Philosophy of Christian schooling

Ross Woods, 2023

We should consider the various meanings and purposes of Christian schooling and education and implications for practice. Topics include establishing an ethos, openness to the general public, the role of government, and the roles of non-theological subjects. The same questions apply to all levels of education from kindergarten to higher education.

In particular, Christian educators need to be able to:

  1. Define the nature of Christian schools and higher education
  2. Evaluate the role and function of the philosophy of education and institutional values
  3. Examine some common problems in some Christian schools and higher education
  4. Propose and defend a consistent theological basis for a view of Christian higher education and practice. This involves comparing views and presenting a consistent philosophy of Christian higher education. Views vary considerably, and this unit does not prescribe one particular view. The principles generally apply to all levels of education.
  5. Clarify the role of being a religious not-for-profit, tax-exempt (501c3) organization.

Rationale

At one extreme, some Christian institutions only admit their church members as students, and require that students express its religious beliefs in order to pass assessments. At the other extreme are secular institutions that claim to be Christian based only on an historical connection to a Christian denomination.

The questions

  1. Where is the differentiating line between religious and secular schooling?
  2. What are the characteristics of a religious school?
  3. What is a Christian school or Christian university in your particular jurisdiction?
  4. What are the advantages of being a religious school?
  5. What is the role of the state and accreditation agencies in religious schooling? Is it different from secular schooling?
  6. What is the role of religious freedom?
  7. What should a Christian school do when its beliefs or practices are inconsistent with the views of the state and/or accreditation agencies? What do Christian schools actually do?
  8. What is the process for a school to define its philosophy of education?
  9. What should be in a statement of institutional values?
    1. What is necessary? What else is ideal, but not necessary? How could you tell the difference?
    2. How should it be expressed? How much can be negative or mention prohibitions? Should it use biblical or theological language?
    3. What expressions could result in litigation or accusations of discrimination?
  10. What is the process for a school to define its constituency?
  11. What should one do when a school believes that, “If we follow Christian ethics, we don’t have to worry about legal requirements.” This puts the school at risk of unhealthy, even cult-like, control structures and problems such as sexual abuse.
  12. To what extent are the following statements are true? If so, what should schools do about it?
    1. Changes in the Board can easily destabilize small schools and their policies? These changes might be one or two “bad eggs,” a poorly-done leadership transition, or the effects of denominational politics.
    2. Parents can have so much control over teaching policy that they exert downward pressure on teaching quality.
    3. If the majority of students in a class are not Christians, they exert a non-Christian influence on the school’s beliefs and practices.
    4. If the majority of parents in a school are not Christians, they exert a non-Christian influence on the school’s beliefs and practices.
    5. The Christian view (or views) on some subjects is not clearly defined, so the school must find a middle road between fundamentalism and secular compromise.
  13. To what extent do Christian educational institutions normally face the tensions below. If so, what should they do about it, and who should do it?
    1. The tension between hiring very competent teachers and people of exemplary Christian character. If so, what should they do about it?
    2. The tension between their financial well-being and Christian values. If so, what should they do about it?<
    3. The tension between academic prestige and Christian values?
  14. What should Christian educational institutions do when their governments or accreditors try to force them to teach views that, schools believe, are incompatible with their beliefs, for example, that marriage is between a man and a woman. When are governments justified in doing so, and when is it improper?
  15. What should be the Christian educational institution's role in commenting on social concerns?
  16. What should be the Christian educational institution's approach to disciplining students? Consider the roles of nurture and of consequences for wrongful actions.
  17. What should be the Christian educational institution's approach to disciplining staff? Consider the roles of nurture and of consequences for wrongful actions.
  18. To what extent should Christian universities teach secular subjects such as mathematics and engineering?

 

Other challenges

  1. Define Christian higher education and delineate it from other kinds of higher education.
  2. Compare different kinds of institutional goals and overall mission.
  3. Evaluate specific descriptors, including those below:
    1. It is open to the wider community?
    2. What is the role of secular studies: Mandatory curricula (e.g. general education), nature of specific subjects, secular majors in higher education
    3. What is the nature of its Christian activities (intracurriculara and extra curricular/ student services)
    4. Variations according to jurisdiction
  4. Define institutional goals, purpose, and mission:
    1. Clarify the ethos you want to build.
    2. Define the objectives of each curriculum area.
    3. How can you create a positive atmosphere that both instructors and students can enjoy?
    4. Clarify the nature of community in a Christian institution of higher education.
  5. Clarify the role of different parties in the Christian institution of higher ed.
    1. the relationship between institution and church
    2. the role of Board and governance structure
    3. the role of President/CEO
    4. the Christian identity of instructors
    5. the identity of students
    6. the role of students’ families
    7. the wider social and legal context (e.g. accreditation and mandatory requirements: licensing, curriculum)
  6. Clarify the distinction and relationship between theological assumptions and classroom practices.
  7. Clarify the role of Christian values in:
    1. Defining worldview
    2. Imparting values
    3. Discipline and classroom management
    4. Ethics and morals
  8. Delineate the extent to which Christian views can or should permeate the curriculum
  9. Evaluate statements on the philosophy of Christian higher education

Theories of learning and curriculum

Consider the effects of Christian worldview on theories of learning and curriculum:

  1. Behaviorist
  2. Social constructivist
  3. Cognitivist 1
  4. Cognitivist 2
  5. The purpose of education is to train students in academic knowledge
  6. Humanistic
  7. Experientialist
  8. Problem solving
  9. Improve democratic participation

Di manakah garis pembeda antara pendidikan “religius” dan “sekuler”?
Apa ciri-ciri sekolah agama?
Apa yang dimaksud dengan "sekolah Kristen" atau "universitas Kristen" di wilayah hukum Anda?

Apa keuntungan menjadi sekolah agama?

Apa peran negara dan lembaga akreditasi dalam sekolah agama? Apakah ini berbeda dengan sekolah sekuler?
Apa peran kebebasan beragama?

Apa yang harus dilakukan sekolah Kristen ketika keyakinan atau praktiknya tidak sejalan dengan pandangan negara dan/atau lembaga akreditasi?
Apa sebenarnya yang dilakukan sekolah Kristen?

Bagaimana proses sekolah mendefinisikan filosofi pendidikannya?
Apa yang harus ada dalam pernyataan nilai-nilai institusional?
Apa yang diperlukan? Apa lagi yang ideal, tapi tidak perlu? Bagaimana Anda bisa membedakannya?
Bagaimana seharusnya hal itu diungkapkan? Berapa banyak yang bisa bersifat negatif atau menyebutkan larangan? Haruskah menggunakan bahasa alkitabiah atau teologis?
Ekspresi apa yang dapat mengakibatkan litigasi atau tuduhan diskriminasi?

Bagaimana proses sekolah menentukan daerah pemilihannya?

Sejauh mana benar bahwa "Perubahan pengurus dapat dengan mudah menggoyahkan sekolah kecil dan kebijakannya"?< br />Perubahan-perubahan ini mungkin merupakan satu atau dua “orang bermaksud jahat”, transisi kepemimpinan yang dilakukan dengan buruk, atau dampak dari politik denominasi.

Sejauh mana benar bahwa lembaga-lembaga pendidikan Kristen biasanya menghadapi ketegangan antara mempekerjakan guru-guru yang sangat kompeten dan orang-orang yang memiliki karakter Kristen yang patut dicontoh. Jika demikian, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?

Sejauh mana benar bahwa lembaga pendidikan Kristen biasanya menghadapi ketegangan antara kesejahteraan finansial dan nilai-nilai Kristiani. Jika demikian, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?

Sejauh mana benar lembaga pendidikan Kristen biasanya menghadapi ketegangan antara prestise akademis dan nilai-nilai Kristiani? Jika demikian, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?

Sejauh mana benar bahwa "Orang tua mempunyai kendali yang begitu besar terhadap kebijakan pengajaran sehingga mereka memberikan tekanan pada kualitas pengajaran. Jika ya, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?"

Sejauh mana benar bahwa jika mayoritas siswa di suatu kelas bukan orang Kristen, maka mereka memberikan pengaruh non-Kristen terhadap keyakinan dan praktik sekolah. Jika demikian, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?

Sejauh mana benar bahwa jika mayoritas orang tua di suatu sekolah bukan orang Kristen, maka mereka memberikan pengaruh non-Kristen terhadap keyakinan dan praktik sekolah tersebut. Jika demikian, apa yang harus mereka lakukan?

Sejauh mana benar pandangan Kristiani terhadap beberapa mata pelajaran tidak terdefinisi dengan jelas, sehingga pihak sekolah harus mencari jalan tengah antara fundamentalisme dan kompromi sekuler. Jika demikian, apa yang harus dilakukan sekolah tentang hal itu?

Apa yang harus dilakukan seseorang ketika sebuah sekolah percaya bahwa, “Jika kita mengikuti etika Kristen, kita tidak perlu khawatir tentang persyaratan hukum.” Hal ini menempatkan sekolah pada risiko struktur kontrol yang tidak sehat, bahkan mirip aliran sesat, dan masalah seperti pelecehan seksual.