Education Defined!

What is education?
Jacques Maritan, a philosopher and educator, stated that, “every theory of education is based on a conception of life and, consequently, is associated necessarily with a system of philosophy.” He goes on to write that education, the process, is a function of philosophy because every man, woman, and child worships something whether it be the God of the Universe, Nature, Liberty, Culture, or Man. I happen to believe he is right in his assessment of the epistemology of education.

In order to think about education in semantics, one must first begin with the conception of the world. As Christians education must begin with the Christian worldview which shapes all that we do. Education, the process, is about teaching and learning, and they too must be rooted in a Christian worldview. If any part of this process is not rooted in the Christian worldview we run the risk of developing the foundational problem of consistency – a worldview inconsistent with that which we teach our children in our homes and our churches. The problem, if left unaddressed, becomes a major obstacle for several reasons.

First, as children grow the time they spend in school overtakes and exceeds the time they spend in church and home. Second, as they hit the middle school years, the influence of peers overwhelms all other influences in their lives. If that influence is dominated by secular postmodern worldviews, well, you can see the problem. Finally, as children grow their worldviews continue to become concrete. Most experts estimate that the worldview becomes concrete around 13 or 14 years of age. Most of the major development of that worldview occurs in the middle school grades, the precise time that children begin to spend more time at school.

Education is a process created and used by a Holy God to convey His expectations to His people. To Moses the Lord said in Exodus 4:12, “Now go; I will help you to speak and will teach you what to say.”

In Deuteronomy chapter 4, God calls his people to hear Him and obey Him and to remember Him by way of teaching. The later part of Deuteronomy 4:9 states, “Teach them (the things the Lord has done in the past) to your children and to their children after them.”

Jesus, in John 14:26, states, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

In my opinion, education is a process created by a Holy God to instill in His people His commands, His history, and His will for them. Education is, in its truest form, a process that shapes the way one view’s the world. Therefore, as Believers in the Lord Jesus, the education that we choose for our children should be one that reflects consistently our faith by way of our worldview; it also should instill this worldview in our children by way of daily teaching and learning. This is education, and why Christian education ought to be so important to all of us.