The Principles of Christian Education for Children
Dr. Khoe Yao Tung, MSc.Ed, M.Ed
In Christian education perspective,
who has the biggest role in educating children?
The Bible encourages parents that
their main task is to educate their children. As a child grows, parents must
not neglect their role in providing nutrition and education, or in becoming the
role model for the physical development, intelligence, social life, emotions
and spirituality of their children. However, as children get older and due to
limited ability or lack of knowledge in various aspects, most parents put aside
their primary role as the main educators for their children. Then, almost
completely give up that task to the school.
In Christian perspective, school is
a partner for parents in educating children because parents may have some
weaknesses in educating their children at home. That is why a Christian school
should take the initiative to integrate educational principles pertaining to
character development and discipline children with a Christian perspective both
at school and at home.
A Christian school may make use of
parent meeting as a means for parenting school with the aim of creating
a community to develop characters, attitudes, moral, and spiritual life for
children. In order to achieve that goal, a Christian school must be committed
to the philosophy and principles of Christian education based on God’s Word and
His truth.
What should parents consider when
they plan to give education from others or school for their children?
For this case, parents must be
selective and really careful to make sure that the teachers or the schools
apply Biblical principles. “I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has given me
the request that I asked of him. Now I dedicate him to the Lord. From this time
on he is dedicated to the Lord. Then they worshiped the Lord there.” (1
Sam. 1:27-28) Parents really need to find the best Christian school for their
children. Parents also need to ensure that the school provides good spiritual,
character and academic development.
When Moses taught the children of
Israel to follow the Lord, Jethro told him he’d better delegate some tasks to
others if he wanted to survive. And yet, Jethro also warned him to be very
careful in choosing those people. Moses had to first check their characters prior
sharing some of his responsibilities. Above all, those few select must be
God-fearing men, love truth, and abhor covetousness.
If the ones who are in charge in
educating children are parents, then is it the mother or the father who has
more roles in that task?
The main task of parents is
educating children, that especially lies in the hand of fathers (Eph. 6:4). A
proverb says, “A father teaches more than a hundred of teachers teach,”
indicating a sense of how important it is for parents to teach. Parents indeed
have that crucial role. The role of parents is clearly as primary educators,
early on since having a baby until choosing a school for him/her.
What a huge responsibility one finds
in educating children. All Christian parents must realize that their homework
from God is educating their children. Psalms 127:5 says, “Oh, how blessed
are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a
chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.“Â Children
education should be based on God’s Word which is the source of absolute truth.
Oswald Chambers (1878-1917), an
educator and evangelist from England in Holiness Movement era, used to respond
with such restlessness toward children education. According to Chambers, a man
of faith must first educate all teach a child also in faith, and failure in
meeting it means that no help would be useful when problems come, thus feeling
isolated, lonely.
Have I been able to reproduce my own
kid spiritually? If so, in a time of difficulty I will be brought through
magnificently victorious: but woe be to the spiritual man who has never
produced his own kind, when the difficulties come there is none to assist, he
is isolated and lonely.
That’s why, a school should be able
to become as a bridge for Christian education toward all aspects of the lives
of children, in learning all subjects within Christian perspective, and then
using parenting school to integrate education and character development
in line with God’s Word in home as well as at school.
My child has difficulties to learn,
thus should I wait for herself to learn when she is ready to learn because I’m
kind of busy often times to teach them?
If it is up to them on whenever they
are ready to learn, then chances are children will likely avoid learning and
our sinful nature in terms of pleasure, flesh, and procrastination would surely
reinforce it. The Bible urges us that we must teach them all the time in which
we must be creative enough in setting an atmosphere more conducive for them to
learn. “A glad heart makes a healthy body, but a crushed spirit makes the
bones dry” (Proverbs 17: 22), it underlines the role of parents and
teachers to prepare children all the time to know God and to learn His
righteousness.
Educating children must be practiced
throughout day, 24/7, a continuous journey from the first day a child is born
until she grows up. It is a continuous process. “Teach them to your
children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a
journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.”
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7 or 11:19, NLT)
As parents, we must use the
available time (Kairos) throughout day to teach our children. However,
John Henry Pestalozzi (1746-1827), an education key figure from Switzerland opposed
that exhortation by arguing that children will learn when they themselves are
indeed ready to learn. If it is up to them on whenever they are ready to learn,
then chances are children will likely avoid learning and our sinful nature in
terms of pleasure, flesh, and procrastination would surely reinforce it.
Christian parents will suffer failure if they do not make use the time to teach
their children.
What comes as the main focus in
children education in the Christian perspective?
Education in Christian perspective
is to prepare a child for life at this present time and eternity as well. The
purpose of education is not merely a pursuit of knowledge as preparation for
the present or future life but also for eternity. Education is not only limited
to life at present, but it goes beyond this life. Thus education
from the perspective of the Bible should prepare student not just for this
life, yet above all as a preparation beyond this life.
Christian teachers and parents
should not forget that the sole purpose of education in its truest sense is to
lead children to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, as what
is mandated in the Bible. Children education must acknowledge Christ as the
main aspect of life.
By doing this, we bring education to
the goals God has mandated, i.e. to see our children having a personal
relationship with God, an intimacy with Jesus. Christ has to be the center of
education and the core of all things we perform in teaching our children.
If we view the Christian Education
in work of Christ in salvation, then education and salvation are one unity,
because no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is
Jesus Christ. John Milton in his article, Of Education, wrote the
following:
“The end then of learning is to
repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright and out
of that knowledge to love Him, to imitate Him, to be like Him….“
As we prioritize Christ, then to
make Him known to children is a priority, too, and Christ should be the Center
of educational process. When children receive Christ’s love, it will restore
the image of God within their lives that has been damaged due to the sinful
nature of man. The next process is to develop a Christian mind, in other
word, a way of thinking and seeing things from Christian perspective that
resulted in the ability to look at all subjects with Christian point of view
when learning in the classroom. The one thing we should do when learning in
Christian schools is nurturing faith, teaching children with our eyes focused
on Christ. It can only be performed using Christian education curriculum.
Again in Christian perspective, what
is the main foundation to educate children?
A Christian school must also keep on
relying on the Word of God to teach and develop characters as that of Christ
toward children. It is the source of salvation, truth, wisdom and knowledge. “All
the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and
nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery!” (Col. 2:3, MSG) The Bible
states that not only did God create all things but all things were created for
him. God, as the Creator, is an eternal God and the source of the truest truth.
So, when we eliminate God’s Word from educational process, it will result
merely in vain. Thus, the education that is being developed will become an
empty philosophy which is misleading and deceptive as it refers to human
tradition and culture that are sin-contaminated.
We should base whatever we teach to
children or teenagers on the absolute truth we find in God’s Word. Dr. Roy W.
Lowrie, one of the founders of ACSI said, “Not even one subject can be
taught thoroughly, not even its truth, if the Creator be ignored or overlooked.“
Educating and nurturing children at
school are aimed to teach them to count on God’s favor and His blessings.
Likewise, to teach them to know Him will also help them to realize God’s
wonderful plans for their lives.
If we look it in Christian education
perspective, what does children education mean related with the coming future?
Education is not only to prepare
children daily for a life in the present, but for the eternity as well, because
children education in the Christian perspective has a perspective of eternity
in this life. God has put two callings in a child’s life. First, it is a
calling of eternity. It is a calling for each child to receive Jesus Christ as
their Lord and personal Savior. Second, it is a temporal calling which
involves someone to a ministry life of faith in everyday life.
Children education is not only to
prepare children daily for a life in the present, but to minister them to live
with God in the eternity. Meanwhile, secular education focuses solely at the
present time and emphasizes on success or prosperity. Financial success is the
main purpose of secular education.
