Christian worldview

By Nancy Pearcey, PBU Today, Summer 2007, p. 8-11

We typically hear Christians say that the Bible is the authoritative source of truth for faith and morals. But we don’t always hear Christians say that the Bible gives a framework for the rest of knowledge as well—for law and politics, for business and economics, for the arts and humanities.

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

Next to parents, teachers are the most powerful ‘agents of change’ in the life of an individual, a community, or a nation! Yet, how many Christian teachers today believe they can make a difference in their culture?

“…college-level Christian worldview education experience targeting high school juniors and seniors and college students” with the goal that students “walk passionately, think Christianly, and love others unconditionally, to the glory of God”

James Nickel writes short essays “with the goal of unveiling the vistas and power of mathematics as seen through Biblical Christian eyes”

an accidental blog by Steve Bishop, 2008-11-02

“Earth’s crammed with heaven, / And every common bush afire with God; / But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, / The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

By Toby A. Travis, in The Trusted School Leader Blog, June 9, 2017

A leader’s worldview affects all that they say, do, and think. When it comes to the development of the school’s curriculum, there is no way to approach the task without it being impacted by one’s worldview. Therefore, it is essential that leaders first recognize their bias and address the influence of their individual perspectives.

Every teacher teaches from a point of view, a point of view determined by his fundamental convictions, philosophical, theological, psychological, scientific, and so on. Those convictions are not something separate from his education, but are shaped by it as it is shaped by them. An atheist sees history, and everything else, differently than a theist; and his atheism may be the result of his education or may simply confirm what his education has taught him.^[1]

“…inspires, educates and supports (student) teachers and schools from a Christian perspective”

"…a Comparative Worldview Curriculum for kids and teens" because "…the Christian youth exodus doesn't begin with teens, it begins with kids."

Today I discovered an influential educator about whom I knew nothing—Hannah More. Learning more about people who have sought to see a Biblical worldview shape their understanding and practise of education is both interesting and helpful, especially when they are able to communicate why and how they do what they do. Although two hundred years is plenty of time to forget an individual's contribution, it is now possible to understand more of the breadth of a person's influence. Hannah More is best known as a writer and advocate for the abolition of slavery, but education was also an area where she used her gifts to challenge the status quo in education for middle-and upper-class girls as well as lower-class children in Sunday Schools. As a member of the Clapham Sect she was part of a group that played a pivotal role in the transformation of English society at the beginning of the 19th century.

Karen Swallow Prior, Professor of English at Liberty University, wrote Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist which looks at Hannah's life and achievement from a somewhat different perspective than Anne Stott's, Hannah More: The first Victorian. Dr. Prior was interviewed by Dr. Beth Green who is Program Director for Education at Cardus in "Hearing lost voices: Risky friendships and faithful presence." Obviously, I haven't had time today to ready both of the books and the many articles I've discovered, but my reading list just got a bit longer. You can get started with the the interview and then go to the very condensed version at Awesome Stories–another discovery today, Wikipedia, or a host of other sources. Finding out that Eric Metaxas had written the foreword of Karen Prior’s book was an added bonus because his biographies about William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer come highly recommended as well.

"Cultivation leaders who follow Jesus" through life-changing experiences

By Steven Levy on www.cace.org, May 22, 2019

There is power in the naming of things. I imagine that when God gave Adam the task of naming the animals, Adam didn’t just think up sounds for what to call them. He connected with the genius of what God made each creature to be, and out of Adam’s discernment of “Christ in all things,” each name came forth from his lips. A true name reveals the essence of a thing. It’s a truth more than a label, claiming its perfect place in the Logos.

I love it when authors name things for me, things that I have known deep in my bones…but not in my mind. Like a blind man, I’ve felt its contours, its texture, it’s temperature, but never quite brought it into full light. The author names a feeling, a connection, an insight, a revelation, and that’s it! A blinding flash of the obvious!

“Discussions that treat various aspects of mathematics, computer science, and related fields from a Christian perspective"

"“Having a Christian worldview means being utterly convinced that biblical principles are not only true but also work better in the grit and grime of the real world.”

Nancy Pearcey

Joe Neff, editor of The Principal Connection introduced me to this series recently. It "is particularly designed for Christian students and others associated with college and university campuses.... The contributors...explore how the Bible has been interpreted in the history of the church, as well as how theology has been formulated. They will ask: How does the Christian faith influence our understanding of culture, literature, philosophy, government, beauty, art, or work? How does the Christian intellectual tradition help us understand truth? How does the Christian intellectual tradition shape our approach to education?"

If you're looking for something to stimulate your thinking about a particular area, these books would be a great place to start. There are Kindle, paperback and print-to-order paperback versions to fit various price ranges.

    Ethics and Moral Reasoning: A Student's Guide

    Philosophy: A Student's Guide

    Political Thought: A Student's Guide

    Art and Music: A Student's Guide

    History: A Student's Guide

    The Natural Sciences: A Student's Guide

    Psychology: A Student's Guide

    Literature: A Student's Guide

    The Liberal Arts: A Student's Guide

    Christian Worldview: A Student's Guide

    The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking: A Student's Guide

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”
Oscar Wilde

"Examining culture's popular ideas"

“…the vision of seeing culture transformed by giving millions of children a Christian worldview education”

“…provides insightful articles on a range of issues relating to Christian worldview and education.” Read a sample of Review magazine.

“Offering every child a Christian worldview”

“A voice for LIFE in education…an organization of pro-life individuals who are associated with the education profession”