Christ-in education

Published in ACT Now Spring 2008

Lecturers, teachers and teaching assistants are on the frontline of change in our society. Powerful forces are at work among children and young people. Media and marketing contend for their attention and seize every opportunity to shape their feelings and decisions. Parents, peers and communities buffet them in conflicting directions. And, in the midst, educators – who are, themselves, struggling to cope with clashing expectations of their role – are expected to help their students make sense of the differences, respond appropriately and prepare for the uncertainties of the future.

Who is equal to such a task? Is there a way that Christians working in colleges and schools can survive in such a situation, let alone thrive and make a positive contribution? What difference does being a Christian make?

Finding God in the classroom may be unexpected. We have not learned by instruction or example to find God there. In fact, it sometimes seems His presence is supposed to be prohibited there.

By Harold Klassen

Christian education means different things to different people. Perceptions of what it could and should be, have been shaped by the practice and pronouncements of a great variety of people who have identified themselves with Christ, i.e. Christians. Instead of trying to deal with the legacy of millennia, considering what Christ-in education should look like, may move the discussion from the past, or even the present, to the future.

“Designed to provoke Christians...to think about our world view regarding education”
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Transforming Teachers exists to help develop distinctively Christian thinking and teaching that will make a difference in the lives of teachers and students alike.

Teachers can’t help influencing their students when they are convinced that personally knowing the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer is essential to understanding what He has made. They become excited about studying all facets of our Father’s world because it reveals His greatness and goodness—and enthusiasm is contagious. Seeking to fulfill His purposes shifts the focus from self to others. Hope is awakened as the indwelling Spirit gives the power to actually do what God wants.  Everything starts to change when Christ is acknowledged as central to all of life, here and now, as well as in eternity.

All Christian teachers everywhere—including parents, pastors, children and youth workers, as well as public and private school teachers—can be involved. Because so many have learned from their teachers to ignore Christ when studying “secular” subjects, breaking the cycle is not easy. Finding resources that appropriately and intentionally connect God’s world and God’s Word can be difficult.

Explore the life-changing possibility of becoming a more Christ-centered, Bible-based, and others-oriented educator. Share resources to help teachers prepare the leaders of tomorrow by example and instruction. Become part of the Transforming Teachers global learning community. 

Pengajar, guru, dan asisten pengajar adalah orang-orang barisan depan yang akan merubah masyarakat kita. Kuasa besar sedang dikerjakan di antara anak-anak dan para pemuda. Media dan pemasaran merebut perhatian mereka dan merebut tiap kesempatan untuk membentuk perasaan dan keputusan mereka. Orang tua, rekan, dan komunitas menggoncang mereka dari tiap arah. Dan di tengah-tengah itu semua, pendidik—yang berjuang untuk bertahan menghadapi ekspektasi atas peran mereka—diharapkan menolong murid-murid memahami perbedaan, merespon dan bersiap bagi ketidakpastian masa depan.

Siapa yang pantas menjalankan tugas ini? Apakah ada jalan bagi orang-orang Kristen yang bekerja di kampus dan sekolah supaya selamat dari situasi seperti ini, apalagi berusaha dan membuat kontribusi positif? Apa bedanya menjadi orang Kristen?

Menemukan Allah di kelas mungkin tidak terduga. Kita tidak dapat belajar dari keterangan atau contoh untuk menemukan Allah di kelas. Bahkan tampaknya terkadang kehadiran-Nya terlarang di kelas.

Take out a clean sheet of paper, and write the following at the top: My Personal Board of Directors. 

In the middle of the page, draw an oval to represent a large conference room table. Print your own name at one end of the table. Around this table, print the names of six or seven others who currently influence you the most—in a positive way. They may be living or deceased. They may be people you have not met, such as authors, media personalities, sports figures, or musicians. They may be people you've known for decades. These are the voices you turn to, listen to, and learn the most from. These are the voices you take seriously when you want counsel, ideas, motivation, companionship, guidance, or a boost of confidence. 

“Serving at risk children: a program that delivers hope where there once was poverty and a dim future, an education that meets children literally where they are at, a staff that wants nothing more than to educate and share about Jesus”

By Elizabeth Youmans, Ed.D © Principia, February 2001

The battle in the twenty-first century is for the hearts and minds of our youth! That means that God’s people need a Christian mindset to defeat the enemy and move forward on the offensive. Unfortunately, most Christians around the world today have been educated in the “world’s system”…

Browse these articles from the Transforming Teachers staff.

Visual Valet - 中文翻译

“…built around concrete examples of teachers connecting Christian faith with their teaching”

“…for teachers who want their classrooms to be places with a Christian ethos whatever the subject or age group”

“…includes a wide array of examples of connecting Christian faith and teaching across various ages and subjects”