David M. Turner

A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The following paper is designed as a basis to which all future work in the area of Christian Education shall be structured. The goal is not to formulate a methodology or a strategy for Christian Education programming but rather to layout the foundation on which all educational programming shall be structured.

METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics is the theory of reality. It is an attempt to explain what the real nature of the external world and the underlying nature of man. Christian metaphysics is God centered. The monotheistic God of the Bible is the first cause for existence. All reality is centered in His divine Being. The teleologist, materialist and idealist are each incomplete in their explanation of the existence for reality. Existence is not simply for the purpose of realizing future ends (teleology), neither is it explained purely in terms of the material universe (materialism), nor is "mind^" the constituent of reality (idealism). Christian metaphysics sees God as the central core of existence. All things have come from Him (Gen. 1), all things are held together by Him (Col. 1:15—17), and all things will ultimately culminate in the glorification of His Being.

EPISTOMOLOGY

Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. It asks fundamental questions such as, how do we know? How much do we know? How much can we know? How can we differentiate between appearance and reality? What is the nature of truth? And, How can we know what is true and what is false? The world is at odds with itself attempting to determine the best means to answer these fundamental questions. "Rationalism" sees the answer in human reason. “Empiricism^" uses the methods of hypothesis, observation and experiment to formulate answers from experience. “Pragmatism” sees first and last causes as illusory objects and thus centers its focus on practical motivations. Truth is truth because it has practical ramifications. "Existentialism" defines truth as that which the individual perceives truth to be.  Truth is viewed as subjective. There are no objective absolutes.

These philosophical systems, like those discussed under metaphysics, give either incomplete or faulty means for obtaining knowledge in that their understanding of what knowledge is, is incomplete or faulty. Christian epistemology is Revelation centered. The Christian recognizes “all truth as God's truth" because He is the author of truth. The Christian uses this basis for determining truth. He recognizes that truth starts with God's revelation in that God can not lie. From this basis he evaluates information to see if it conforms to the truth of Scripture. The Christian knows that not all truth is found in Scripture, but that Scripture holds the foundation upon which all information can be screened to see if it does in fact meet up to the standards of truth. The superiority of Special Revelation and its brother General Revelation over the previously mentioned systems as a basis for determining truth can be summarized in the following quote by a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary:

My life is too short (empiricism).

My mind is too feeble (rationalism).

My senses are too illusive (existentialism).

I must trust the Bible.

ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology is the theory of the nature of man. “Evolution”, which is foundational to "secular humanism" views man as a chemical accident. This view though it attempts to make man his own god, actually devalues man. Man is not seen as a biologically, well organized, intellectual masterpiece. Rather, he is a mere product of evolutionary fate. New Age theology, which combines evolution with the pantheistic religions of the East, sees little value in the individual human being apart from his "force" connection with the totality of the universe.

Christianity understands man as having been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Man is seen as the climax of God’s creation. He was given sovereign rule over the works of God's hands (Gen. 1:28). Man was created with great value that he retains throughout his existence.

Humanism sees man's value increasing as man advances in the evolutionary process. Man has no limitations but is considered as potentially gods. He is an optimist in that he believes that man can “save himself”. Shared human values and economic wellbeing for all is believed to be able to bring happiness in the world. 

Christianity recognizes man as having great intellectual capabilities given to him by the divine Creator. But, He also sees man as depraved in his nature because of the fall of man in Eden. He knows that this depraved nature limits man's abilities to accomplish good for man because of his selfish condition. He knows that man can not bring in the Kingdom on earth, only divine intercession in human history can bring utopia to man.

AXIOLOGY

Axiology is concerned with the nature of values. Some fundamental questions it attempts to answer: What is the basis for determining morality or ethics? How do we determine "good" and "bad", or "right" and "wrong"? The following is a survey of views on axiology (taken from Melvin Rader, The Enduring Question, Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 1969, pp. 513—514.)

1. The theory of rational development (Aristotle). The good is the cultivation and fulfillment of man's faculties, especially reason.

2. The theory of natural law (Cicero and Bates). The good is the life in harmony with the nature of man and his environment.

3. The theory of utilitarianism (Bentham, Mil, and Smart). Right acts are the most useful in achieving the ultimate good.

4. The theory of duty for duty’s sake (Kant and Ross). We have non-utilitarian duties based on a prior reason (Kant) or intuition (Ross).

5. The theory of moral experiment (Dewey). The good life is experimental and has no fixed end or goal.

6. The theory of limited skepticism (Stevenson). Ethical judgments are in part statements about matters of fact and in part expressions of emotional attitudes. The former can be tested by evidence; the latter cannot.

7. The theory of moral fellowship (Buber). Morality should be based upon fraternal ("I-Thou") relations.

Christian axiology is unique in that its values are not restricted to the constructs of human intellect, natural laws, the desire for pleasure instead of pain, for duty's sake, by experimentation, emotional attitudes, or moral fellowship. Christian values are not relative but eternal. They find their basis in the values of a moral God whose ethical construct for man has its roots in the very attributes of His divine Person. God’s values for man are centered in His desire for man to conform to the image that man has. Man is not only to image God's sovereign nature but also His moral nature.

OBJECTIVES OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

The functional objective of Christian Education should be to direct saints in the direction of Christian maturity. This is done through the process of discipleship. The pastor’s role is to aid Christian Education in developing discipleship programs that will best lead the body of Christ to conformity with Christ. Christian education is not to be viewed as a means of increasing church roll, though a good Christian Education program usually does that. It is not to be used for evangelistic purposes, though it is hoped that some will be saved through it. Neither is it to be looked upon as a baby sitter for the community. Christian Education must have as its central goal the desire to move believers toward Christ—likeness.

CURRICULUM

The Christian Education curriculum must have the Bible as its central core. It is indispensable that all curriculum be based and founded on God's Word.

Second, the curriculum must have Christ as its focus. Christ is the One whom we wish our people to emulate. This does not mean that every lesson be taken from the gospels, or that every lesson should have Christ as its central theme. It does mean that no curriculum should omit or misrepresent Christ to the people.  To be truly Christian, the person of Christ must be at least shadowed in the curriculum.

Third, the curriculum should be pupil-related. The pupil should be the object to whom the curriculum addresses. This means it should be relevant to the experiences characteristic to the pupils being addressed. It should hit them at their level of ability and interest.

Fourth, it needs to demonstrate sound educational principles. It should be structured around a clearly defined objective. Subordinating ideas should coordinate closely to the main idea. There should be a variety of activities closely connected to the main idea which stimulates the learner and also repeats (reviews) the key points.

Fifth, it needs to be a curriculum that the teacher can understand and be comfortable with regardless of his/her experience.

Last, the curriculum should be one that correlates well with the total Christian Education program. Pupils should not be repeating the same lesson in a church related club during the week that they learned on Sunday morning. Neither should they be taught a portion of Scripture one year and find themselves being taught the same portion of Scripture upon promotion to a new level. The curriculum must attempt to teach the whole counsel of God over a given period of time.

ROLE OF THE TEACHER

The role of the teacher is to be a teacher of disciples, leading them toward maturity in Christ. This means that not only must his lips speak Christ; his life must emulate Christ. People learn better through modeling then through word. The old saying, "Do what I say; not what I do," has no place in Christian Education. The qualifications for a Christian teacher are that he/she first be redeemed by the blood of Christ, and that he is honestly and consistently attempting to emulate Christ in his own life. Communication of God’s Word must come from his soul as well as from his lips.

The teacher must also have a good knowledge of the Scriptures. He must know the Scriptures well enough to answer most questions asked him about the Scriptures, and he must do it in a manner that best represents the Scriptures. He is an ambassador of the Word and therefore must know what the Word wishes to communicate.

In addition to understanding and living the Word, he must also know his audience. He must know where they are and where he wants them to go. He must know their level of intellectual and spiritual development. He must also know the life situations such as occupations, interests, economic levels, needs, etc. His communication must structure around where they are.

METHODOLOGY

The teacher should have an awareness of the methods of teaching. His verbal style should be simple, speaking in concrete terms rather than in abstracts. He should attempt to put spiritual principles into earthy illustrations. The better able he is at forming mental pictures the better a communicator he will be.

A teacher who knows how to use questions has a powerful tool. Questions can stimulate interest, clarify thinking, apply a truth, bring conviction, challenge, or accomplish further discussion. Questions can force a student to think through the message himself and thus solidify the material in a way that just telling him can not.

Visual aids are a must for the modern teacher. Christ used visual aids from nature (Mt. 6:25—31; 21:18—22; Jn. 4:35—39; 15:1—8) and from society (Mt. 18:1—6; Mk. 12:13—17; 12:41—44) to ingrain Biblical principles into the minds of his audience. With the availability of a diversity of visual aids in our modern society there is no reason why we should not use them to our advantage.

Jesus was a master storyteller (Mt. 15:14; Lk. 10:30—35; 6:47—49; 8:4—8, 15).Often, His stories told the entire lesson, or He used it merely to secure attention or drive home the application. Abraham Lincoln is said to have been a great storyteller, so was D.L. Moody and Harry Ironside. The teacher who can perfect the art of story telling will always have an audience from the young to the old.

The teacher should also learn how to use projects. These can either be group projects where the students work as a team helping church members with needs around the house, working with the aged in a nursing home, or going out on an evangelistic mission. The teacher can also give them individual projects whereby they do research and report their findings back to the class. The benefit of this type of teaching is that it puts feet to talk, thus instilling the message into their experience as well as into their minds.

The lecture can also be an effective form of communication. Personally, I find this to be one of the most difficult means of communication to master for most people. A good lecture should appeal to the intellect, the emotions and the will. It demands verbal skills and a good understanding of the audience.

A good teacher will learn to integrate a variety of these methods into his teaching process. He will attempt to use the method which will best communicate his lesson at the level his audience can best understand and at the same time keep a high interest level.

DISCIPLINE

Discipline must be viewed in terms of the goal of Christian Education. The goal of Christian Education, as mentioned earlier, is to guide the saints toward Christian maturity or Christ—likeness. It must be disciple centered, but not at the expense of other disciples. The teacher must always have as his focus the pupil's growth toward maturity in Christ. He must never allow this focus for the individual disciple to interfere with the progress of the others. Thus, discipline must be handled with loving firmness. The teacher wants to lead each disciple to a point where the disciple becomes self—disciplined (a major step in the maturing process). This is done through the process of gradually adding responsibilities to the disciple depending on where he is in the process. The teacher recognizes that each student matures at differing rates and structures his program for each disciple according to his particular level of growth and need.

A good teacher finds the need for discipline an exception rather than a rule. A properly structured and supervised lesson plan generally motivates the student to conform to the structured program. When a student does fall out of line the teacher needs to confront the student immediately. This may be done with a mere gesture of disapproval or with a word of encouragement to conform. Threats should be avoided because they tend to make the teacher appear as a competitor instead of a team captain. If the student continues to be a problem, the teacher should give one warning and then follow through. The teacher should not discipline in a manner that humiliates the student in front of his peers. The teacher should be familiar with the disciplinary methods that the church has adopted. These should have been developed and communicated to the teacher prior to him taking the class. Parents should also be familiar with disciplinary procedures. The teacher should attempt to treat the student with respect and human dignity, not with the desire to belittle or degrade him. Some appropriate means of discipline may include the teacher having a good discussion with the parents and allowing them to decide the discipline. The teacher is wise to always have a good working relationship with the parents, this alone may keep disciplinary problems down. Other measures may include exempting the student from some special activity, or having a staff member of the church sit down and talk with him in private.

If a large portion of the class is misbehaving, the teacher needs to evaluate his teaching methods or the structure of his lessons. Often, a mere shift in activities or emphasis can draw the student's interests back to the lesson and stop disruptive behavior.

On the adult level disciplinary problems should be handled according to the Biblical principles outlined in Mt. 18:15-17; Titus 3:10. These problems are probably best viewed as ecclesiastical and would be handled by the pastor and elders.

EVALUATION

Periodically, the question needs to be asked, “Are we meeting the primary objective of Christian Education in our church or schoo?" or, “Is there evidence that believers are maturing to conformity with Christ?” Evidence of a maturing body can be seen in how much the body members have become actively involved in the work of the ministry. What is the percentage of people actively involved in some aspect of ministry compared with what it was, say a year ago? Can I honestly see character changes in the individual lives of our people? Are people being led to Christ by church members? Are there couples whose marriages have been repaired and are now showing Christ likeness in their relationship? These are external features that demonstrate God’s Word is being effectively communicated in the body.

Evaluation should not be based on increased enrollment. Rather, it should be based on the evidence of changed lives of our people. The Word of God, when communicated through the power of the Holy Spirit changes lives toward conformity with the Son of God. If that does not happen we need to evaluate first, our own lives to see if we are conforming to His image, and second, whether we are effectively communicating the Word in which we have been made stewards.