Marvin L. Bittinger
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics Education
Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis
If I could start my teaching career over again and live it with greater passion for Christ, what would I do?
Suicide
I was raised by my grandparents. My mother committed suicide 10 days after my birth. My father lived elsewhere, and my grandfather allowed me virtually no one-on-one time. I became a follower of Christ at age 12, but for the wrong reasons.
Reared by my grandmother in a very fundamental environment, I responded to her pressure to accept Christ rather than from a decision of the heart, will, and mind. Nevertheless, her love and that of the church and a Christian college prevailed and I grew somewhat in my faith.
Still, there was this deficit — a need for male approval. I tried to satisfy it with a passion for activities: softball, bowling, hiking in Utah, and the advance of my career. I dedicated my life to the teaching of college mathematics students – I thought God wanted me to return to a Christian college and model the kind of professors I had as an undergraduate, but He had other plans.
200 Textbooks
As I began teaching at a secular university, I started writing textbooks. If God has blessed me with a gift, it seems to be that of explaining mathematics in a manner understandable to students. I have had 200 textbooks published to date.
I stopped teaching in 1996. There wasn’t a time that I went to class without the feeling of showing my Christian love to my students by making every effort to teach them in a loving manner. But never did I mention my faith.
Two years later I suffered a heart attack. Driving to the ER about 3:30 a.m. with a tightness in my chest accompanied by a cold sweat, my wife Elaine and I prayed. I thought of all the times I had pursued my passions instead of God’s. My fervent prayer was: “God, You are in control. If You want to take me, I’ll go. It is my preference to stay, hoping to see my grandchildren (none existed then)!”
Passions Of A Self-Centered Life
I believe God speaks to me by a thought coming to mind that is creative, worthwhile, and unequivocal. I asked what He wanted from me the rest of my life. He said, “Look at all the passions you have of a self-centered nature. Why don’t you give Me that passion?”
That message initiated intense reading of the Bible and other theological materials. I couldn’t imbibe spiritual knowledge fast enough, studying the Bible and shelves of theology books while running on a treadmill to restore my health. The passion to write a book grew out of the pain of my heart attack. It led to “The Faith Equation: One Mathematician’s Journey in Christianity.”
As I have reviewed my life as a professor, I have looked back and asked, “What was this good for? What would I do differently, if I could do it over, and still be teaching?”
In spite of walking the line between church and state issues at a public university, I hope that on the first day of class I would say something to the effect, “I am a Christian, and each day I am teaching as a directive of my faith. If you ever want to talk to me about issues of religion, philosophy, or Christianity, my office door is open.”
You Impact Them Up Close
You can impress people at a distance, but you can only impact them up close. To that end, if I could do things over, I believe that I would leave my office early, go to a food court or other student hangout, look for my students, and be available.
Depending on the size of my classes, my wife and I would try to have student gatherings at the house. From these bases, I would hope to open the doors to further sharing my faith.
Don’t let your career pass you by as I did. Apply your passion for Christ!
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© 2008 Marvin Bittinger Used by Permission of Faculty Commons