A Theology and Philosophy of Christian Education
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 720: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
A Theology and Philosophy of Christian Education
Traditional Paradigm
Traditional paradigm developed its concept of innate knowledge, this was propagated by
Plato saying; “Knowledge originate from the inside of a man’s mind.” Those who are swept with
this idea live their students with the concept that you need no one to teach you. All you need is
“think” and know. In contradiction to this theory, Aristotle who argued that knowledge is
acquired from outside. Although both theories present some iota of truth, Norman Dejong
emphasizes that “such a perspective is a shallow kind of endeavour with no room allowed for
discernment between truth and falsehood, no room for character development and spiritual
nourishment. People who propagate that knowledge are acquired only from outside to hinder
their student from being committed in searching to know the truth. This will limit their God
given gifts.
Current Trend
Brad Macdonald comments on the ailing state of... universities, “today’s universities educate
tomorrow’s leaders. By looking at the present state of ... higher education, we can glimpse the
nation’s fortune.” 36 College campuses have become the virulent breeding ground for
destructive thoughts. The corridors of today’s universities are thick with an atmosphere of
immorality, moral ambiguity and rabid secularism. Unless radical changes occur soon, this facet
of modern education will thrust greater troubles upon mankind, ...37 Today’s Colleges are
failing in two primary ways (1) What they are teaching and (2) How they are teaching it. 38
Across America, liberal professors outnumber conservatives five to one (liberal professors
72% while conservatives 15%). A collection of some of the strange classes you can take at
America’s most prestigious colleges and Universities: Philosophy and Star Trek Georgetown
University. How to be gay: male homosexuality and Initiation University of Michigan. Witchcraft
and Politics Bucknell University. Taking Marx seriously: Amherst College. Black Marxism U.C –
Santa Barbara. Interpreting the Queer past UC – Berkeley. The media and Aggression against
Women UCLA. Practicing Feminism: A Study of Political Activism: William College. Feminist
Biblical Interpretation: Harvard. Backgrounds of Homoerotic Literature: Rutgers. 39
Relativism
This has to do with the concept that nothing can be understood in isolation. Everything
exist in some kind of context, which necessitated seeing things in relationship to something else
in other to understand them. 40 To a Relativist, everything is relative, nothing is absolute.
According to Norman Dejong, “For the relativists to insist absolutely that there are no absolutes
is for them to put an absolute, thus, contradicting their own claim.” 41 Russ Wise in his write
up, Education and New Age Humanism explained the idea of relativism: the basis for developing
morals is what the child himself wants to think and/or what the peer group decides is right,
strong conviction of right and wrongs are looked upon as evidence of poor social adjustment
and need for the teachers’ therapy.
The bottom line is this; the major consensus determines what is right or wrong at any point
in our culture. There are no absolutes. It is this concept that had given birth to what is known
today as moral relativism. 43 Moral relativism is the belief that defining right and wrong is an
individual and personal choice. Denying the presence pf absolute law, this ideology teaches that
every decision is a mater of personal feeling.44 Modern day education is driven by culture.
Nduka (1964) sees education as culture. He says, “education is our way of life and the process
of transmitting, advancing and consolidating culture.”45 The further purpose for educationalist
is to “instill traditional values in young people” this is a clearer shift from Biblical theology which
is meant to be the foundation for education.46 Christian education had missed the ultimate
goal of education as they had borrowed principles of education from sources such as reason
(and) experience; secular principles. These secular educational principles are built on
unscriptural philosophical bases such as pragmatism, empiricism, and naturalism. 47 The early
missionary who brought schools to Africa, Nigeria in particular saw education (schools) as a tool
for evangelism (soul winning) training for godliness and the betterment of the society. 48
Today, the reverse is the case.
The society determines what education should be. 49 No wonder there is an alarming cry
by experts that educational standards have fallen. The schools are only producing half
baked graduates. There is need for educational reforms so as to check out for all the
secularism, humanism, which had crept into the modern day Christian education. There is need
to go back to the Bible as the only source of authority in Christian education. It is good for
churches to influence secular education in the world. Christians should be involved with
colleges and universities and influence the content of curriculum and impact society.
Christians should be careful not to baptize secular teachings and use them in Bible institutes to
training pastors. 51 for the betterment of education, there is need to have an important linkage
between church and schools. Penile academy is closely linked with Penile church and many
church attenders had also attended the academy. Many of the children and young people a re
currently attending. The re-enforcement of teaching between church and schools enable yet a
firm belief system to develop. 52 Church of God Mission International had added fellowship in
their school curriculum as a means of teaching God’s word, and training her student for
godliness.
Post Modernism, the idea that each person’s view is as good as others, “education” by
discussion and democracy is preferred in the class. The teacher serves as a guide to the
“student” discovering himself, rather than an instructor in a body of knowledge. 54 However,
the author concurred with the methods of C.H. Spurgeon who “... differed from so many of
his contemporaries (and ours) with regards to the manner in which students should be trained.
Instruction, he maintained should be given in definite, dogmatic form. Tutors should not
teach their students in that broad, liberal manner, which presents a number of view-points and
leaves the ultimate choice to the student; rather they should forcibly and unmistakably
declare the mind of God and show a determined predilection for the Biblical theology. 55
CONCLUSION
Having reviewed most of the theological and secular teaching theories, this essay has
attempted to re-emphasise that to teach the Christian faith by a method that rests upon a
psychology that is mechanistic and humanistic is to defeat the very purpose of Christian
education. Christian education is not so much a matter of technique but a matter of calling and
electing. Neither the church nor school calls but God Himself calls whomsoever He chooses to
call. The Christian educator should be careful not to borrow secular methods into the Christian
education considering all methods and techniques that are borrowed into Christian education
which derive their origin from behavioural sciences, anthropology, sociology and psychology.
The writer is of the view that a careful scrutiny must be given to all behavioural sciences.
The weakness of these secular theories is that they operate from naturalistic and humanistic
assumptions, which undermine the word of God and human responsibility.
Contrary to the liberal and neo-orthodox approaches, emphasis should be more in the
word of God. Christian education is a servant not a master of Revelation (Bible). Revelation
should determine the educational task and guide the process; since the Bible functions as the
primary source and the only inerrant criteria for truth, all presumed facts and opinions must be
tested by the Bible. Christian curriculum must derive its foundational hand book for Christian
and theological education from the Bible. 59 Simply because of result the Christian educators
should be careful not to “baptise” secular teachings and use them in Bible institute to train
pastors.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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A.N. Triton, Whose World? Inter-varsity Press, 1972.
C.H. Spurgeon, An All Round Ministry, the Banner of Truth Trust 2000.
D.G. hard and r. Albert Mohler, J.R., Education in Evangelical Tradition, Baker Books,
1996.
E.W. Kenyon, The True Story, Evangel Publication, Nigeria, 1982.
Eleanor Daniel, John W. Wade and Charles Gresham, Introduction to Christian
Education, Standard Publishers, 1970.
James S. Coleman, Nigeria Background to Nationalism, Broburge Wistrom Benin City,
1986.
Kent Hodge, Pentecostal Theology, Printed for All Nation for Christ Bible Institute,
International by Crifts Associates, Benin City, Nigeria.
