Introduction
Curiosity is a big part of life, so it’s not unusual that several of us ask questions concerning life and existence. Examples of these questions may be: How did the universe begin? Is God real? Why is life the way it is now? Many of these inquiries have been around since the start of time, and it brings us right back to our metaphysics. In our textbook, Knight defines metaphysics as “the study of questions concerning the nature of reality” (2016, pg. 9). As Christians, it is tremendously significant to come up with different ways to answer these questions and apply Christ’s teachings to our lives but also the lives of everyone that we encounter.
Many educators have a goal to teach within their classroom from a Biblical worldview. While this may sound simple, there are times that it can become very challenging even for the most experienced teacher. It is important that we ensure that our own relationship with God is right before we can teach these lessons to our students.
Biblical Worldview
Shouldn’t the biblical worldview of all Christians be to lead more of God’s children to his side? Right now, as Christians, our worldview should be one that echoes the life of Christ. It is grounded on the ideologies that we are all formed in God’s image. When we recognize this idea, we can understand that we have a duty to not only educate but to protect all of God’s children. The Bible states that, “You are the people of God, he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14, New International Version). In current times viewpoints have shifted and have started taking on many different meanings (Bateman, 2017, pg. 21). As Christians, we must find ways to reform the ideas of Christianity that are negative. This action is important because there are ways that we can pour our love for Christ into the classroom setting as well as the world.
Christian Philosophy of Education
William Cox stated that our culture is increasingly departing from believing in God creating all (Cox, 2018, pg. 246). This is due to the increasing technology and understandings of the universe through research, inventions, and science; God is becoming less involved and people are becoming less connected with the Bible (Cox, 2018). With it being so taboo in education, teachers need to be careful where they tread. When it comes to Christian philosophy in education, the Bible focuses on the idea of morals and spirituality, and how it relates to teaching children. We know that Christian philosophy puts enormous worth on the knowledge of God and his works as a basis for our learning. If we break it down, the true drive of having a Christian education is to direct children towards God’s ultimate goal.
A Christian educator should perpetuate Christian education from a spiritual nature as well. As it relates to the word of God, we are commanded to educate our students at home, church and most importantly in school whether it be in public or private Christian school. This can guarantee the growth of each student with a foundation through Christ which can ultimately regulate the content in which instruction is provided and received. When God gave us his word, this then became the main and prominent source of his knowledge and wisdom. The word of God calls us all to engage his teachings in the lives of our children as a means of growth and development.
Implications for Educational Practice
As educators, we should be given the same chances to express our love for Christ as everyone else. Educators should be able to provide a knowledge of Christ and should have a vision that helps our students directly and indirectly. An important aspect of teaching is understanding that while we were all formed and created by God, we are all unique individuals, and the Bible demonstrates that. Many public schools are looking at numbers rather than the actual children and their uniqueness or strengths. “Education should not be seen as manufacturing (children on a production line), but agriculture, with each child cultivated so as to grow and flourish” (Capill, 2017, pg. 13).
Implementing a Christian viewpoint means viewing our students as God’s creation. We are accountable for the security of student’s educational needs, and answer many of life’s questions for them. They learn to trust teachers and believe what they say. As educators, we should be able to teach the Truth of God and the Bible, but due to laws, we are not able to. This is why private school is becoming better for the young minds of our country. We can still teach the technology and advancements we have made, but we can also instill God and his teachings to them as well. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, New International Version). We would not know what we do without God giving us this knowledge and we would not continue to grow without Him. That is what we need to teach this new generation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our school system’s philosophies should rely on Christ and his teachings. Our biblical worldview should be one that leads our students towards Christ morally and spiritually. When we add Christ to education, we then can display and cultivate love, compassion and care. All students should be given the opportunity to have a quality education, and the opportunity to be brought up through Christ and to know his love. Public school systems need to change some laws to allow some type of Christian view to be instilled on this new generation. Through Him, anything is possible, and the students will blossom into positive, understanding, and hard-working members of society, as God always imagined them to be.
