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Why is it imperative that Christian educators have a Christian philosophy of education?
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It is stated in the book of Romans, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world.” As Christian educators, it is crucial for us to educate ourselves with a Christian philosophy. Christian educators need to be equipped with Godly wisdom in order to guide the new generation to righteousness.
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Without the Bible as the foundation of our worldview, how can we be called Christian educators?
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Christian educators must have a Christian philosophy of education because it is a clear directive from God in his Word. In multiple places throughout Scripture, God instructs us to instruct children. The context of these statements is not limited to a family or church setting, but instructions for training the next generation are to be applied in all areas and in every environment. It is the responsibility of Christian educators to teach students how to think Christian-ly. Proverbs, Romans, Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles all speak to this implicitly. Although they may not address this directly, there are numerous places within Scripture where the impact can be seen by a lack of Biblical or Scriptural teaching about God. In the context of Christian education, a Christian philosophy acts as the guardrails for our teaching. We exist to point our students to Jesus, whatever the subject we happen to teach. We exist in our classrooms to point our students to the supremacy of the Christian worldview.
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A philosophy is the foundation of any enterprise. Christian education cannot be defined by what it is not, nor by what it stands against. We must have a Christian philosophy which stands on the Word so we are defined by what we are, so it is clear who we are and what we do. That will keep us from wandering astray when faced with alternative ideas.
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Without a philosophy it is impossible to create an effective context for Christian Education. Christian Education must stand firmly on Christian wisdom. It is difficult to ensure that we do not conform to the world unless there is a strong philosophy of guiding principles.