Educating the Mind & the Heart

The ultimate philosophical question is “What is truth?” The response to this question from a Christian perspective is that truth is found in the Person of Jesus Christ. He is truth. John 14:6 Jesus states that “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” The truths of the moral realm are an expression of His divine attributes. Because Christ is eternal, so is His truth. The Lord states that “…my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Psalms 100:5 further states that God’s truth “endureth to all generations.” God will keep His truth forever as it is stated in Psalms 30:12—it, truth, “shall endure forever.”

A Christian philosophy of education suggests the belief that eternality is an attribute of truth. The immutability of truth and the person of Christ remains the same. Truth cannot change with time or with circumstances. Hebrews 13:8 states “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever." The Bible further speaks of truth being settled forever—Psalms 119:89 “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” Not only is truth settled, it is also substantiated in that it has met the test of time (Psalm 12:6). Truth must also be sufficient to meet every need. Thus the truth of God is sufficient to meet every need.

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Truth, to be classified as truth means that it is unified and indivisible. Truth also must be Christ-centered. If truth is unified and indivisible, then Christ-centered truth implies that a unified body of truth comes from Jesus Christ. All that scripture records are promises and commands of God which is a presentation of Christ’s mission and death, furthering God’s plan and purpose, the redemption of man.

The comprehension of man’s true nature is critical to the process of education because the teacher’s conception of the nature of human beings will have a major impact on how he teaches. The Christian educator needs to reject the humanistic images of man portraying man as a source of truth. Man was created for one purpose, and that is to glorify God.

Hence, a biblical approach to educational philosophy indicates that man’s basic nature is evil as stated in Romans 3:23. This truth is revealed by simply observing human behavior.

The nature of education is the process of leading the student from ignorance to knowledge. This being the case, the student is encouraged to develop the intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of life. These aspects are to build the individual toward Christ-likeness.

The process of education is moving the person from a position of lesser knowledge to a point of greater understanding, based upon one’s understanding of truth. This premise indicates that truth then comes from a single source and has established values. The process of education then includes the imparting of values that are identifiably true and lasting.

Educational objectives and priorities must be established with a singular purpose in mind. For the Christian this means the indoctrination of biblical truth into the life of the student. We are

admonished in II Timothy 3:14 to be “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” The priorities of educational truth place additional requirements upon the Christian educator to not only teach the truth but also to expect the truth in return as the student learns.

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The goal of producing Christ-likeness in students acknowledges that education is preparation for life, not just a vocation. The goal of being conformed to Christ must be the center of the entire school program. Whether it is fine arts, athletic programs, or academic endeavors the emphasis within the program must be on glorifying God and not glorifying man. The Christian school therefore will seek to teach character, teamwork, respect for authority, temperance, and the greater goal of glory to God no matter what the outcome otherwise. The final product is much more important than the small outcomes along the way.

The Christian philosophy of education emanates from the source of all truth being the Word of God. The word mandate is appropriate in two senses of the word. First, the Christian is given an authoritative command by God through the Scripture to educate children in the truth. Secondly, he is given the authority by the Word of God to carry out the command.

Deuteronomy 6:7 commands believers to teach their children the precepts of God—“and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The intent of this scripture was that the Word of God be taught to future generations. In Luke 2:52 Jesus matured in four distinct ways. He matured in wisdom—mentally, in stature—physically, in favor with God—spiritually, and is favor with man—socially.

Although this verse refers to Jesus’ maturation as a young man rather than a command to us, there is the challenge to the educator to educate the whole man. True education addresses man’s total being and recognizes the spiritual makeup. Ignoring the spiritual nature of man in the process of education will result in an incomplete education.

A Christian school must develop a philosophy that serves as a set of guiding principles in order to accomplish its ultimate objective: helping its students conform to the image of Christ. The Christian school must adhere to biblical principles in every aspect of the educational process, from the admissions guidelines to the extra-curricular programs and fine arts, as well as the core curriculum. The school is not Christian simply because it has the name Christian on its stationery. The Christian school must have a foundational philosophy firmly rooted in the Word of God.

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The philosophy of Christian education, in its assertion that all truth is God’s truth and its call for separation from the world, including secular philosophies, stands in stark contrast to the intellectually and morally bankrupt educational philosophies of the day.