Kenosis is a fancy Greek word for “emptying,” and it is used in the Christian tradition to denote the self-effacing act of Christ, the second person of the divine Trinity, in taking on human form (in Jesus of Nazareth). It is part and parcel of the Incarnation, which Christians view as key to Christ’s saving work. It is through embracing humanity’s imperfect nature, and suffering the worst that nature has to offer, that Christ brings salvation (there are many different explanations of how this works; that’s a whole thing for another time – just know that Christians as a whole believe it does work). The classic statement of kenosis is found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he quotes what most scholars believe is an early Christian hymn:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11, NRSV)
Important things to note here are: 1) Christ, as Christ, has power and standing; 2) Christ best uses that power and standing by giving it up in taking on human form; 3) that form is described as a “slave,” serving others and putting them first; and 4) the giving up of power and standing ultimately leads to greater power and standing (to give up is, ultimately, to receive). Given this, I think a good way to define kenosis is as “a kind of giving humility.” It is not a false or self-deprecating humility, but a self-giving humility. It keeps the big picture in mind, and it keeps other people in mind. This is exemplified in Jesus’s own teachings:
…one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’
He said to him, ” “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40, NRSV)
The commandments Jesus highlights focus on a person’s relationship to the big picture (love and worship God) and their relationship to others (love and care for the neighbor as for the self). Which is to say that Christianity shows Jesus practicing what he preaches, and vice-versa: kenosis. Good things happen when we give, when we have a proper perspective, and when we keep others in mind. Power comes from service and not from ego. And, as the followers of Jesus see it, these patterns are the shape of God’s own interaction with humanity. To do as Jesus did and said is to become a part of the repair of the world and the human condition. This is not just good advice – it’s how the world works (when it works properly).
Now, what can we take from these teachings on kenosis to use in our teaching? What would it mean to take a concept of giving humility into the classroom? Again, it should not be taken as a call to false modesty. We should always model honesty and appropriate self-confidence to our students. And obviously “giving up” here means yielding and not despairing! It is worth noting, however, that we live surrounded by a rather ego-driven culture – especially in the academy – where personal accomplishments matter and there is pressure to stand out. One of the things teaching with kenosis in mind can do is challenge us to present a different model of accomplishment. What does it mean to not think of standing as something to be exploited, even for lines on a CV? What sort of big-picture values are we holding up as important? How do we serve our students and help them to serve each other? What are we willing to give up in the short term in order to gain more in the long term? These are some questions this Christian ideal challenges us to ask. What might it mean to teach with the “mind of Christ” that Paul describes?
Passion – I realize “passion” is another loaded term in Christianity. Here, though, I mean it as simply a sense of what matters. In terms of Jesus’s first commandment, it means loving something with all your heart, soul, and mind. Obviously students’ personal relationships with any (or no) higher power are not usually matters for classroom experience (though I have had them come up in office hours!). We can, however, use time in the classroom to let students express and reflect on what really does matter to them. I have often started lessons about myths or American culture or simply storytelling by asking students, “Why are you here? Not just in this class, but at college at all? Why is it important?” Answers of course vary, and there is no right one – it is an exercise in calling to mind what things they value, and thinking a little about where those values come from. Hopefully, questions like those also encourage students to see what they care about as connected to bigger things – their families, their culture, their time management, and also our class. One of the hardest things for me to get over as a young teacher was the belief that I had to compartmentalize myself, and keep all the non-school parts of my life out of teaching. Not true. Healthy boundaries are good, but I also learned that students respond to whole people. They like to know what I’m into. They laugh when I, an amateur actor and veteran bedtime-story-reader, sometimes use silly voices in lectures or when reading texts aloud. They’re surprised when I know the names of current musical acts. And so on. One of the best lessons we can give students is that it is OK to care – about family, about a career, about music, about plants, about pets, about voting rights, about vegetarianism, or anything else. What would you give everything up for? Again – I do not believe that we should teach particular answers to that question; I do believe that we should teach that you should have a particular answer, and provide tools to reflect on it.
Kindness – I always concluded the classroom behavior portion of my first-day routine by saying, “If nothing else, make the rest of us glad you’re here.” Teaching with kenosis in mind can help extend that sentiment. It encourages us to never forget that we are surrounded by, and thus affect and are affected by, other people. Class dynamic is a tricky thing to create and police. Often, it has to happen organically. But I try to do what I can to remind students that we are all in this together. I employ a lot of group work, and that can help. But I also try to encourage peer feedback and interaction on assignments, presentations, and so on. Students should not think of classmates as competition; the competition is with themselves and their own mastery of skills and material – and they should feel free to help one another with those (as long as credit is given where due! Kenosis, yes; stealing, no!). And as valuable as exposure to diversity is, it is also worth spending some time getting students to notice what they have in common – shared values, shared goals, shared experiences. They share this particular class meeting, if nothing else! It’s worth pondering how we might underline the fact that learning together is a common good. I think students have a stronger sense of this now, after COVID-19 forced many of them out of traditional classroom settings. If passion is about bringing your whole self to class, kindness is about the willingness to share that self with others, and to be shared with in return.
Self-checks and self-care – Jesus does say “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Teaching with that in mind is also a challenge to encourage and enable students to take care of themselves, both in and out of the classroom. In class, this may mean providing time to start or catch up on work or even building self-evaluations into assignments. We aren’t with students outside of class, but we can respect their experiences and offer the help we can with time management, access to resources, or just time to talk and reflect. One of the best things we can do is underline the “as yourself” for ourselves and let students see us model good self-care, healthy boundaries, and honest accountability in our own lives. We, too, must practice what we preach/teach.
Humility – This can be a hard one for teachers to learn – after all, we’re up in front there exactly because of our expertise, authority, and hard work. But. We must avoid the trap that we are there to pass on ourselves to our students rather than the skills or content at hand. Power and standing are not things to be exploited! I have always maintained that, as a teacher, I am in the weird business of making myself less necessary. I have, in fact, actually made yielding the class to students an end-of-the-semester exercise for all of us. “We’ve done this for a semester – so you get to lead the last three classes on [topic x]. I’ll revert to student mode.” It is an assignment – they have to work together and turn in written lesson plans – but it’s more than that. This is a valuable way for me to see if they have internalized concepts and methods, but it’s also a valuable vote of confidence and a valuable talk for all concerned to spend a while in others’ shoes. Yes, I always come in for some gentle ribbing as students crib my methods and exercises. The look of satisfaction of the leaders’ faces and the often impressed looks on their “students’” faces are worth it. And I have given my students an example of humility – of being willing to give up sole control of the class. Humility like this, I hope, builds empathy. I also hope it reinforces that the whole point of the course was not to make Dr. Craig happy, but to enable them to know and do things. “Humility,” wrote Thomas Merton, “is the surest sign of strength.” This is because a humble person knows the big picture. For Merton, a Christian monk, that was of course “the power of God.” But it can be anything. Real humility – not false modesty – is rooted in confidence. True giving humility recognizes an answer that passion question. What would you give it all up for? And then puts its money where its mouth is. It’s a powerful goal, and a powerful lesson.
A caution – Taken to a certain extreme, all this “giving up for others” talk can lead to martyrdom. Martyrs are an important part of the history of Christianity – but they are not what I aim to make in the classroom. No one wants to breed resentment or burnout. We should not create these things. We should try hard not to model these things. Giving is not the same as having no boundaries. Care for others should never replace care for the self. Love for others should be collaborative and not overwhelming. Be honest with yourself and your students about where you are, and what is expected.
Reflection Questions:
- What are you passionate about? How do these passions influence your teaching?
- Do you know what your students are passionate about? What opportunities do you give them in your courses to bring those passions to the table?
- What values does your daily class practice promote? Have you ever thought about this? What do you think your students would say is important to you? Why?
- Do you encourage students to work together? What would this encouragement look like as part of assignments? What would it look like as part of daily class experience?
- Do you consciously model humility in your teaching? If so, how? If not, how might you try working that in?
- What are some of the hardest aspects of teaching for you to “give up” control over? What are you afraid would happen if you did?
- What can you do to help students care for each other and themselves? Don’t forget to respect your own comfort level here!
- What do you feel confident about in your teaching? How do you lean into those factors? Do you think students can tell?
To go a little deeper:
- The Merton quote is from his New Seeds of Contemplation. It is mostly about monastic and spiritual practices, but if you like this blog series’ theme of adapting such practices to teaching, you’ll find food for thought there.
- Another interesting book on Christian community is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. Bonhoeffer is someone whose Christian faith led him to martyrdom in a Nazi camp, and his life story is worth discussing.
- One more figure you might base some reflection or discussion on is Fred Rogers, whose “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” combined literal neighborliness with educational emphases. Or, for that matter, “Sesame Street.” You might ask students why such “neighbor talk” is suited to educational programming…
Brantley Craig 