-
Why is it imperative that Christian educators have a Christian philosophy of education?
-
It is imperative because Christians need to have a conviction of why we do what we do. Without that conviction, or philosophy, guiding our educational strategies, we will not be as effective in imparting truth to students.
-
As Christian adults, we are given the responsibility to teach our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) the truth of who God is. That it is He who has created us for His glory and we need to have Jesus as our foundation in our lives. This means in every aspect of our lives. The verses in Deuteronomy do not say to only teach the children in the morning or during certain times of the day. From the time a child is young he or she needs to be taught who God is and what He has done for us. They need to be taught of His love and what the truth really is (Jesus) and not what the world is saying is “true”.
-
It is imperative that Christian educators have a Christian philosophy of education so that we may take each subject matter and use God’s Word as our foundational starting point. Integrating biblical truths in all subject areas helps individuals who are being taught understand that the world of knowledge is not just limited to each subject individually. They all flow together and the commonality is God. We cannot view Christian education as just teach all of the subjects and throw some Bible into the day. God’s Word is to be interwoven into all parts of the learning to understand that God’s truths are relevant in every part of knowledge.
-
Christian educators, which include parents and teachers, are commanded to impart biblical knowledge to the children under their care. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “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.” This is God’s method of building a godly culture based on His ways, by training the young to follow His statutes and serve only the true God. If the children of the next generation continue in the ways of their godly parents, they are promised that it will go well for them, that they will possess the land, and that God would cast out their enemies before them. It is God’s way of sanctifying for Himself a special people and a culture destined to thrive and and never go extinct.
-
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. We must have the solid rock of the Bible, God’s Word, as our foundation to have a biblical worldview. God made the world and everything for His own glory. Because of the Fall, the secular world has basic beliefs, assumptions, and values that are bent far away from God’s Word. As Christian educators, we desire to disciple our students to respond to the challenges and controversies of the world with wisdom. Christian educators should teach students how to bend each part of the secular worldview back to a biblical worldview.