“Start children off on the way they should go [teach them], and
even when they are old they will not turn from It.” –
Proverbs
22:6
In the scriptures we see Jesus’ command for us to teach in
the Great Commission. Jesus says,
"All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching
them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the
age" (
Matthew
28:18-20).
We also see the importance of teaching emphasized in the Old
Testament. In Deuteronomy six, Moses records God saying that we should be
taught the commandments of the Lord our God and that we should also be teaching
these commandments to our children.
“Now this is the
commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may
observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may
fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I
command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and
that your days may be prolonged.” (
Deuteronomy
6:1-2)
“And these words which
I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of
them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down,
and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they
shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates” (
Deuteronomy
6:6-9).
Scripture also gives us some great promises surrounding teaching
in the scripture. In Proverbs 22 we see that we are to “Train a child in the
way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (
Proverbs
22:6). God’s word and His teachings will not come back void. We are
promised that teaching will influence, and transform, in a way that a person
who is taught God’s word will not depart from it.
While teaching is an essential command for every Christian,
teaching is also listed in the Bible as a
Spiritual Gift. In
1
Corinthians 12 we see the Spiritual Gifts listed and among them is
teaching, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance . . .”
(1 Corinthians 12:27-28).
Romans 12:4-8 also lists teaching as a Spiritual Gift:
“For just as each of
us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each
member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the
grace given to each of us. If your gift
is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving,
then serve; if it is teaching, then
teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving,
then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to
show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8).
Not everyone is gifted as a teacher, but we are all called
to teach in the Great Commission and elsewhere in scripture. And while we are
all called to make disciples of Jesus and to teach everything that He
commanded, teaching should not be taken lightly. As Donavan Graham stated in Teaching Redemptively, “The Scriptures
provide evidence that God holds teachers in high regard. Teachers were both
gifted by God and held responsible to Him” (Teaching
Redemptively, p. 119, Donovan Graham).
The book of James talks about this important responsibility
of teaching and warns, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow
believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (
James 3:1).
Teaching should be taken seriously and is a privilege and a blessing, as well
as a high calling from God.
As Christians, our lives and calling is to lead and teach
others to make Christ known. We are to dedicate our lives to educating others
about Christ. In the realm of Christian education, teaching the scriptures is
very important, essential even, if we are to help others deepen their faith and
grow in God’s word.
As Christian educators, we are to make a commitment to the
goal of spiritual formation in our students. It is not enough to stop at
conversion, or to simply make converts. We are to make disciples of Jesus
Christ. The Christian must be growing and developing in his or her relationship
with Christ continuously and this includes moral and character development as
well as academics.
In his chapter on Moral and Character Development in Foundations of Christian School Education
Milton V. Uecker, addresses this important issue of morality and character,
which is often neglected by other philosophies of education. Uecker says, “For the Christian school, moral
and character education is inseparable from spiritual formation. The goal of
Biblical instruction is always a changed learner (p. 224).” This transformation
is true discipleship and is evidence of true education. This transformation is also
a huge goal of Christian education.
Milton V. Uecker makes the case that we must understand
effective development, articulate effective standards, describe character,
create a caring community, provide a moral community, allow opportunity for
moral action, make learning meaningful, facilitate critical thinking, provide
time for personal growth, and consistently evaluate character education in our
schools. It is clear here that teaching is more than a simple transfer of basic
knowledge.
It is essential for all of us as Christian educators to
have, and to continue to develop, a Christian worldview. Without having the
solid foundation of a Biblical and Christian worldview, it will be difficult,
if not impossible, to teach Biblically, or to teach Christianly. We cannot
teach what we do not first possess. As teachers, we must also be learners who
are growing and developing in our own faith and in the knowledge of God’s Word
and His world. Teachers are also learners.
In the book Philosophy
of Christian School Education there is a chapter on Modern Educational Philosophies.
In this chapter the idea that the belief of the educator influences their
approach to education can be found. This idea that we must think Biblically and
from a Christian worldview if we are to be “Christian educators” is strongly
supported here. A Biblical philosophy of life and education, as well as a
Christian worldview, is essential for Christian education.
One of the primary differences in Christian education,
verses the public school system, is the ability to teach the scriptures from a
Christian perspective and to share the gospel openly. In public schools, if the
Bible is taught at all, it is taught as one of many religious texts, of equal
value and importance, and not as the unique and true Word of God. A Christian
school has the advantage of teaching the Bible for what it is, the inspired
Word of God Himself, without which we cannot properly understand the reality of
the world we live in as it has been revealed to us by God.
In Reclaiming the
Future of Christian Education, by Albert E. Greene, the truth that all
education and study concerns itself with the “stuff” of God’s own creation is
explored. If the student is to properly understand anything in this created
order, he or she must understand God, The Creator. Greene states that the
nature of truth is unified in God and that truth is a person, Jesus Christ.
Greene continues, “The Christian mind denies the possibility of a distinction
between secular and spiritual truth because it realizes that every created
thing reveals God and thus cannot be isolated from ‘the facts.’”
Greene also says, “Knowing God in and through the creation
is what is important, and students must be helped to explore the creation along
the lines of their own gifts.” Greene stresses, “If we seriously intend to reawaken
as a church to the biblical view of life and reality, we dare not fail to train
our children, whether in Christian schools or in Christian home schools, in a
transformed, biblical consciousness.” In other words, we must return to
scripture and to a Biblical worldview.
In
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural
Captivity, Nancy Pearcey defines what a worldview is. She
defines it simply as the understanding of the entire human experience. Pearcey
explores the Christian worldview, the understanding of the whole human
experience, through the lens of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
She says, “The Christian worldview alone offers a whole and integral truth.” It
is through this perspective that we properly understand and live out our
Christian faith in the world fulfilling the “cultural mandate.”
Pearcey then describes the living out of a Christian
worldview, and the fulfilling the cultural mandate, as a “higher calling,”
which entails being creative with our lives and work, including our teaching.
It is in this higher calling that we help restore our full humanity and begin
to live out of a truly Christian worldview. As Christians, we are called to
“creative effort extended for the glory of God and for the benefit of others.”
Pearcey states that we are to be “Participating in the work of God as agents of
His grace.” As teachers, we are participating in the work of God as agents of
His grace in the classroom.
In the first part of the first section of Foundations of Christian School Education,
an Introduction to Philosophy, we also
see that the foundation of a Christian school education is the truth of Jesus
Christ and His Word. The importance of this solid foundation of Christian
education cannot be over emphasized. In the beginning of Foundations of Christian School Education this is clearly stated,
“We must identify our core beliefs and values, and we must reiterate our
philosophical and biblical foundations” (Spears, p. 1). It is this Biblical
foundation that sets the Christian school apart and makes Christian education
different from other philosophies of education.
In Foundations of
Christian School Education, Paul Spears also notes the importance of having
and understanding a philosophy of education in chapter one, Introduction to
Philosophy, when he says, “Ideas about education are grounded in foundational
beliefs that construct how humans interact with reality.” Our worldview shapes
what we believe, how we live our lives and how we teach. As stated at the
beginning of chapter one, “Philosophy examines what underlying commitments we
make regarding our beliefs and how our views come to be understood as
knowledge, the concepts that form our worldview (Spears, p. 5).”
While many Christians resist the idea of philosophy and see
it as contrary to scripture, taking
Colossians
2:8 out of context, it is invaluable to develop and maintain a Christian
Philosophy of education. Christianity, as Paul Spears points out in Chapter one
of
Foundations of Christian School
Education, deals with major life topics, questions and issues surrounding
and including metaphysics, logic, aesthetics, ethics, and epistemology.
Biblical truth addresses these philosophical and important topics; they are not
contrary to what we believe as Christians and what we should teach as Christian
educators. These topics are our truth.
Christian schools have the unique capacity of bringing
Biblical teaching and world-view into the classroom for every subject being taught.
Christian Schools have a special role in teaching and equipping students and young
Christians to be faithful followers of Christ in every area of life, but we must
not stop there.
As educators we have the responsibility to teach all of
God’s truth. As Christian educators we should be constantly recognizing that
all truth is God’s truth. As Albert E. Greene says, “[All created things] are
laden with meaning because they are all part of God’s way of giving Himself to
us. We refuse our birthright and willfully go about as paupers if we insist on
regarding ordinary things as unholy (p. 45).” All of creation and all of truth
is God’s.
Scripture should be integrated carefully and thoughtfully
into our teaching. When considering the Bible and curriculum, we must
recognize, as Donovan Graham says, “major biblical themes form the foundation
for the study of various subjects and units. Teachers [should] weave themes
such as stewardship, community, environment, worship, and the purpose of life
into the study of the academic subjects” (Graham, p. 220).
We do this as Christian educators because, as said before,
we believe “All truth is God’s truth.” Graham goes on to say, “When we look at
the materials used and the subjects studied, we [should] find that … God’s
truth is not limited to what Christians think and write. Students [should] read
books by authors whose ideas are not consistent with Christian thinking”
(Graham, p. 223).
In her book
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity; Nancy Pearcey addresses the issue of the
false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. The divide between the
sacred and the secular is a false dichotomy. This is dualism and it is a
plague, according to Pearcey, which does not reflect a true Christian
worldview. This would include false
dichotomies concerning our mind, our thinking, and our vocations.
Pearcey seeks to recapture this idea, which our early church
fathers also had, that “all truth is God’s truth” and that this truth is to be
lived out in every area of our lives. She states that “total truth” captures
all of life and reality. We are to be integrated and whole human beings, living
in the world, while living out our faith consistently in a manner that brings
glory to our God. As the Apostle Paul puts it in
Colossians
3:17, “whatever you do in
word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” This is an
accurate picture of a life lived by a whole, and integrated, Christian.
We must not entertain any false dichotomies in our lives or
teaching. We have a responsibility as teachers to teach holistically concerning
all of God’s revelation to us in His created world. We cannot and should not
divide our faith from our rational minds either. We must recognize that we
should integrate our faith into every area of our lives. We must think
critically and love God with all of who we are in every area of our lives,
including our minds.
J.P. Moreland addresses this concern of loving God with our
minds in his book,
Love Your God with All Your Mind. In
this book, Moreland asserts that we have lost a major premise of Christianity
by losing sight of our intellectual properties, which is a product of being created
in the very image of God. Without exercising our intellect, and reason, we
cannot fully worship God, know God, or serve Him well.
Our intellect and our reasoning reflect our being created in
God’s image and is what makes our humanity unique in God’s creation. We have
been given stewardship over our intellect and over creation, and we must be
good stewards of what God has given. We cannot honor or glorify God apart from
fully exercising our capacities for thinking and reasoning. We cannot and must
not divorce our thinking from our faith and reasoning.
Moreland asserts that Christianity in our modern day is more
concerned with emotions than intellect. “Our culture is in serious trouble,”
says Moreland. This trouble is coming from anti-intellectualism in today’s
evangelical Christianity, which asserts that faith is “blind,” and not based on
reason. Most Christians have been taught from a young age not to question their
faith and that our beliefs as Christians are based solely on faith and not on
rational thought, or reason. This could not be further from the truth. Our
faith is based on reason and we can know why we believe what we believe. There
are evidences that can be explored, and we must explore them and encourage
thought and reasoning in our faith.
As Christians, we must be a thinking people who honor God
with our minds, our being, and our doing, as Paul commands us in
Colossians
3:17, “do all to the Glory of God.” Integrating our beliefs will encompass
our entire beings, including our minds, or we are practicing something less
than Christianity.
Jesus Himself declares, “
A disciple is not
above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his
teacher (Luke
6:40).” If Christians are to reflect the image of their
maker, then we will reflect and resemble Jesus, the very Wisdom of God, and we
will, as Paul puts it, “have the mind of Christ (1
Corinthians 2:16).”
As Christian educators we should also be concerned with discipline,
as it is a part of overall Christian discipleship and the educational process
of growth and transformation. Discipline is an opportunity to teach and correct
a student with grace and wisdom, and help them to come to follow Christ more
closely. Discipline can be redemptive and restorative. In the classroom, the
teacher is Christ’s representative. We are redemption agents, not
disciplinarians. In Teaching Redemptively,
Donovan Graham says this about Discipline and Classroom Management, “As
teachers who represent Christ, [we] enter the students’ lives as incarnations
of the truth, not to control them but to nurture, love, and discipline them in
their fallenness (Graham, p. 260).
As teachers, we are participators in what God is doing to
restore, or redeem, His perfect creation back to its intended state. We are
participating in transforming lives for the glory of God. Donovan Graham
captures this idea well in Teaching
Redemptively when he says, “While we shall see that teaching redemptively
means many things, the cornerstone of our understanding is that it means to
teach in a fashion that reflects the character of the creative-redemptive God”
(Graham, Donovan, Introduction). Education is part of God’s redemptive plan and
God invites us into this great work as teachers.
The purpose and meaning of education, presented in Reclaiming the Future of Christian Education,
can be seen in these comments by Albert Greene: “Christian teaching should,
above all, be meaningful. This means the learning should come to be associated
in the student’s mind with the knowledge of God . . . (p. 259)” Greene says,
“Love and learning must go together (p. 234).” In loving God, we also love
knowledge. In loving knowledge, we also find God. It is in God that we learn. It
is in Him that education has meaning and purpose and learning takes place
holistically.
Greene goes on to define the purpose of Christian education,
“The true purpose of Christian education is to prepare young people for a
complete life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.” This definition of the
purpose of Christian education is as good as any. As educators, we are looking
to prepare students holistically to live comprehensive lives under the complete
Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Bibliography
Greene, Albert E., Reclaiming
The Future of Christian Education: A Transforming Vision. Purposeful Design Publications, Colorado
Springs, CO. © 1998
Graham, Donovan (2009-01-01). Teaching Redemptively: Bringing Grace and Truth into Your Classroom
(p. 119). Purposeful Design Publications. Kindle Edition.
Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.
Moreland, James Porter. Love
Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul.
NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO., ©1997
Pearcey, Nancy. Total
Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity (Study Guide
Edition), Crossway Books, Wheaton Ill., © 2004, 2005.
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas
Nelson, 1982, S. Col 3:17
