Christian Education - Research Paper Example

Christian Education 26th November 2009 I. Introduction: In an age of secularism and emphasis on materialism, there is an urgent need to form the minds of young people in the way of God - “teach them the way they should go, so that when they grow up they would not depart from it”1 Like traditional education, which focuses more on enriching the child intellectually to meet the demands of the real world, Christian Education achieves the same objective, but goes beyond the former to equip the child with the requisite knowledge of God to help live triumphantly in the secular world. . “Christian Education is the learning process that leads people to learn how to live according to the will of God, showing and practicing the love for God and neighbor.”2 According to Thomas Aquinas "Grace does not destroy nature but perfects it”.3 This implies that Christian education serves the purpose of making the child a vessel unto God’s glory A. Background/History Form the beginning, the gospel has always called Christians to teach and to learn. Teaching is a very important means by which the central message of the Christian faith can be communicated. Individual Christians grow as a part of a community of faith. “Children grow in the faith by the intentional action of parents, pastors, teachers and other members of the community. Christian educators participate in a God-initiated” (Matthew 28:19-20), “Spirit-empowered activity” (John 14:25-26). The living Word of God works in and through educators as they engage learners in intentional learning activities that fit each learner and are designed to pass on the Faith. In the educational process the Spirit of God encounters the people of God of all ages so that they are nurtured in the faith, grow in knowledge and are inspired and empowered to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Good News, serving God and others faithfully, and working for peace and justice in God’s world. B. Hypothesis and Arguement In furtherance of his gospel of ‘integration’, he goes ahead to emphasize the role of the family in forming the minds of children and preparing them for the outside world. In fact, of all the subjects Ken touched upon in his writings, one of the closest to his heart is the family. As one who was brought up by a dedicated mother with no father, he consistently addresses the need for a true Christian home. Leadership in the home was a central theme that runs through his works. His book “Fathering like the Father: Becoming the dad God wants you to be”, sums up his views. Another important point in his model is that Christian education does not isolate or insulate the child form the world. The aim of Christian education is to teach the child to be able to stand-up to any worldview. This means that Christian education exposes the child to all other worldviews so that he is able to appreciate them before he is confronted with real life problems. As George Herbert noted, “This can result in double education, as children will understand what they believe (the Biblical perspective) and why and what he does not believe (the humanistic perspective)”.4 Children should be taught that ultimately, God bestows knowledge and wisdom including all wisdom sought through formal schooling. The model proposed by him for implementing Christian education touches on virtually all dimensions of private and public life. It has cultural, theological, philosophical, social, political and educational dimensions. Social: he consistently emphasizes the fact that the human person is not an isolated species, but exists in union with and in harmony with the entire community. According to him, the individual is always relating to the outside world and therefore, has to be adequately equipped to successfully interact with that world, so as not to be negatively impacted Cultural: in the process of integration, children should be taught to appreciate the cultural influences that may out in living out the faith they were brought up with, so that they can deal with problems that show up. C. Scope of Argument Theological: perhaps the most emphasized aspect of his work, he points out the fact that all education must ultimately mould the person being educated into the nature of his Creator. Educational: In his work, he proposes that education in the church should be considered seriously. He emphasizes the fact that the awareness level of those who impact knowledge should be updated regularly to meet the demands of the changing world. Philosophical: he proposes a philosophical understanding of the church as a standard bearer. The church should be a model that should have roots in every facet of our lives. D. Thesis Statement Education is at the very heart of the church. The Word is proclaimed in preaching and in the sacraments, and it is also proclaimed in teaching. To teach effectively the goodness of God’s activity in Christ means relating revelation to the learners’ own existence, helping the learners grasp the correlation of God’s answer in the gospel to their own existential question of estrangement and sin. The people of God, gathered in community, grow in faith and in the ability to live out their faith in daily life. This faith formation is the life-long, ongoing process by which every Christian, young or old, answers their baptismal call to follow Jesus. Faith formation is the life-long process by which every Christian answers their baptismal call to follow Jesus. It is clear that education is at the very heart of the church, and faith formation can be seen as a life-long process which every Christian must go through, in order to answer their baptismal call to follow Jesus. Thus, walking with Jesus can be compared with a process of being on a journey. Every Christian needs to be nurtured in the word of God, as we continue our journey of faith. Therefore, the leaders of God’s people are educators, in that they help to maintain the process of becoming what God intends for his people Comparison A detailed comparison between my views and Richards Lawrence model reveal some areas of agreement and disagreement. Kenneth makes a case for integration, which is the primary theme of his Christian education philosophy. He believes that faith and learning should never be separated, since all learning come from God. His point is valid, but I think that the Christian dimension to education should only serve as a guide to make sure children acquire intellectual knowledge while not being carried away by secularism. They should see the dividing line between faith and learning. Faith should be taught as a channel rather than a system. Integration might pose danger for analysis and objectivity, especially when children grow up to question dogmas. Secondly, I am in full support of his emphasis on the fact that the home is the first and most important Christian education center. He continuously expresses the fact that if parents do not do a good job from the cradle, the success of benefiting from formal Christian education will be very limited. This is also my view. James Wilhoit envisions the ideal Christian education model. He looks at integrating the Christian education with other social sciences. he also leans toward an evangelical theory of the instructions from the bible. Furthermore, his view which suggests that teachers have to be given formal theological education to enable to give value to the children they teach is also true. You cannot give what you do not have. The more knowledge teachers have of the foundations of Christian education, the better for the children, as incomplete education is dangerous. Implications for Christian education If Kenneth Gangel’s view of Christian education as an integrated is adopted in schools, we might move too much away from the intellectual focus of schools. Educational institutions might become mini churches, which is not the intent in the first place. On the other hand, if we see Christian education as a channel through which we inculcate knowledge, we would implement it as such. There would be a balance between what the school strives to achieve, which is intellectual enrichment and what Christian education ultimately aims at, which is knowledge God. If the first proposition of the home as the first center of Christian education is imbibed by parents, there would be less work for formal teachers and Sunday school tutors. Schools will only serve as complements in the teaching of Christian values and not a place to start teaching values from the basics. Essentially, his philosophy of Christian education stresses the integration of faith and knowledge into a seamless piece. “Integration is the forming or blending into a whole of everything that is a part of a Christian students life and learning. In the process of integration, it is essential not only that the teacher be able to integrate his subject matter with special revelation, but also that he teach students how to do it.”5 His line of thought is that it is counter-productive to separate truth, which is the essence of Christian education, into sacred and secular categories. Truth is one and there is no need to break it down into natural and special revelation. After all, how could something be true and not find its source in the God who is truth? His epistemology for Christian education was anchored on the fact that all truth is Gods Truth. He offers proffers six suggestions on how faith can be integrated with learning such that there is no conflict or ambiguity in the minds of children. First, he stresses the fact that the teacher must constantly be about the all-important task of theological sieve building. The teacher has to screen all knowledge before passing unto the children. Second, in line with the Latin adage that you cannot give what you don’t have, he proposes that the teacher must also be at least an amateur theologian. He believes that if Christian education must take root and achieve the desired level of success, those who administer it should have what it takes to be Christian. They should be seen by children as people with the required knowledge about God, otherwise, doubts would grow in the minds of the children concerning their competence. Third, teachers must help students get it all together in a Christian world view. Whatever is taught to the children must be taught from the lens of Christianity. Knowledge to be impacted has to be scrutinized to ensure that it does not contradict what the word of God says. Fourth, the teacher will stop confusing the integration of truth with classroom devotions. Fifth, Christian teachers must learn to walk a carefully balanced line between open-mindedness and unchangeable doctrine and they must teach the children to imbibe the same outlook. While it is good to have an open mind biblical principles must always be the blueprint and reference point. Finally, “the teacher should approach the task of integration with reverence and relaxation”6 My analysis of Gangel’s work reveals one whose influence on Christian education and philosophy would continue to have a safe place in the church. Many people feel that only a few evangelical Christian educators of the latter twentieth century can actually compare with the contributions made in the field by Kenneth Gangel. So, if teachers have proper knowledge of what it means to be a Christian educator with a sound knowledge of Christian theology, they would be able to better nurture the intellectual and spiritual development of children. VI. Conclusion In essence, Gangel strongly thinks that the faculty must understand how a biblical understanding of God influences their discipline, how their subject depends on and informs other subjects and how a correct understanding of their area influences a Christian perspective on life. He suggests that if every Christian teacher aims to communicate the interconnectedness of faith and learning, students would have a better understanding of how their everyday experiences fit together from a Christian point of view. Teachers must discuss their subjects within a theological context. Children and young people deserve to know how the information they learn flows from the God they love. In order to achieve this, every teacher has to be a theologian. True to his philosophy, when he was head at the Miami Christian College, every faculty member was required to have a minimum of fifteen hours of training in scriptures and theology. If the faculty member was deficient in this when hired, they were given a three year limit to complete the requirement. Every Christian needs to be nurtured in the word of God, as we continue our journey of faith. Therefore, the leaders of God’s people are educators, in that they help to maintain the process of becoming what God intends his people. It is clear that education is at the very heart of the church, and faith formation can be seen as a life-long process which every Christian must go through, in order to answer their baptismal call to follow Jesus. Thus, walking with Jesus can be compared with a process of being on a journey. I believe that Christian education should begin from the home at an early age The Bible makes several references to the fact that education should begin in the home (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:7; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; II Tim. 1:5; 3:15). What this means is that parents should become responsible for the nurturing of their children’s faith even before they think of sending them to school. Assuming that the basics of the Christian faith will be taught to the child when he goes to Sunday school or a conventional school is a blunder and should be avoided. The home is the first school where Christian education should be sounded over and over again. 2. It should not be prescriptive but should allow the child to ask questions One major problem that confronts our educational system is that it kills creativity by pushing knowledge down the throat of children. Children are not given the freedom to explore and make mistakes and then learn from their mistakes. For Christian education to be relevant in this 21st century, children should be allowed to ask questions, regardless of how unreasonable the questions are. 3. It should be more of a channel rather than a system Another view I have of Christian education is that it should be seen more like a channel through which formal, conventional education is delivered. Children do not go to school primarily to learn biblical principles, but to be equipped with subject matter knowledge in different disciplines. Bibliography 1. Proverbs 22:6 2. Alcenir R. de Oliveira. The definition of Christian education and the philosophy of ministry. Submitted to the Interdenominational Theological Center, January 29, 2004. 3. Summa Theologica 4. George, Herbert. Manual of Effective Christian Education for Contemporary Church and Home School Teachers. First Better Days Books. 5. Gangel, K. (1983). Toward a harmony of faith and learning: Essays on bible college curriculum. Farmington Hills, MI: William Tyndale College Press. 6. Couchman, M. R. H. (1994). A critical analysis of Kenneth O. Gangels philosophy of Christian Education: A study of adult higher education. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of South Florida. 7. . Gangel, Kenneth. The Christian Educator’s Handbook on Spiritual Formation. Baker, 1998. 8. Gangel, Kenneth O. and James C. Wilhoit The Christian Educators Handbook on Family Life Education: A Complete Resource on Family Life Issues in the Local Church Cook Communications Ministries International (1996) Read More