verses. They need to know what those verses mean, and they
need to know how to use those verses in real-life situations.
Students need to be able to analyze the difficult ethical issues
they will face in life. They need to be able to figure out what’s
wrong with faulty doctrinal claims. And they need to know
how to defend their faith.
Some see the importance of critical thinking in science
and history but doubt it’s necessary in Bible class. But what’s
more important: being able to defend your analysis of the
Great Depression or being able to defend the claims of
Scripture? Both are important, of course, but the latter is
far more important. This ability, however, will not develop
without an academically rigorous Bible education.
“A quasi-Christian
school is not much
better than a public
school. In fact, in so
me
ways, it’s worse.”
WORLDVIEW FORMATION
A solid Bible program focuses on biblical worldview
formation. A worldview is a set of basic beliefs and values
that arise from one’s orienting narrative. We all have an
orienting narrative—a story playing in our head, helping
us navigate the challenges and questions of life. A Christian
should derive his orienting narrative from the storyline of
Scripture, and he should develop his beliefs and values
from that storyline.
The Bible should be taught in a way that emphasizes the
Scripture’s overarching narrative. Teachers should present
that narrative clearly and never let the students lose sight
of it. Students shouldn’t learn about David and Goliath in
isolation. They should learn to connect that famous event
to the overarching “one story” of Scripture. Students should
also be taught to use that “one story” to analyze and evaluate
the controversies of our day—gender identity, pop culture,
the role of science and technology in our lives. As students
come to see all things from the perspective of the Bible’s
story, they develop biblical wisdom for life.
STUDENT TRANSFORMATION
Finally, a solid Bible program must aim for student transfor-
mation. Our goal is not to produce young people who know
the Bible but live for themselves. Our goal is to see students
become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Of course, only
God can make this happen. Nevertheless, we—parents,
teachers, and administrators—are responsible for being
appropriate tools in God’s hands.
What are we responsible to do? We ought to teach with
academic rigor and worldview formation, all the while
impressing on students that the Bible is meant to change us.
We do this by being transparent with our young people,
admitting that we too have struggles and are, by the grace of
God, being changed into the image of His Son. We also do
this by repeatedly asking students how they plan to respond
to the challenges and the grace that confront us on every
page of Scripture. We do this, finally, by getting students
involved in the disciplines of godliness—prayer, Bible read-
ing, journaling, evangelism, ministry—in the hope that the
Spirit of God will make these disciplines life-long habits.
CONCLUSION
Recently, I was dismayed to read a post by Tim Challies,
a well-known Christian blogger. He confessed that he was
coming to the conclusion that Christian education was not
very important. He argued that, in his own experience,
Christian young people who go to a Christian school for
twelve or thirteen years turn out the same as those who go
to a public school. 1
I have two responses. First, Challies’s argument is based
on anecdotal evidence, and something this important (how
we raise our children) should be based on careful statistical
analysis. What sort of Christian schools does he have expe-
rience with? Do they have solid Bible programs? And that
leads me to my second response: Christian schools that do
not take Bible education seriously will fail to deliver on their
promises. A quasi-Christian school is not much better than
a public school. In fact, in some ways, it’s worse. So, it’s no
surprise to me that Challies finds some Christian schools to
be ineffective. But that does not mean Christian education
must always be ineffective. A Christian school that follows
the Lord’s leading and maintains a solid Bible program will
produce a different kind of person than the public school
system. The Word of God bears fruit (Isa 55:11; Matt 13:18-
23). If we sow it in faith, we will reap a glorious harvest. ■
Dr. Bryan Smith has worked in Christian education for over twenty years. He has been a
classroom teacher as well as a textbook author. Currently, he serves at BJU Press as the Bible
Integration Senior Manager. In this position, he assists authors and teachers in the work
of integrating faith and learning in the classroom. Bryan holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament
Interpretation. He and his wife, Becky, have six children.
ENDNOTES
1. Tim Challies, “What If God Doesn’t Care a Whole Lot about How You Educate Your Chil-
dren?,” Challies, October 4, 2019, https://www.challies.com/articles/what-if-god-doesnt-
care-a-whole-lot-about-how-you-educate-your-children.
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