Thursday, July 20, 2006

EDUCATING CHILDREN - What are we talking about? - Part 1

So why are we even having this discussion in the first place? Well, the primary reason is that the popular methodology of education in America today is not only ineffective, but it is also not scriptural. When entire generations of children are trained in a way that is contrary to scripture, it can only lead to problems, and this generation of Christians is not any different than any other; we are not isolated from the troubles associated with disobedience. In modern America, we are seeing problems that are affecting us in every aspect of our daily lives: family problems, health problems, morality problems, and many others. But these are just symptoms of a greater spiritual illness. But before we can understand this greater sickness, we must first have a clear understanding of all the related terms. So what exactly are we talking about?

Well, the first and primary term is education. What does it mean to be educated? The simplest modern definition of education seems to be a process where by knowledge of some subject is transferred from one individual to another. Although this definition may be sufficient in modern times, it is not one that is historically accurate or complete. Throughout history, the process of education has always been linked with the idea of discipline, chastisement, or punishment; and while it was once the case, it is no longer true today. For example, the Egyptian word for education comes from a root word which means “to chastise” or “to punish.” The Egyptian teacher’s motto was “A youngster’s ear is on his back; he only listens to the man who beats him,”1 likewise, the Hebrew word for education “musar” means “to chasten” or “to discipline.” In the New Testament, a common Greek word that was often used in relaying the thought of education is “paideia”. It too carries the idea of chastisement. So while a modern definition of education would only contain a reference to the passing of knowledge from one person to another, a more complete definition would also have to include the idea of discipline along with that passing of knowledge. But not just any knowledge, on the contrary, for real education to occur, a specific kind of knowledge must be passed on. In his book, “A Christian approach to Education”, H.W. Byrne said that “knowledge is defined as an acquaintance with, an understanding of, and a clear perception of truth.” He goes on to say that “the Biblical view of knowledge presupposes a source of all knowledge, for knowledge is dependant upon truth and truth is dependant on God.”2 So the knowledge that must be passed for any real education to occur is that knowledge that comes from God. God’s truth is the only real truth; anything else would not be education at all.

But the understanding of the substance and the process of education is only part of our goal. The real goal is to gain a complete understanding of “proper education”, and of the one who is responsible for carrying it out. Now by adding the adjective “proper” to the word education, it gives the impression that there is only one, right way to do it. One way that is better than all others. For the Christian parent, this is truly the case; there is only one way to educate our children. Like every other aspect of the Christian life, the Holy Bible is the sole source for instruction, and should be used as our guide for carrying out this mandated education process. So with this in mind, let us update our definition of proper education. Proper Christian Education is a process where by the knowledge of God, as found in the Bible, is transferred from parent to child through love and discipline as taught in Scripture. That is proper education.

More Later...




1 Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea, Wycliffe Bible Dictionary (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, 2001), 494.
2 H.W. Byrne, Ed. D., A Christian Approach to Education (Mott Media, 1977), 63.

No comments: