Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions

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

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