Education and Culture

When we think of education we should think of culture. Culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. The term was first applied by English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture. In his book, Tylor stated that “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man [kind] as a member of society.” Many will agree that culture is a powerful human tool for survival, but it is also in constant flux. Many believe that culture is a fragile phenomenon that exists only in our minds.

When examining various resources regarding culture, the consensus is that culture is a mental map of the world, and it influences decisions and behaviors.

According to Dennis O’Neil, it is also thought to have three layers. O”Neil states that the first and most obvious layer is the cultural traditions that distinguish your own personal shared society. Children born in northern Italy, for example, are raised to speak Italian; that is the shared language of that personal shared society. The second layer of culture is considered a subculture of the first. It consists of shared cultural traits retained from past experiences. In my case, my grandfather came to America when he was 16 years old and retained many cultural traits from northern Italy. These greatly influenced his decisions and his behaviors.

The third layer of cultural consists, O’Neil writes, of cultural universals which are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all human beings in one way or another. Examples of these cultural behavior patterns are verbal communication, age and gender, parenting, and the concept of privacy. The problem with culture for the Christian today is that there has been and still is a shift occurring in this third level of culture. Make no mistake, this shift will influence our children and be seen in them. The family structure, the concept of good and bad, and humor, to name but a few, all have changed greatly, and these changes, in turn, are all being accepted as normal behaviors today. What does Christian education then have to do with culture?

Back to our definition of culture, the complex whole that is culture consists of knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man [kind]; all are greatly influenced by education because most occur in education. I have gone to great lengths to explain the power that education wields; now I am positing that Christian education can influence the cultural whole for Christ.

Knowledge is acquired through education, and law, morals, custom, and all other habits and capabilities are acquired in an environment built for the acquisition of learned behavior. With this knowledge of culture, it is even more important that those of us in Christ spend much time in prayer when considering education and culture. Culture is a powerful tool, but it is greatly influenced by education. Education will cut through the layers of culture because culture forms when we teach and model “human behavior patterns” like the Christian worldview to our students.

At Westminster, we work hard to ensure that the culture your children are in every day is Christ-centered and leading to the cross in order that they, in turn may impact culture for Christ. The task is not impossible, but, instead, it is probable when we understand culture and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. May God be glorified.