Teaching philosophy | Christian Education Training Course 6/8

The failure of Christian education

It is a blessing that in many places in China, Christian schools are being set up. The church has realized the need of an education according to Biblical principles, which is a great thing. The Christian school provides an enormous opportunity to bring the truth to the rising generation. But if you visit some Christian schools (as we have done) and study the impact that they have had on the individual students, the church and society, you will discover that the results are minimal. The great hopes and expectations at the start often disappear after several years, and parents, students and teachers end up disillusioned and disappointed. The church remains as weak as ever, and the young people coming out of these schools seem to be little different from those who have passed through the public-school system. What is wrong? This is a vital question we need to ask.

To develop a Biblical teaching philosophy, we first need to ask: what is our purpose in Christian education? Our purpose by grace is to raise up a godly seed who love Christ and fear God, are well-educated, articulate, self-denying, and who are dedicated to the glory of God and the good of others. This is a high goal, but surely we should not aim for less! We have clearly not yet achieved this. Why have we failed to achieve this objective? The problem is complicated, but fundamentally can be traced to too little vision. Why is the result so similar to the public schools? Ultimately, it’s because what the Christian school does is often not fundamentally different from what the public school does. There is a lack of a truly Biblical vision. ¹

Why is this lack of vision? The first reason is a fundamental lack of the Biblical doctrines of sin and grace. Unless we have a right understanding of God’s revelation, we cannot pass it on to the next generation. We will be blind leaders of the blind (Matt. 15:14, Hos. 4:6). It is vital that the school has a sound Biblical doctrinal foundation which is heartily embraced by all involved in its work.

The second reason for the lack of vision is that we are so affected by the humanistic philosophy of the world around us, we are unable to create a viable alternative. Many Christian schools, without realizing it, try to do the impossible: to create an alternative for humanism by offering more of the same. Of course, this is doomed to failure. If we survey the modern history of Christian education, we find that Christian schools are almost all just adaptations of public schools. With very little change, the humanistic presuppositions, principles, goals and methods have been brought over into Christian education, and ‘Christianized’.² But adding a prayer, a Bible class and some Bible slogans like: do all for the glory of God, will not transform Christless education into Christian education. We rather need to re-examine the basics of Christian education biblically. It must be theologically Biblical education, not just Christianized humanism.

How would you define humanism? It’s a philosophy of life, that in one way or another divorces God from His creation. Man is the measure and end of all things, not God. Then our goals and motivations are not God-centered, but man centered. We see this in the fact that many parent’s choice for a Christian school is based on whether the school will fulfill their worldly expectations for their child. Some parents hope that the Christian school will provide an elite education which gives a benefit over the public school. Others’ focus is on how the school will provide an opportunity for their child to go to university. It’s an understandable concern, but such a goal still far too low, too mean, too selfish, too man-centered. It’s still humanistic.

The third reason for the failure of much Christian education is it has failed to come to terms with the student as he really is, a lost sinner. The humanistic philosophy also has a doctrinal foundation: it assumes that man is essentially good, and he just needs some knowledge and some tools to be able to succeed in life.³ This means that our teaching philosophy cannot adopt precepts, principles and practice uncritically, but must make a sound critical judgment about them, in the light of the truth of man as a totally corrupt sinner.

What should our philosophy of education be?

What are our goals? The danger is that we begin full of enthusiasm, but don’t know what our goals should be. First and foremost, the glory of God is our goal. We don’t begin with man and His needs but with God. What does the word glory mean? In Hebrew the word means to carry weight.⁴ God possesses an incomparable weight of majesty, splendor and honour. We cannot add to His glory, but only ascribe to Him the full weight of all the qualities that He already possesses. To the humanist, God is lightweight. He is not even worthy to be mentioned. No weight is given to God and His claims, His Word is ignored, His truth denied. In contrast, a Christian philosophy of education must give the full weight to God in both Creation and redemption. Thus, the Christianity of any education can be quantified. In a multitude of different ways, the question may be asked: What weight does God have in this?

From the Bible we may see two fundamental purposes for education: one is related to creation (Gen. 1:28) and the other to redemption (Matt. 11:28-30). Man glorifies God only when he fulfills the role that God has given him. Man’s creation mandate is to fill and subdue the earth. In all the processes that are involved in human relationships of family, society, politics, healthcare, business, the church etc. this command cannot be fulfilled without education.⁵ The earth and all in it was given to man to rule over it (Acts 17:26). Thus, one purpose of education is to teach man how to rule over creation to the glory of God.

A vital truth that we must consider is that after creation came the Fall. In the Fall, God’s curse came upon Adam and Eve, and also upon creation. It began to bring forth thorns and thistles. Now man is spiritually dead. Instead of serving and glorifying God, he serves satan and himself, in rebellion against God. Now all he does is full of futility and vanity (Eccl. 1:12-18). All he does is the opposite of weight (glory), it is worthless and without weight: Ichabod. Learning now does not lead us to God but only to sorrow and grief (Eccl. 1:18, 2 Tim. 3:7). We see that significance and meaning cannot be found in man, but life only has meaning in relationship to God. God demands His image be found in us again, as it once was in the Garden of Eden. And He promises the restoration of that image in Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ, all is empty and worthless. Creation implies that God’s thought alone is original and absolute, while human thought is derived and finite.⁶ It shows that everything we can comprehend is dependent on our relationship to God and on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.

There is no concept underlying our philosophy of education which brings out the unique character of Christian education more than the belief in Creation.⁷ God has revealed Himself in 2 books, Augustine taught, the Scriptures, and the book of Creation. Creation is so important, because God has made man in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). Without a recognition of God as our Creator, then He can have no relation to this world and He has no relationship to us. But if we are created by Him and for Him, then we stand in relationship to Him. He calls us to love Him with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength (Matt. 22:37-38). We are to fulfill the purposes of our creation. We must one day give an account to Him for how we have lived our lives. If He is the Creator, then there cannot be any conflict between the two books of Creation and the Bible. Both must lead us to Him. Only by living faith in Christ can we truly see the hand of God in everything around us. And if we may do so, we may be brought to worship and adore Him who made all things for His own glory (Ps. 19:1). No fact can be known unless it be known in its relationship to God.⁸ To divorce any fact from its fundamental relationship to God is to destroy its true meaning. So we believe that every subject taught in the school should be taught with reference to God and to His Word. To submit to His Word is true liberty. Education is thus religious training (Gen. 18:19). God as Creator also implies His Providence over all things. Not a series of laws control the world, but God’s Providential purpose. By faith we may see His Providential hand in everything around us and in our own lives, in history, in society, even in natural disasters, wars, etc.

The second purpose of education is related to God’s work of redemption. He says in Matt. 11:28, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. From the wonder of redemption in Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and the restoration of the broken relationship to God comes true refreshment. The true Christian is restored to his creation purpose, to glorify God and to enjoy Him for time and eternity. His yoke is light. Thus, education has a redemptive role, its to refresh and rejuvenate the young person.⁹ Education is often hard work, but it should be exciting, rewarding and refreshing. The teacher should ask themselves, are my students often excited and enthusiastic about their school work? If not, something is wrong. Christ says, learn of me. His yoke is not like the Pharisees, unbearable and legalistic, but light and refreshing.

This confronts us with the danger of professionalism in education. How do you stand in your role as teacher? Are you there because you are a professional whose interests are in yourself as a teacher, or are you dedicated to the students? If we are a true child of God, we will reflect something of Him. He did not teach just by passing on knowledge, but by both precept and example. His called His disciples to be with Him.

We see in Gal. 5:22-23 the fruit of the Spirit in those who are partakers of Christ’s redemption.¹⁰ Firstly love. If our school education has no true Christ-like love, then it is nothing (1 Cor. 13). The Greek word for love here, agape, means a self-giving love. Christ’s love for sinners was totally undeserved and unreserved. He didn’t expect it to be repaid, but gave Himself entirely in self-abasement. It is a pattern for us (Joh. 13:34). We are called to be God-centered, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We see this includes loving God with our mind, our intellect. This points us to the character of truly Christian education. The truly Christ-like teacher will be controlled by this divine self-denying love to Christ and to others. Our longing is that everyone who enters the door of our school would sense that it is different from all public schools they’ve ever been into, they sense that the love of Christ dwells there by the Holy Spirit. That they may sense that we are wholly dedicated to the Lord. It will then affect everything in the school. Without this, all our other labours are in vain (Ps. 133). Secondly joy. Although Christ on earth was a Man of sorrows, he also had a deep spring of joy. It was the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2). It was a joy that saw through the bitter sufferings of the cross to the glorious fruit of His death and resurrection. It was a confidence in His Father’s care. It’s a heavenly joy that flows from faith in God. It was a joy in obeying His perfect will. We will then show forth a joy in God, and joyfully help others. Thirdly peace (Is. 9:6, Phil. 4:7). Shalom in Hebrew is a very rich word, it means that through Christ we are reconciled to God and have come to the ultimate purpose of our existence. Our school should be a place radiating true peace, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It should be a place where we sense the value of eternal riches, and that we are not laboring for earthly success but for heavenly things. Fourthly, longsuffering. Christ was perfectly long-suffering in the midst of insults and false accusations. He never lost His temper. He shows us the Christ-like character of longsuffering. Students need this example of longsuffering and they need to learn to endure affliction patiently. Fifthly, gentleness. Christ was always honest but He was also gentle and tender towards repentant sinners. Sixthly goodness. Christ’s goodness was not like the do-gooders of secular humanism which is cruel and self-centered. It was doing good in God’s sight. It’s a holy goodness. May I mention a sensitive subject at this point? I understand it may be uncomfortable for some, but I believe I should say it for the glory of God. It is the matter of how we view having children. We all know the reason why the majority of families in China consist of only one child. Now the laws are changing. But I would like to ask you dear parents, is it your prayerful desire to honour God in every area of your lives? If so, then we should consider whether our view of childbirth is according to the Bible or not. God declares that children are a blessing from God (Ps. 128). Do we desire more of His blessing? Do we think it’s something we should decide how many children we have, or is it something that God should decide? I have seen in Holland what an incredible blessing larger families can be. God’s blessing is poured out on those who honour Him. If you honour Him, do you think He won’t care for everything else? We should beware of listening to our reasoning, but simply seek grace to obey His will. Seventhly faith. Christ is eternally faithful. Therefore, His people are called to be faithful to Him and to one another. Eighthly meekness. Christ was meek, but not weak. In His humility was strength. He did not enlarge problems unnecessarily, but He had wisdom to heal them. Ninthly, temperance or self-control. Like Christ, the true believer may say, not my will, but thine be done. This is a vital characteristic that is totally opposed to the secular humanistic philosophy. A sister mentioned at the beginning of our training sessions that Chinese parents and teachers tend to react to children’s behavior instead of shaping it according to Biblical principles. One example: why do we wish parents to train their children not to run and play around in the church? Because it’s for their good to learn to control themselves in God’s house, to consider others’ feelings, and not just their own pleasure. Its dishonoring to God and is not considerate of others when children run and scream in the church.

These nine are characteristics of a Biblical education philosophy, which should be seen in the daily life and practice of the school. This shows that Christ-centered thinking and behavior should not just be something for Sunday, but for every day of the week. The graduate of our Christian school should be trained to think and act Biblically in every area of life. We know that only by experiencing salvation and union with Christ by living faith will the student be able to live a life to the glory of God. Without union and communion with Christ all is empty morality, just painted sin, an offence to God. It’s only God’s sovereign grace. But such an education is a means the Holy Spirit can use to work saving faith in their hearts.

The raw product

To develop a Biblical philosophy of education we need to consider what is the finished product (C) that we are seeking to produce, but also what is the raw product (A) that we are starting with. It’s impossible to develop B, the means of bringing students from A to C, if we don’t know all that is necessary to know A and C.¹¹ The first concern is not how to educate, but whom and for what. He or she must be taught (i) he is a moral creature with a conscience, (ii) an individual created in the image of God with unique gifts, but also (iii) that he is a fallen sinner, born dead in sin in need of redemption, (iv) there is this full redemption in Christ!

As we mentioned, humanism assumes that students just need some knowledge and skills to function well in the world. But as a Christian school we must reckon with sin. Due to sin, we are firstly by nature incapable of understanding and applying the truth. Secondly, we are unrepentant and rebellious. The school must anticipate and deal with sin. There must be Biblical discipline. We need to consider what are the Biblical standards of behavior that are required of students and teachers, and how will we deal with breaches of this code? There should be Biblical confession of sin and forgiveness of sin. There must be a constant recognition that without the Holy Spirit’s blessing, all our labours will be in vain. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Moving from the raw product to the final product

As discussed above, it’s not sufficient to add something to the secular school program and hope to get the right result. We need to reassess everything from a Biblical, theological perspective. That includes how we teach, how we assess, the role of the school and the home etc. One key aspect I would mention is that the Bible gives us no mandate for Christian schools, but there is abundant mandate for Christian education. The Biblical concept is that the school is an extension of the home. It’s essential that the school is a three-walled institution, it shares it’s fourth wall with the living room of the Christian home.¹² We saw in our study of the OT Scriptures that education should have a father/mother-son/daughter pattern, not a head-cramming academic pattern. We saw in Deut. 4, 6, and 11 especially that teaching is part of the practice of daily life, in real-life situations. According to the Proverbs, wisdom comes through experience, not just study. The purpose of studying some academic subject should be to put it into practice in some aspect of life. Our motivation is not to study for a good mark, but to develop a skill or gift. The curriculum will recognize that different students have different gifts, which need to be taken into account in their school program.

Speaking about the relationship between the home and school further, one fundamental reason for the failure of Christian schools is the institutionalization of the school as a separate entity, distinct from the home.¹³ General education is a function of the Christian home. The parents may delegate some part of that work to the school, but teaching remains an extension of the home. The student is a whole person, who while he or she is at school is under the teacher’s discipleship, with full authority over the student. There should be a close, personal relationship between the teachers and the students, and the school should reflect a family atmosphere of mutual love, care and help. There should be personal contact between the teachers and parents, in the presence of the student. If possible, the parents should play an active role in aiding the work of the school. In this way, sterile professionalism will be avoided.

Another vital matter is that the teachers themselves have been inspired by the subjects that they hope to teach. The teaching material is not nearly so important as the manner in which it is taught! Jesus chose the twelve that they should be with Him (Mar. 3:14). Jesus’s teaching is characterized by Luk. 6:40 – a servant is not greater than his lord, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.¹⁴ The students will become like their teachers! Teaching is much more than passing on information. The attitudes, habits, motivation, desires etc. of the teachers will profoundly influence the students, without you realizing it. The instruction spoken of in Deut. 6:7 is to be ‘deeply impressed’ on the students. Truth needs to be integrated with life.

Finally, we need to reconsider the matter of marks and grading students. As we saw last week, the all-consuming goal of public education is a high mark. The motivation destroys all higher motives. They are not working for the glory of God or to gain useful knowledge and skills, but just to pass an exam. They don’t know what their purpose in life is, only that they must pass an exam at the end. It alienates the students from the teachers, and makes learning a lifeless and joyless thing. Of course, we are not saying that students should not be evaluated, but that evaluation needs to be done in ways that promote right attitudes to learning. It also will alleviate the teacher from much drudgery.

May the Lord help us to lay a foundation for Christian education in divine wisdom and truth which may be a means of blessing to generations of children yet to come! If it may be so, it will be nothing of man, but all from the faithful covenant God, who has promised: train up your child in the way that it should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.