The influence of Jesus in Contemporary education system - Essay Example

The influence of Jesus in Contemporary education system 1 Introduction If a child is not properly trained, then the rest of his life will be misguided and miserable, lacking vitality, wholeness and truth. Therefore God has always instructed His people to bend every effort to train their children "so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live. Impress these commands upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (1). The life and principles of Jesus and the theories of his followers has a great impact in every field of the society particularly in education system. The schooling and education system moulds a child in his/her earliest stage to live in the present stage as a good human being .For this the education system has to adopt various principles which may help to guide the students in order to live with dignity in this world. The importance of principles of Jesus Christ and its adoption in the education system lies here. In this context let's explore the influence of the Jesus in the contemporary education system. Influence of Jesus in the contemporary education system The followers of Jesus Christ are held responsible to obey the whole Word of God, and it is in this obedience that they must take on the education of the children. They ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. The Twelve Tribes, the Commonwealth of Israel The education of our children 2 admit that the education of the children cannot be in the way that they are undergoing a mere teaching but they should be diligently instructed. Further they say that "our Lord has provided the perfect environment for our children to be trained. That environment is the community where the order of God prevails under the good government of God. In this environment our children are being trained according to God's purpose on earth with concentric vision of how to accomplish this purpose. They, as vital parts of the community, are being prepared to attain to the highest goal possible in this life - to enter the kingdom of heaven." The life and principles of Jesus always enrooted in "morality". Now let's discuss the aspect of this principle in the modern education system. Moral education (character education) The issue of moral education raises many questions for contemporary teachers. They always face a number of question regarding the moral education of students, for e.g., the question regarding 1. Whose morality should be the standard 2. What values should be stressed, 3. How would education of this sort be approached and 4. Should moral education be a matter of content or an exercise in moral reflection Time-honored pedagogical methods often contain valuable insights for contemporary education. Jesuit schools, which are emerged between the 16th and 19th 3 centuries, in Europe in their tradition of theatre, have adopted such method. Theatre in Jesuit schools created an aesthetic environment in which students could both ponder their relationship to the world, and evaluate the consequences of human action Jesuit schools The Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuit order, was founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1534, with the dual purpose of promoting reform within the Roman Catholic Church, and preaching the Gospel in foreign lands. The establishment of colleges played a key role in the renewal of the Catholic Church in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, with nineteen schools being founded in the German-speaking provinces alone, over the course of a twenty-five year period (2) Jesuit education, in general, is intended to help students attain "perfect eloquence," i.e., the cultivation of one's intellectual, ethical, and spiritual potential(3) Within this context, theatre had two main functions. It allowed students to improve their grammatical and rhetorical expertise, while instilling within them the moral values of the Church (4) Drama was, and continues to be, an essential element in the training of ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. William V. Bangert, A History of the Society of Jesus (St. Louis: Jesuit Sources, 1972), 71. 3. Richard Curry, "Philosophy of Theatre Education for the Disabled" (Ph.D. diss., NYU, 1986), 19. 4. Bangert, History of the Society of Jesus, 73. [5] J. F. Broderick, "The Jesuits," in the New Catholic Encyclopedia (VII, 1967), 897 4 students in Jesuit schools. Although most students went on to other professions, a number of significant figures within the history of literature and drama were involved in Jesuit theatrical productions during their youth. Jesuit and morality Jesuit theatre performed a critical function with respect to morality; it regularly challenged greed, vanity, pride, ambition, or other vices, which seemed to characterize prevailing societal attitudes (5) Stories traditionally play a significant role in the moral guidance of children, and are often told within a religious context. In The Education of a Christian Prince, Erasmus advises the teacher to "enter at once upon his duties, so as to implant the seeds of good moral conduct" in his students. This is done through "stories, pleasing fables, and clever parables,"(6) among which the life of Christ is prominent. Those who followed the counsel of Erasmus include Charles Dickens, whose Life of Our Lord was written for the moral instruction of his children, and Shusako Endo, whose Life of Christ was intended specifically for a Japanese audience. In Judaism, haggadah is a form of storytelling which contains a religious or ethical message. Stories with a similar function can be found in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. Curry, "Philosophy of Theatre Education for the Disabled," 36-37. 6. Erasmus, Education of a Christian Prince (New York: Columbia Press, 1936), 141.) - 5 But nowadays the areas of moral education face numerous problems. Some of them are, 1. The presumption of a value-free education is naive. Education is not possible in any subject, however "objective," without basic regulations governing behavior; these ensure the order necessary for classroom instruction. (7) 2. Furthermore, behavior in school is itself educative, quite apart from the academic content of a subject, because it establishes patterns of respect for others within children. 3. It may be too much to expect that public education will address the controversial issues being debated within our pluralistic society. Nevertheless, it is legitimate to demand that schools promote values which are central to moral dialogue: honesty, fairness, and justice. Values like these are basic to schools, which may not abdicate their responsibility for the ethical growth of students. 4. Other critics maintain that even if moral education is attainable, it is nevertheless ill-advised i.e. moral values are not subject to scientific scrutiny, and therefore do not enjoy the same degree of certainty as other types of knowledge. Such ideas are rooted in logical positivism, which separates "facts" from "values." Facts are thought to have a greater claim to "objective truth" because they are scientifically demonstrable; by contrast, moral discernment belongs within the domain of personal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Thomas Lickona Education for character pp 7, 9 6 feeling because it is "emotive" in nature.(8) The contemporary education system not only making effort to get a hold of the principles of morality from the view of Jesus but also it adopts the principles of leadership which ultimately led Jesus to become the head of this universe. Nowadays this principles and values of leader ship are being blindly followed by the students, particularly the students of business studies. Leadership Chris Lowney, a Jesuit trained says that leadership always begins by learning how to manage you. Their principles are not applicable to a mere handful of big company managers. Nor are the opportunities for leadership limited merely to the workplace, Lowney explains. "We can be leaders in everything we do -- in work and in daily life, when we teach and when we learn from others; almost all of us do these things during the course of a day." Its founders "had an unconditional dedication to a single way of working and living, a life that included the principles of leadership and self-awareness, ingenuity, love and heroism."(9) But the phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in the Protestant Reformation. "Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, As said above Jesus is the ultimate leader on whom the followers and believers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8.Chazen Contemporary approaches to moral education p 95 9. Chris Lowney Heroic Leadership www.loyolabooks.org 7 of Jesus Christ keep their complete faith. As a model leader, Jesus practiced the most vital principles of leadership which are being adopted by various schools of business management in the world as their motto to attain the success in their business career. The following are some of the principles of Jesus Christ regarding the leadership, (10) 1. Leadership is servant hood. (Mark 8:35, Matthew 20:25) "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 23:11) At the last supper, Jesus modeled servant hood by washing His disciples feet-including Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Him! He showed us that servant hood begins with a secure leader.. 2. Let your purpose prioritize your life. (Luke 19:10, Matthew 6:33) "Father, I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the purpose you have given Me to do (John 17:4)." In many ways, the entire life and ministry of Jesus was about setting priorities and living by them. When He said, "Let the dead bury their own dead," Jesus spoke to the need to not be distracted from the real and most important goal, even those emergency situations that claim our attention (Matthew 8:22). Leadership must be driven, not by the whims of people but by your God-given purpose. 3. Live the life before you lead others. (Luke 7:22, John 14:11) "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good, the ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10. Dr. Tim Elmore www.GrowingLeaders.com The leadership Link Leadership Solutions for Student Ministry Leaders 8 evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings for what is evil" (Matthew 12:35) Jesus taught us to put "being" before "doing." At one point, John the Baptist sent a question to Jesus: "Are You the coming One, or do we look for another" Jesus could have answered indignantly. Instead, He said, "Go, and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear and the gospel is preached to the poor (Luke 7:22)." Jesus let His actions speak for Him. He knew that people do what people see, not necessarily what they hear. 4. Impact comes from relationships not positions. (John 4:5-30, 8:1-11) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35) Jesus knew the importance of relationships. He did not set up a throne in the middle of each city and say, "This is my palace. This is the only place you can see Me." 5. Leaders must stock up themselves. (Mark 3:7-10, Luke 4:42-43) "Come yourselves out apart into a desert place, and rest a while." (Mark 6:31) Life is demanding. People are demanding. The more you succeed, the more you lead, and the more people will demand of you. Replenishing yourself requires your attention. Many times, Jesus would leave a crowd of people-the very people He was sent to serve-and depart into a place of solitude. He knew that times of solitude with His Father in heaven would enable Him to regain perspective and refuel Himself for what was to come. 9 6. Great leaders call for great commitment. (John 6:53, Matthew 16:24) "And He summoned the multitude with the disciples and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up His cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save His life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it (Mark 8:34-35)." Jesus offered the human race an opportunity to have a relationship with God. He spoke of heaven and angels, joy and peace, and mansions in glory. But, He never painted a distorted picture. He warned His disciples of persecution. (Matthew 10:17) He cautioned them about afflictions. (Matthew 24:9) He spoke of loneliness. (Matthew 8:20) Jesus continually prepared His followers for the tough times. 7. Leaders show security and strength when handling tough issues. (Luke 20:20-26, Matthew 22:23-46) "And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time Then, He came to the disciples, and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand! (Matthew 26:44-46) Jesus handled tough issues, by rising early and gaining perspective, remaining calm during difficult time, handling wrongdoing immediately, finishing what He started. 8. Great leaders lead on a higher level. (John 16:33, Matthew 16:24) "In the world the Gentiles lord it over one another, but it shall not be so among you" (Matthew 20:25) 10 Jesus led on a higher level than others, and called for a higher commitment from His followers. Jesus demonstrated leadership that was never satisfied with mediocrity. Leaders do not merely get by, and maintain what has already been. Jesus knew credibility comes from solving problems. His leadership surpassed normal expectations. Despite His own lowly beginnings, He led people to a life they could never achieve on their own. 9. Leaders choose and develop their key people. (Luke 10:1, Matt. 10:1) "Jesus chose the twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach." (Mark 3:14) Jesus never took a vote; He made deliberate choices about everything, and even stayed up all night praying before He chose His disciples. He consistently challenged people to take deeper steps on commitment to the cause of the Kingdom. Principles of Jesus' plan of team building included selection, impartation, delegation, supervision and reproduction. 10. Great leaders know that there is no success without a successor. (Matthew 28:18-20, John 20:21-22) "The works that I do, you shall do, and greater works, because I go to the Father" (John 14:12) Religion and education In addition to the above said field today's education system stretches its ample scope to the studies related to religious areas. There are number of educational institutions which are giving education on Christian principles based on Jesus's life and views The Courses in the Religion Program are designed to encourage students to understand the meaning of life, of religious faith, and of Christian living. This program is 11 designed to lead the student into a deeper appreciation of the great religious and moral insight of Israel, Jesus, and His followers, and the meaning of these for present day life. The primary purpose of the degree in Religion is to prepare the student for the pastorate or related Christian service, or graduate and/or seminary training in Bible and theology. Moreover such courses include the studies of Old Testament, New Testament, Spiritual Growth and development etc which are helpful to students to capture more aspects of the life. Whenever we speak about the influence of the Jesus in the education system, we can not avoid the American education system which gave utmost importance to the life and principles of Jesus in applying to the studies. Influence of Jesus in American Education System (11) The basic foundation of Western Education has historically been a result of the premise that God was the creator of the Universe: The church had a pervasive influence in the inception of Higher Education in the United States. Nowadays the American education system faces the debacle of augmentation of Relativism among the students. Relativism acknowledges undeniable beliefs and values rather than objective truths and universal right and wrong. Relativist permits an ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. David J. Masoner and Karen B. Salem Necessary Alternative to Liberal Arts Education The University of Alabama 12 individual to believe anything to be true, as long as others are not expected to believe it.(12) Today's system of higher education in America continuously bombards students, parents and educators with relativistic teachings. In most colleges and universities, multiple beliefs and philosophies are dealt with by declaring them all to be equally valid. The students in America today are encouraged to be democratic in their thinking and give equal time to all differing philosophies.(13) Thus, the typical secular college education demands a relativistic worldview and acceptance of all belief systems. The role of Christian based education system Amidst of these tribulations, Christian Higher Education which mainly based on the life and principles of Jesus, guides the students to choose the right path. Christian higher education can offer an exciting intellectual, historical, philosophical alternative by developing its uniqueness through innovative curricular and governance procedures. The Christian education concentrates to give the youth of today and tomorrow the opportunity to reinforce their beliefs and gain assurance of their worldview. Traditionally the accepted Christian worldview upholds absolute truths and teaches individual ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12. Duncan, J. Ligon, III. (1993). "The Myths of Modernity," Occasional Paper, Jackson, Mississippi: Reformed Theological Seminary. 13. Bloom, Allan. (1987). The Closing of the American Mind. New York: Simon & Schuster . 13 responsibility and accountability before God. The Christian worldview says there are universal rights and wrongs and consequences associated with moral choices. Lasting change occurs when the Christian student is taught to think theologically, looking to God for solutions. Rather than desensitizing or destroying conscience, as secular education allows, Christian education can assist in developing or refining a Christian conscience. The student can be taught to study the Bible in the context of life rather than in the abstract, and study academically with a practical understanding of Scripture as the standard. Conclusion In contemporary world the human beings faces several frictions and tensions, ups and lows in their life. It may be personal or civic. But they should discover an ultimate resort to stable their life amidst of these tensions. The education helps the human beings to resolve this problem to some extent as it can lay down some moral principle to instigate them to drive ahead. To attain this, the education system applies the way of living of Jesus and the principles adopted by Him in students life so that they can learn how to live in this society with dignity. From the studies we can infer that the students have gained a wide range of self confidence through the contemporary education system which is based on "Jesus' Effects". So we can conclude that Jesus and His valuable principles play an important role in the contemporary education system. ***************************** References 1. Eakin, Frank Is Bible Study Identical with Religious Education The Journal of Religion, Vol. 3, No. 5 Sep., 1923, pp. 489-493 The University of Chicago Press 2. Titus, Harold H Christian Ethics and Contemporary Social Issues Journal of Bible and Religion, Vol. 15, No. 4 Oct., 1947, pp. 215-219 The Oxford University Press Read More