Here are some fake college course evaluations for Jesus courtesy of Amanda Lehr:
- “Kind of absent-minded. My name’s Simon, and he’s called me ‘Peter’ for the entire semester.”
- “A complete joke. Only got the job because his dad is important.”
- “Inaccessible. He told me he’d be in his office; I walked all the way there, and the door was open, and he was gone.”
As the semester ends, and student evaluations are collected, @nursingtheoryprof ‘s laughing reactions to Amanda Lehr’s past post, “Selected Negative Teaching Evaluations of Jesus Christ,” may bring you a little joy. Lehr goes on to explain this weird dynamic of course evaluations as she talks about her inspiration for writing the piece…
I’m sure anyone who’s taught a college course feels some kind of way about student evaluations. There’s something so funny and tragic about pouring your heart into the design of a class, working with the students for months, and then having your last interaction be soliciting the equivalent of those check-box notes from middle school: “Do you like me? [ ] Yes [ ] No.” And then there’s the very unfunny part about your boss reading all the answers and, if you’re contingent faculty, factoring them into his or her decision about whether or not you’ll have a job in the fall.
Amanda finishes her explanation, saying, “But, overall, I’ve been lucky enough never to have my soul crushed.” To be honest, I’m not sure that I can say the same personally, as some evaluations, both truly anonymous and others that were easy to guess who responded, have cut deep at different times for a variety of reasons.
So what encouragement can I give regarding the sometimes shared comfort in misery? I don’t know how brilliant you consider yourself, but it brings me great joy and comfort as a communicator and content creator to know that some of the most celebrated book titles and writings of our time have been given one-star reviews on Amazon. Here’s a quick selection for your entertainment:
C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity 1 Star Review:
One of the most ridiculous books I have ever read: I was referred to this book by a Christian acquaintance. She labeled it as “masterfully logical.” There were countless times while reading the book that I would literally laugh out loud at the contrast between that description and what Lewis was actually saying. Apparently, this book is considered to be one of the most influential and best works ever written in defense of Christianity. If that is the case, then the defense of Christianity is in a sad state. Of course, as an unbeliever I’m unlikely to affirm the conclusions of a book like this, but I have seen intelligent arguments for theism such as Plantinga’s “analogous mind” argument. Even though I disagree that the argument is ultimately persuasive, I’ll concede it is well-made and thought-provoking. I can’t offer the same praise for any of the arguments in C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice 1 Star Review
The Only Good Thing About This Book is The Picture On The Cover: This had to be the most boring book I’ve ever read. Instead of telling a story it was a bunch of words that went on and on to fill pages. I heard the books name mentioned so often, so I thought I would read it. I know it’s had a bunch of great reviews, but honestly, I don’t understand how anyone could get any pleasure out of reading this book. Just my honest opinion.
Miguel De Cerventes’ Don Quixote 1 Star Review
Truly Atrocious: I am reading this terrible book to do penance for avoiding the reading when I was taking Columbia College’s Literature Humanities course back in the Middle Ages. I now feel that I am being punished excessively. I would rather eat this book than continue reading it.
James Joyce’s Ulysses 1 Star Review
Don’t Believe The Hype: Unreadable. Wannabe intellectuals shout from the rooftops its praises, but any book that requires other books or guides to understand the disjointed gibberish is not worth the effort. If pain, suffering, and self-loathing are your thing, then by all means take this on. Otherwise, there are far better ways to explore the intricities of human life.
Hopefully, these have helped you anecdotally remember that we will never be everyone’s favorite or first choice. Jesus surely wasn’t everyone’s favorite teacher for those who listened to him (Luke 4:28-29). I included a quality/printing review because some bad reviews are not related to the main evaluation’s purpose, in faculty course evaluations as well. As we listen and take in feedback, also remember that the Bible actually cautions us to avoid being too attached to people’s approval and the praise of crowds when following Jesus’ example.
- Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 (NIV)
- …many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. John 2:23-25 (NIV)
I’m not opposing feedback and adjusting to course evaluations as is helpful. Sometimes Jesus didn’t listen to people’s suggestive feedback (John 7:3-10), while other times he seemed to adjust his plans based on people’s responses (Mark 7:24–30) and desire for help (Matthew 14:13-14). I love how a book like Thanks For The Feedback can help us focus beyond giving good input to learning how to receive and redeem feedback. The three listed forms of feedback (Coaching-reprove, Evaluation-rebuke, Affirmation-exhort) can align well with the three biblical forms of feedback we see found in 2 Timothy 4:2. There’s no question that Crucial Conversations are important, while knowing that every voice and opinion does not deserve to be treated with equal weight while seeking to learn (Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 26:18–19, Proverbs 14:7). Some anonymous evaluations are not spoken with truth with love and needed to be treated with caution. Let’s learn and grow from the repeated themes in our feedback as teachers trying to honor God with our best (Colossians 3:17,23). As we seek to follow what Jesus would do, let me encourage you that there’s no way we can be smart enough, pure enough, brilliant enough, and even Christ-like enough to avoid every negative evaluation, especially if Jesus didn’t.
If Jesus were a professor, his goal would not be a 100% approval rating (Matthew 10:34), but rather to do what the Father told Him to do (Matthew 5:19). May we seek to steward our responsibility well (James 3:1), and seek our reward as a faithful person independent of the varying life outcomes(Hebrews 11:32-40) that may transpire as we try to seek Jesus first in our lives (Matthew 6:33) and love Him with all ourselves (Mark 12:30) including our careers, as we stand firm in trying to do the Lord’s work in everything we do (1 Cor 15:58).
