and Instruction by Mary Ellington Quinn B.S., Louisiana State University, 1987 August 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9808770 UMI Microform 9808770 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As I went through the wild waste o f this world, I came to a place where there was a den, and I lay down in it to sleep. While I slept, I had a dream, and lo! I saw a man whose clothes were in rags, and he stood with his face from bis own house, with a book in his hand, and a great load on his back. I saw him read from the leaves of a book, and as he read, he wept and shook with fear—then he let out a loud cry, and said, "What shall I do to save my soul?".... Now he had not gone far from this own door, when [those] who saw him, gave out a loud wail to beg of him to come back; but the man put his hands to his ears, and ran on with a cry of "Life! Life!" (Bunyan, 1678/1939, pp 1-3) This passage from that classic novel by John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, is amazingly descriptive of the posture within which I began the course of study that culminated in the present work. Indeed I have been as the man who slept and dreamed this dream, and as the man in rags, in fear and trembling, burdened and crying out for my soul and for life. In a very real way, this work is a result of the journey borne from this plight: a testimony of my own "progress" from "darkness to light, from servitude to redemption"; and the diary of my own education, encounter with reason and trial of faith—not to mention my dreams of deliverance and life. And through it, in a sense, my soul has been saved and I have found life anew. Yet, while the quest has been my own, while it has been a solitary one, I have not truly made it alone, and had not persevered in it and penned this record were it not for the help of a host o f others. To this day, I write and I teach because I believe in and have known the transformative and regenerative power o f the word. For in this journey, I have found comfort, guidance, encouragement, wisdom and light in the leaves of many a book and in the books of many a life to whom I owe a debt of gratitude beyond ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. expression. To speak of these "many” who have been so beautifully with me and for me- -and of their gifts to me—is difficult because, as Bunyan's pilgrim has so clearly put it, "I can find them with my heart, though I know not how to speak o f them with my tongue" (p. 7). With all my heart, though, I shall try to speak o f them and acknowledge them here, well aware that any expression I give will fall painfully short. To my committee I am most grateful, for they kept faith when I seemingly had none: Dr. William Doll, my major advisor, beloved mentor and personal Evangelist, who led me first to the "scroll," lighted my way to the Wicket Gate, upheld me in times of doubt, and reminded me continually to "hope all things”; Dr. Dwayne Huebner, whose words of wisdom have many a time quenched my thirsty soul, whose careful critique has kept me from the Land of Vainglory, and whose silent presence has been as instrumental in directing me to the blessed Room Peace; Dr. Pinar, who, having first invited me to Interpreter’s House, has faithfully steered me from Ignorance with kindness and grace and challenged me to press for deeper understanding; Dr. Petra Munro, who has enriched my journey by ever opening my eyes to new vistas and adventures, who with Prudence and Discretion has tenderly shown me that to which I have been blind, and who has been a friend through thick and thin; Dr. Ann Trousdale, who has done and been the same, dear Hopeful, who with Charity has cautioned me against the snares of Mr. Heady and prompted me to return always to the Spring of Life; Dr. Denise Egea- Kuehne, my Good-Will, whose example and support have been an inspiration to me; and Dr. Bainard Cowan, a guide to the Delectable Mountains o f the Western tradition, iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. whose keen commentary has directed me away from Mir. High-Mind, and an ever­ present source of encouragement and comfort. To all my family, I owe enormous thanks, especially my parents Louis and Jane Quinn, for their unfailing love and devotion and faith; my niece, Marcie Lemieux, for reminding me always of the joy of life and of the wisdom of play, and Jim Rhorer, who has done likewise, and has bore with me through much and helped me slay the Giant Despair. I have been surrounded, as well, with "so great a cloud o f witnesses," dear friends who have stood with and for me to whom I owe tribute: Doug McKnight, Steve Triche and Jeff Gagne, fellow-sojoumers who have read, critiqued and celebrated my work, and upheld me in every hour and frame; Vicki Hillis, Anne Pautz, Elaine Riley, Peggy McConnell, A1 Alcazar, Natalie Adams, Kim Vannest, and John St. Julien, who have laughed with me, cried with me, intellectualized with me, and enriched my life with their presence; Sundar, who has been an ever-present source of support, technical and otherwise; and Brendan McGuckin, whose friendship this past year has sustained me. As a pilgrim unfortunately given to melancholy, there are those souls to whom I must extend deepest appreciation as they have succoured and strengthened me through many dark times: Lysah Kemper, who as the truest of friends has taken each step with me up the Hill of Difficulty, ever cheerful, ever encouraging; Martha Self, my guardian angel and Help, who has with great patience and care walked with me through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and lighted the way to the Celestial Gate; Cathy Green, who has rescued me on numerous occasions from Doubting Castle; and Harleigh Jones, my Faithful, who with big ear and heart has listened and dragged me more than once from iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the Slough of Despond. Dr. Hayes and Dr. Baker, too, have helped me find my way out of the Vale of Humiliation; and Janice Goodloe, Marti Wilson and Deborah Lee have been faithful to remind me that to care for my body is also to attend to my soul.
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