“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)
“The Bible is not a textbook in education; it is a redemptive book.” So runs the battle-cry, which this writer has heard time and again. Whenever one begins going directly to Scripture before (or, heaven forbid, in opposition to) the “scholars,” he is accused of being a Biblicist, and of misusing the Scripture. Is it legitimate to go directly to individual texts of Scripture, and from them derive educational (or economic, or psychological, or legal) principles?
There are many ways we can approach this question. One is by studying what the word “redeem” (as in, “The Bible is a redemptive book”) means in Scripture. When we do so, we find that a “redeemed” individual is one whose whole life (material as well as “spiritual”) is saved from destruction, and saved unto obedience to God.
We may look at the text above. Here, Paul says that Scripture is profitable for instructing a man for every good work. There being no limitation on “all” in the context, we may take it in a broad sense - all good works, in every area of life, are informed by God’s Word. Thus, we are not speaking only of “religious” works, but of good works in business, economics, the arts, government, medicine, education, etc. If one wishes, for example, to be a successful businessman, he does not first of all attend Dale Carnegie lectures, but must first of all study the Bible (economic practices, interpersonal relations, etc.), and seek to apply it to everything that he does. So also with the educator.
Now that we see that the Bible applies to education, how does it apply? There are two ways we may apply Scripture-thematically and textually. In the thematic approach, we take various passages of Scripture (as properly interpreted), and systematize them into a theme or principle. We then may apply this theme to a given area of study. The legitimacy of such an approach is seen in a study of the nature of Scripture. The Bible, as the Word of God, reflects the nature of God. God is a unified, self-consistent God, and so is His Word. The Bible is not a hodgepodge religious anthology of many books; it is one book, all internally self-consistent. Thus, we may apply a theme or principle to our study.
One example of such a theme would be the Biblical teaching on “the nature of man.” How the educator views the child will determine how he teaches that child. If the child is believed to be naturally good, the teacher will allow the child to do whatever he wishes. The teacher has become corrupted through the years; therefore, the child knows better than the teacher what he should learn. However, if the child is by nature sinful, as all of Scripture testifies, then he cannot be trusted to determine what is right. The teacher, as she is instructed by Scripture, knows more than the child what he needs, and will direct the classroom activities.
The textual approach to Scripture applies individual texts (again, as properly interpreted) to the subjects of study. Even as the Bible as a whole is inspired, so each text is inspired (verbal plenary inspiration), and is thus profitable for all good works.
It is at this point that the objection arises, “The Bible is not a textbook in education.” If by this one means the Bible is not a systematic presentation of educational theory and practice, the statement is correct. But, in this sense, the Bible is not a textbook in anything - including theology. This has not prevented great men (Hodge, Berkhof, etc.) from so systematizing the theology of Scripture. Even so, we may derive a systematic educational theory from the texts of Scripture.
Another problem arises here: there are very few texts which speak specifically of education. Are we limited to these few texts? Is it a misuse of Scripture to apply texts which directly speak of other subjects to education? We must remember that the whole of life, being created by one God, is a unity, and is interrelated. We cannot separate life into many isolated compartments. This unity means that what is true in one area of life is often true in other areas as well. Note in this regard Deut. 25:4, which specifically applies to agriculture, and notice how Paul (infallibly) applies it to church life in I Cor. 9:9ff. Paul here shows us that we may determine the underlying principle of a text, and apply that to fields other than that of which it specifically speaks. Future posts will be concentrating on such textual applications, even though we will bring in the important themes of the Bible as they arise.
There are three aspects of education which we will be examining. These are based on the Particle/Wave/Field perspectives described in Vern Poythress, Philosophy, Science and the Sovereignty of God (Presbyterian and Reformed).
The first aspect is content. What do we teach? This would include both curriculum, and the truth taught in each subject. The second aspect of education is methodology. How do we teach the content we have? What methods most effectively present our content? The third aspect is discipline. What is the classroom context in which we teach? What is the best classroom atmosphere for us to use our methods to present the content?
Obviously, these three aspects are interrelated. The content will determine the methods used, in that different subjects will require different methods. Also, the methods chosen imply discipline: for example, teacher-directed methods (such as lecture) require a strict classroom atmosphere. Discipline teaches certain content; an undisciplined classroom teaches the children that there are no standards (such as God’s Law) outside of themselves to which they must conform.
Too many Christian educators ignore one or another of these aspects. Some concentrate on content (no evolution), and do not think through their methodology. Others apply Scripture to methods, but castigate those who apply it to discipline as being “Biblicistic” and “legalistic”. We must diligently apply Scripture to all three of these aspects, if we desire a truly Christian education.
In future posts, I will examine texts in Scripture and apply them to these three areas of education. This will be with a view to enabling us as teachers consciously to bring our teaching in line with the Scripture.
This is a revision of an article I first published in the February, 1980 edition of "The Biblical Educator," by the Institute for Christian Economics.
“The Bible is not a textbook in education; it is a redemptive book.” So runs the battle-cry, which this writer has heard time and again. Whenever one begins going directly to Scripture before (or, heaven forbid, in opposition to) the “scholars,” he is accused of being a Biblicist, and of misusing the Scripture. Is it legitimate to go directly to individual texts of Scripture, and from them derive educational (or economic, or psychological, or legal) principles?
There are many ways we can approach this question. One is by studying what the word “redeem” (as in, “The Bible is a redemptive book”) means in Scripture. When we do so, we find that a “redeemed” individual is one whose whole life (material as well as “spiritual”) is saved from destruction, and saved unto obedience to God.
We may look at the text above. Here, Paul says that Scripture is profitable for instructing a man for every good work. There being no limitation on “all” in the context, we may take it in a broad sense - all good works, in every area of life, are informed by God’s Word. Thus, we are not speaking only of “religious” works, but of good works in business, economics, the arts, government, medicine, education, etc. If one wishes, for example, to be a successful businessman, he does not first of all attend Dale Carnegie lectures, but must first of all study the Bible (economic practices, interpersonal relations, etc.), and seek to apply it to everything that he does. So also with the educator.
Now that we see that the Bible applies to education, how does it apply? There are two ways we may apply Scripture-thematically and textually. In the thematic approach, we take various passages of Scripture (as properly interpreted), and systematize them into a theme or principle. We then may apply this theme to a given area of study. The legitimacy of such an approach is seen in a study of the nature of Scripture. The Bible, as the Word of God, reflects the nature of God. God is a unified, self-consistent God, and so is His Word. The Bible is not a hodgepodge religious anthology of many books; it is one book, all internally self-consistent. Thus, we may apply a theme or principle to our study.
One example of such a theme would be the Biblical teaching on “the nature of man.” How the educator views the child will determine how he teaches that child. If the child is believed to be naturally good, the teacher will allow the child to do whatever he wishes. The teacher has become corrupted through the years; therefore, the child knows better than the teacher what he should learn. However, if the child is by nature sinful, as all of Scripture testifies, then he cannot be trusted to determine what is right. The teacher, as she is instructed by Scripture, knows more than the child what he needs, and will direct the classroom activities.
The textual approach to Scripture applies individual texts (again, as properly interpreted) to the subjects of study. Even as the Bible as a whole is inspired, so each text is inspired (verbal plenary inspiration), and is thus profitable for all good works.
It is at this point that the objection arises, “The Bible is not a textbook in education.” If by this one means the Bible is not a systematic presentation of educational theory and practice, the statement is correct. But, in this sense, the Bible is not a textbook in anything - including theology. This has not prevented great men (Hodge, Berkhof, etc.) from so systematizing the theology of Scripture. Even so, we may derive a systematic educational theory from the texts of Scripture.
Another problem arises here: there are very few texts which speak specifically of education. Are we limited to these few texts? Is it a misuse of Scripture to apply texts which directly speak of other subjects to education? We must remember that the whole of life, being created by one God, is a unity, and is interrelated. We cannot separate life into many isolated compartments. This unity means that what is true in one area of life is often true in other areas as well. Note in this regard Deut. 25:4, which specifically applies to agriculture, and notice how Paul (infallibly) applies it to church life in I Cor. 9:9ff. Paul here shows us that we may determine the underlying principle of a text, and apply that to fields other than that of which it specifically speaks. Future posts will be concentrating on such textual applications, even though we will bring in the important themes of the Bible as they arise.
There are three aspects of education which we will be examining. These are based on the Particle/Wave/Field perspectives described in Vern Poythress, Philosophy, Science and the Sovereignty of God (Presbyterian and Reformed).
The first aspect is content. What do we teach? This would include both curriculum, and the truth taught in each subject. The second aspect of education is methodology. How do we teach the content we have? What methods most effectively present our content? The third aspect is discipline. What is the classroom context in which we teach? What is the best classroom atmosphere for us to use our methods to present the content?
Obviously, these three aspects are interrelated. The content will determine the methods used, in that different subjects will require different methods. Also, the methods chosen imply discipline: for example, teacher-directed methods (such as lecture) require a strict classroom atmosphere. Discipline teaches certain content; an undisciplined classroom teaches the children that there are no standards (such as God’s Law) outside of themselves to which they must conform.
Too many Christian educators ignore one or another of these aspects. Some concentrate on content (no evolution), and do not think through their methodology. Others apply Scripture to methods, but castigate those who apply it to discipline as being “Biblicistic” and “legalistic”. We must diligently apply Scripture to all three of these aspects, if we desire a truly Christian education.
In future posts, I will examine texts in Scripture and apply them to these three areas of education. This will be with a view to enabling us as teachers consciously to bring our teaching in line with the Scripture.
This is a revision of an article I first published in the February, 1980 edition of "The Biblical Educator," by the Institute for Christian Economics.