Ibrahim Sobkennenso Bitrus

Biography

I was born and raised in northern Nigeria. Having received my NCE (associate degree) from the College of Education Hong, I taught social studies, Christianity and government classes at a secondary school. During this time, I also served as a volunteer coordinator for the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), but I felt God was calling me to do more. So after teaching for seven years, I went to study at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN), where I received Bachelor in Divinity and Master’s of Theology degrees. I thereafter accepted a teaching position at the Bronnum Lutheran Seminary, Yola where I taught for four years (2006-2010). I also served as a faculty secretary and assistant Dean of Studies at Bronnum. I got accepted into the Ph.D. program in systematic theology at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2010. The ELCA Global Mission Leadership and Lutheran World Federation gave me a scholarship with a commitment to return to Nigeria after the program. I graduated in 2015. Since then I have been serving as the Nigerian Theologian in Residence for the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA. In this capacity, I serve as a link between the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) and its companion congregations within and outside the Minneapolis Synod Area, a visiting preacher and the teacher of the Word of God to churches within and outside the Synod and speaker at adult forums about the LCCN and Muslim-Christian relations/conflicts in Nigeria. My plan is to return to Nigeria and resume my position as a professor of theology at Bronnum Lutheran Seminary Yola.

Public Commitments of My Christian Faith
In a context of subtle institutional and terroristic persecution of northern Nigeria, developing a public theology that engages systemic evil, poverty and bad government is an important implication of my Christian faith commitment. For me, developing mere abstract theology is not worth doing. I would argue that doing Christian theology without ethics is useless and vice versa, doing Christian ethics without theology is baseless. I therefore, believe in a transformative public theological enterprise.

My Philosophy of Education and Teaching
Education is not simply a transmission of abstract knowledge, values, and ideas; it must find practical application in real-life situations. Mere abstract education detached from real life is not worth acquiring. In many ways, it is practically useless. Christian liberal arts institutions of learning often pride themselves on the integration of theory and practice in education. Education in a Christian liberal arts setting must integrate Christian faith and learning in the curriculum to produce graduates who go into society with sound biblical values and a viewpoint of knowledge, life, and destiny. As integrated education, Education must enable faculty and students to acquire the capacity to deal with burning ultimate and existential issues facing society and the Christian church. Integrating the three essential components of theological education—academic, spiritual and ministerial formation—into a holistic training is key. Education in a Christian liberal arts context must empower and promote a participatory system of teaching-learning, according to which the chapel and classroom are equal centers of education, so that students integrate the knowledge of the head with the knowledge of real-life situations. Therefore, education in the context of Christian liberal arts needs to be inter-disciplinary, integrating theological education that is Bible-based and Triune-God centered with the liberal arts subjects toward a holistic education for the training of the mind, body and spirit.
But teaching-learning is not a passive process where students are treated merely as “bank accounts” into which professors deposit knowledge. The students are active learners who take initiative and assume personal responsibility for participating in the learning process by reflecting, analyzing, questioning, critiquing, and reconstructing the knowledge transmitted to them. The professor simply promotes and facilitates this participatory learning process. This teacher-student mutually interactive process of teaching-learning is an integral part of the theory and practice of education in Christian liberal arts setting. As one of the pillars on which an excellent Christian liberal arts education is built, I would ague that the entire pedagogy of teaching-learning in a Christian institution of higher learning stands or falls with this participatory principle of learning.

Education

Ph.D, Luther Seminary St. Paul, USA, 2015
M.Th., Theological College of Northern Nigeria, 2005
BD., Theological College of Northern Nigeria 2003
NCE, College of Education Hong, Nigeria 1992

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

My research interests are the doctrine of the Triune God, Neo-Pentecostalism and Public Theology.

Personal Interests

Gardening

Books

Articles