The Way And The Truth

In today’s society it is hard to be a teacher; especially, in a secular school. The students in this setting need Christian teachers more than anything. The children today need to have a teacher that has biblical values and understands just how important it is to live by these values. Before stepping foot into a classroom, a teacher really needs to understand that each child’s worldview will make a difference as to how the teacher leads her instruction and how the students processes the instruction that is given to them. We are there to encourage our students to take a good look at them self and really examine what they believe their worldview is. This being said, we really need to understand what a worldview is, why integrating our worldview into the classroom is so important, what it really means when someone talk about integrating, and how a teacher can begin to develop worldview integrative activities in a secular and Christian school environment.

During my walk in Oral Robert University, I have discovered new adventures and paths that lead me to believe Jesus is and will always be the best thing that ever happened to me. In my discipline, which is biology, I have seen and experience many ups and downs, I have heard the mentality of some of my school mates when they tell me their view between biology and Christianity. Thankfully I never doubted about my beliefs. I am thankful I did not mix my knowledge of biology and my faith with Jesus in a way that I would have to stop believing either one. I love biology, but I love Jesus the most. Instead, biology did in fact helped me realize the amazing creation of our God behind every part of science. How do we show that to the rest of biologist out there? It is important to switch the presupposition that goes against or in different ways to Christianity, to ultimately reveal the truth to even those who are strongly opposed to Christ in the scientific world; introducing a Christian Theism world, and finally guide their beliefs and actions towards the living Christ.

When it comes to the education of children, there are numerous fundamental factors, to mention a few: parents, teachers, the student himself, curriculum, methodology, culture, and the Holy Spirit. Students must first take responsibility for their own education and desire to learn. Even though this key educational factor is not a prerequisite for learning, all students must eventually hunger for learning or it will never take root in their lives. Responsible teachers must use responsible materials and methodology in order for purposeful education to have a lasting impact. Teachers must use their divine calling and materials that “are not sugar-coated, censored, vacuous and dry, nor merely politically correct” (Holtrop) to challenge this current generation of students. While secular humanism views children as inherently good, we know that scripture teaches that all mankind to be innately evil, a

What needs to be taught in the classroom is absolute truth. It should be taught with zealousness for the achievement of the great commission Matthew 28:19-20: “therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Early educators considered religion and politics important. Now paranoia about inappropriate indoctrination prohibits such topics. The implication that teachers would seek to indoctrinate students and that those students would be unable to discern their own opinions via critical thinking, points toward a huge lack of confidence in both teachers and students. The urge to control every facet of the educational process inhibits the process of learning and great progress could be made if teachers could simply be empowered to teach all pertinent information. Trust in the relationship between students and teachers would let teachers teach, and children learn.

Religion is by far the most controversial and non-debatable topic in the world. The topic of religion is hard to speak about and debate because it is solely based on faith. Faith is defined as having complete trust and confidence in someone or something. Everyone has faith in something whether it’s having faith that a loved one’s surgery will go well or faith that they will win a race at a track meet. Many have faith on some things, but not someone like Buddha or Jesus or maybe Muhammad. But why is that? The answer is because the schools aren’t giving these kids any education when it pertains to beliefs and religion. As a result, young children and young adults do not know what they represent. Many atheists say that religion should not be discussed in schools at all because it offends their beliefs of not having any beliefs at all, but freedom of religion should express every type of belief briefly so kids have a true shot at picking a type of lifestyle to live.

Certain philosophers would have you believe that science at best is an integrated, and reconstituted distillation of all the current knowledge at any one time (much like Campbell's condensed Tomato soup: boring and uninteresting). A diminutive subset of these natural thinkers has even dared to characterize our universe as one with an infinite number of happenings outside the current domain of knowledge.

Growing up in school, when “Dewey” was mentioned, one more than likely thought of the Dewey decimal system, which was used in libraries. However, that system was created by Melvil Dewey, and while he was an important person, there was another Dewey that impacted education in extraordinary ways. That man is known as John Dewey. John Dewey shaped the education system that we have today by reconstructing the progressive education. Dewey was a philosopher, and educational theorist who used experimentalism, as well as many other theories to change the way the American Education system was done. He lived during the time period where traditional and progressive education were coming together, so he used both to create his own personal philosophies. Once of his major philosophies was relating learning to society. Additionally, he used dualism as an approach to his philosophies that changed the education system. He impacted today’s education system in many ways, with his different ideas still being seen in school’s today. Incorporating multiple subjects into school’s, as well as taking a hand’s on learning approach are two theories that while many other philosophers believed in as well, Dewey used to develop the education system. John Dewey was a model citizen, that benefited society and the American education system in a variety of ways.

I began to wonder, what are we as parents and religious leader doing to confirm or deny this way of thinking? How is it that our children have come to think about Christianity in this way?

The conviction of Christian parents who wanted to provide their children with the Bible-based moral education in a pagan Roman society was a driving force behind the Christian school education that emerged in the early centuries. When Christians were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire after the destruction of Jerusalem, Christian parents - both Jewish and Gentile- faced a dilemma for their children 's education. The Jewish people had a long history of their commitment to the spiritual education of their children. They were the first to establish church-supported religious school system when they exiled to Babylon and started to building synagogues and schools either inside of next to the synagogues. All instructions, either at home or school, were given based on the first five books of the Bible. Gentile Christians also wanted the Bible-based moral education for their children. Christian parents who strongly opposed to the subjects which were filled with immorality and mythology taught in the pagan schools all throughout the Roman Empire had to find an alternative to educating their children.

As we go through our day by day lives in a very secular world, I believe it is very easy to question ourselves as Christian educators. We ask ourselves if we are doing our jobs exactly to God’s calling. Are we striving to teach the truth? And with that, what is truth? According to Gaebelein in his book The Pattern of God’s Truth, “All truth is God’s truth.” As educators we are called upon to cultivate “Christlike minds” (Moreland). This is quite the task, especially given our surrounding circumstances and constant secular environment. Not only are we, as educators surrounded by this secularism, but our young, adolescent students are as well. So, how do we accomplish such as task of guiding

There are two educational philosophies that influence the way I want to teach in my own classroom. Essentialism and progressivism correspond to my beliefs. They both represent the values that I hold important when coming to running my future class. These philosophies interconnect to form the view of the best educational philosophy for me.

It is by these basic morals of trust, respect, honesty, and hard work that my classroom will be based upon. All other teachings and philosophies come after that. Students are not going to survive if they do not know how to act as human beings. So many young children are left without a sense of guidance and therefore turn to unspeakable means to be accepted. The strength of the foundation for my classroom will begin with love. If my students know that I respect, care, and love each one of them in their own individual way, all other formal teaching that follows will be much easier and much more effective. The foundation that I speak of follows no certain philosophy, because no philosophy can exist if it were not for a respectful and trusting foundation that the teacher must have for every student, and no foundation can exist without the presence of certain morals and values.

The learning experience should be that of a collective nature where students are able to indiscriminately relate to the information, re-teach the information and have a balanced incorporation of all the learning centers in society; including the home and the church. The goal of this incorporation is to create a balanced learning environment that facilitates holistic development in the young mind. As professionals entrusted with the shaping of young minds, teachers must facilitate learning and personal, spiritual, ethical and academic development. My philosophy for education is a multi-part philosophy that encapsulates the idea of holistic and inclusive learning. The philosophy caters for the overall shaping and development of the young mind and includes aspects of balanced training, incorporated teachings and it generally focuses on training students to become teachers.

A considerable amount of research has been carried out on what should be taught in religious education, and how it should be taught in classrooms. REDCo was one research carried out in eight European countries with students from the age of fourteen to sixteen, this research really got me interested in the content being taught to students, as they expressed their own attitudes