Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 19
S ER V I NG C H R I S T I ANS I N I N D E PE N D E N T S C HO O L S
“Creating a space where stu-
dents can trust their teachers
to respect them as they share
their conservative Christian
faith—not allowing their
beliefs to be denigrated or
mocked—also makes for a
more enriching and healthy
experience for everyone.”
teachings into an e-textbook for 8th graders
entitled In Whose Image? Image-bearers of God
vs. The Image-makers of Our Time.)
Given what I have found to be valuable to
Christian parents—both through polling and
firsthand experience—I would like to hum-
bly share what I believe could enrich your
students’ experiences and meet the needs of
your conservative Christian families, without
taking away from the mission of your school.
Bearing God’s Image
observations in The Barna Group’s 2018 study on
Generation Z, which I highly recommended.)
Viewing oneself as an image-bearer of God is
a crucial belief among these Christian families.
Sharing Your Faith in the Classroom
To be made in the image of God means we
are set apart from the rest of creation, “a little
lower than the angels,” as King David wrote in
Psalm 8, as opposed to the teaching of mac-
roevolution that claims humans are a “higher
form of animal.” With the framework of viewing
ourselves and others as image-bearers, con-
servative Christian parents desire their children
to find their identities in Jesus—whether it be
race, gender, social status and/or body im-
age—through a biblical worldview. As St. Paul
wrote to the Church of Ephesus, “For we are
God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in
Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he
planned for us long ago.” When students see
themselves in this way, they are free to view
themselves as God sees them. Ultimately this
allows them to pursue their place and purpose
in society, having an others-centered orienta-
tion and developing a genuine concern for
the poor and disenfranchised. (I shared these
Creating a space where students can trust
their teachers to respect them as they share
their conservative Christian faith—not allow-
ing their beliefs to be denigrated or mocked—
also makes for a more enriching and healthy
experience for everyone.
Whether it be The Lion, the Witch, and the Ward-
robe, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Animal Farm,
Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, or Hamlet, to
name a few literary works, there are many ap-
propriate novels to discuss the role of faith and
the meaning of life in the English classroom—
which can lead to profound discussions and
help further develop a student’s own faith and
the ability to articulate their beliefs.
This is true in history as well. One of my 8th
grade graduates (Andrew) was the only con-
servative Christian in his D.C. teacher’s 5 AP
Continues on page 18
CSEE Connections
Winter 2018
Page 17