Nine Foundations for
a Distinctly Christian
Education
By Jill Nelson
W
HAT COMES TO MIND when you think of
Christian education? What are its contours,
foundational convictions, breadth and depth of instruc-
tion, teaching methods, and ultimate goal? Does your
thinking resonate with the following ideas?
“It is the duty of the church of God to maintain, in full-
est vigor, every agency intended for the religious educa-
tion of the young; to them, we must look for the church
of the future, and as we sow towards them so shall we
reap. Children are to be taught to magnify the Lord; they
ought to be well informed as to His wonderful doings in
ages past and should be made to know ‘His strength and
His wonderful works He hath done.’ The best education
is [an] education in the best things.” Charles Spurgeon 1
“Christian education is as big as God and His reve-
lation. It goes beyond parenting and teachers and class-
room instruction to infuse every aspect of the Christian
life. It involves ... being filled by the very presence of
Almighty God as we seek by His Spirit to interpret all
of reality in light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.” Justin Taylor 2
“The need for faithful and effective discipleship of
the next generation is even more urgent as our culture
becomes increasingly more secular and more hostile to the
truth. Will our children and grandchildren have a faith
that can endure the hostilities of this age? It is sobering
to realize that children will be hated—and some even put
to death (Luke 21:16)—for embracing the truth that we
teach them.” David Michael 3
I love how these quotes convey the massive scope,
gravity, eternal nature, and urgency of educating the
next generation. Christian education, at its core, aims to
acquaint students with the greatness and worth of God
so they might have faith in Christ and live for the glory of
God. How do SAT scores, sports prowess, musical skills,
debate team, and other endeavors compare to this?
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and
count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”
Philippians 3:8.
Therefore, we must place the greatest priority on
educating our children and students in a distinctly
God-centered, gospel-focused, God-glorifying manner.
Are we accomplishing this in our homes, churches, and
Christian schools? I want to suggest nine foundational,
guiding principles. These should be part of an inter-
woven, balanced, long-term, strategic plan from early
childhood to adulthood.
1. EDUCATION THAT IS DRIVEN AND
SUSTAINED BY A BIBLICAL VISION
Imagine for a moment that you are driving your
injured child to the emergency room. You have one, all-
compelling destination and plan your route accord-
ingly. This is an example of being “vision-driven.” The
more urgent your destination, the more passionate and
determined you will be to reach it at any cost. How does
this relate to Christian education? Consider an example
based on Psalm 78:1-8: “Our vision is that the next gener-
ations know, honor, and treasure God, setting their hope
in Christ alone, so that they will live as faithful disciples
for the glory of God!” 4 Setting this kind of biblical vision
serves to inform, shape, prioritize, motivate, and sustain
what we teach and how we go about our teaching.
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