FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

I. FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

A. Fundamental Ideal of Christian EducationB. Time-Frame of Christian EducationC. The Students of Christian EducationD. The Time Before ChristE. The Time of ChristF. The Time After the Ascension of Christ

CONTENTS

II. CONTEMPORARY PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONA. The Rise of Religious Education: Liberal

ProtestantismB. Liberation ApproachesC. Feminist Religious Education

FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

A. Fundamental Ideal of Christian Education

Imitation of Christ and assimilation to Christ(Ephesians 4:21-24)- Getting rid of one’s old self- Heart and Mind must be made completely

new- Must put on the new self, which is created in

God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life:

upright and holy

~Paul the Apostle

Faith development is a lifelong process, thus,

religious education should continue throughout life.

B. Time-Frame of Christian Education

~James Fowler, Stages of Faith

C. The Students of Christian Education

Adults and Children The canonical literature recounts education of adults. This should serve as warning against narrowing the concept of Christian Education to the education of children.

Influences from the Greeks and Romans

1. From the Greeks

D. The Time Before Christ

Greek philosopher Plato(427-346 B.C.)

Educational ideal based on a philosophy of life which Christians found to be in consonance with Christian life and disciplineUltimate aim of education: help individuals go beyond opinions and beliefs to arrive at knowledge that is certain and trueMethod of education: students gather for dialogue and pursuit of intellect – beauty, truth and goodness

Existence of a realm where pure forms of goodness, justice, and love dwell

greatest value to human life: ascent of the soul

Christian educators adopted Plato’s educational ideals and theory

- Augustine conclusion: knowledge of the ultimate, the - idea of the Good

- The method of education: begin with self-examination

Contributionsa. Plato’s Academy b. Plato’s Republic

Greek philosopher Aristotle(384-322 B.C.)

Writings were introduced to the west by Arab scholars

Scholastic philosophers use many of the ideas from his philosophy to expound the deeper meaning of Christian teachings

His metaphysics mapped out a basic approach and language for understanding Christian truths and realities:a. the

existence and nature

of God

b. the existence and nature of the human soul

c. the sacramental rites of the

church Ethical teachings: the value of habits and virtues in moral education

Greek philosopher Isocrates(436-338 B.C.)

Educational ideal: speak well and

think right

Influential for stressing grammar,

rhetoric, and oratory for reading and

understanding of biblical writings and effective teaching of them to others (the heart of Christian

education)

Influential to Christian humanists

Erasmus, Martin Luther, and Ignatius

of LoyolaInfluential to the

Christian educators

Augustine and Jerome

duty

Stoicism Philosophy

Stoic educational ideala. teach people to live according to the laws of natureb. submit to the divinely established order in the universe

Education ⇨ use of logic and reasoning

Stoic ethics: emphasized

will of

God

living the rational life in accord

with nature

Emphasis on the presence of the divine in humans

Stoic focus: human kinship with the divine and human purification through self-control

2. From the Romans

Quintilian(90 A.D.)Education must produce

intelligent and ethical persons and orators active in public life; must be able to discourse on any subject and take up leadership roles in the state

Only the good person can be a good orator

Cicero(43 B.C.)

Goal of education: humanitas

⇨lifelong striving for erudition and ethical character⇨Both Cicero and Quintilian

influenced the educational writings of Augustine and Jerome in the early church.

3. From the Jewish Heritage

The greatest impact on Christian life and education came from the Hebrew Writings

Education: a socializing and nurturing agency: a challenging and criticizing force

Writings Focus

The Torah Concerns of the community

The Prophets Concerns of the community

The Writings (Wisdom Teachings)

Moral and ethical growth of the individual

Writings Focus

The Torah Concerns of the community

The Prophets Concerns of the community

The Writings (Wisdom Teachings)

Moral and ethical growth of the individual

Have a provisional nature: always open to new

experiences and insights. There will

be new experiences, new

insights.

The Wisdom teacher is a

faithful product of the tradition, not just repeating and

trusting and parroting old

judgments but making new

judgment on the basis of new data.

Complete education of the community entails listening to all three groups:

Three Modes of Education

1.Teaching of the Torah by the priests

2. Preaching of the word of God by the prophets

3. Offering of counsel by the wise persons or sages

PriestsProphet

sSages

1. Jesus as the Teacher

E. The Time of Christ

The ministry of

Jesus’ teaching:

the primary

foundation of

Christian education

Jesus is the Master and the Teacher: according to his disciples and to those who heard

him.

Master and Teacher ⇨used 50 times in John’s

gospel

Jesus instructed the 12 and larger groups, sent out his disciples to teach others, taught individuals, and taught

groups

All that Jesus did was always accompanied with teaching and

explanation

Jesus showed (incident with Emmaus disciples): he deeply cared for his

students; teaching should not be reduced to direct instruction – instruction must

relate to life experience and offered in an interesting and challenging form.

2. The Twelve Disciples and Other Learners

The gospel tradition makes clear: the disciples, the students of Jesus were themselves to become teachers and healers announcing the reign of God.

The ultimate proof of learning is that people will do something. Once the disciples learned that the Lord had broken bread and spoken to them, they felt compelled to carry the message with others

Eventually, the twelve disciples became travelling gospel teachers. (ref. Luke 9:1-6)

1. Education in the Apostolic Church

F. The Time After the Ascension of Christ

Important dimension

of the growing

community

Became institutionaliz

ed into a ministry of the word

Proclamation Kerygma

Building up the community

Koinonia

Witnessing to their faith in

Jesus

Marturion

Service for and with the needy of the community

Diakonia

Early apostolic church shaped teaching in specific

forms:

All four evolved in and from the worship (LITURGIA) of the church

The early church also had its own particular teaching or doctrine (DIDACHE)

Teaching and Action: very much

connected (Acts 4:32-35)

People were drawn into the early

Christian communities

because the group’s teachings were

confirmed by a way of life that showed action toward the

needy

Teaching: very important in the early church

(1 Cor. 14:1-4). Paul says, “Set your heart on spiritual gifts,

especially the gift of proclaiming God’s message.”

Christian education took place in homes, synagogues, and open spaces with either informally

organized small groups or large audiences.

2. The First Century Christianity“First use of the expression: “Christian

Education” was Clement of Rome’s letter to the Corinthians, written about the end of the first

century.

“Let our children share in the education which is in Christ. Let them learn

- the strength of humility before God- the power of pure love before God- how beautiful and great is God’s fear and how the

fear of God gives salvation to all who live holily in it with a pure mind.”

(Apostolic Fathers, 1952, pp. 47-49)

Speaks of the discipline and instruction of Christ providing a protective force for Christians.

The emergence of the CATECHUMENATE

RITUAL and FORM of Christian

formation to initiate

prospective converts to

the faith

A course of instruction which included the following:a. A time of

evangelizationb. A general

introduction to the Christian faith

c. A fuller explanation of salvation history from Creation to the Last Judgment

2-3 year probationary period

Culminated on

Easter day(formal

acceptance into community)

“The Education that God gives is the imparting of the truth that will guide us correctly to the

contemplation of God and a description of holy deeds that endure forever.”

~Clement of Rome

Contribution of the early church to Christian Education

Education for

community building

Educationas a

proclamation of a

message

Educationas a

prophetic witnessing to the truth

Educationas moral

instruction

Education in service

to the material

and spiritual needs of

the community

CONTEMPORARY PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Christians were not just to be absorbed with the salvation of individuals but also were to

struggle for a more just world.

A. The Rise of Religious Education: Liberal Protestantism

B. Liberation ApproachesReligious

education as a means to

achieve social liberation and

help in the struggle for

social justice.

Educational approach aligns and couples

the social experiences of

learners and social analysis of oppressive

structures to liberation theology

and appropriate learning strategies

To raise learners’

consciousness of social injustices and to motivate

them to participate in

the struggle for justice and

social transformation

C. Feminist Religious Education

Integration of life and experience into one educational event and attempt to achieve the

integration of theory and practice

Specially sensitive to the importance of religious language, especially language about God

Recognizes connection to and respects the partnerships of teacher and learning