The Ultimate Purpose of Christian Education
I’m new to Trinity College of Jacksonville, but not new to Christian education or the concept of Christian ethics in culture and society. In fact, I would say that these are my purpose and passion.
I can remember my days at Boise Bible College. I studied ministry and historical theology, preparing myself for what I thought was going to be lifelong vocational service in pastoral ministry and church leadership. God had very different plans for me. God had very different plans for some of my friends, too. A few had never considered the idea of serving in the Kingdom as a lead pastor of a church, but I now have the joy of seeing them thrive in leading congregations all over the globe. While God has called us to different career paths, there is one thing that we have in common: Christian education.
Defining Christian Education, Ethics, and Virtue
When we talk about the concept of Christian education, I think it is easy to compartmentalize the topic into assuming only vocational ministry fits the subject. While pastoral studies are a critical and important product of Christian education, I think the field is much broader. In fact, it’s so broad that I’m not certain there are many subjects that are excluded from the concept. I will expand this idea later in this article.
We live in a time and place where virtue and ethics are treated as tertiary topics, while finances and professional development are elevated far beyond the idea of “doing what’s right.” How can we blame the youth of today when the encouragement from the world is to do what feels good and what feels “authentic to self,” no matter who or what it may hurt?
We know from Jeremiah and Mark that the heart produces the capacity for self-deception and inner corruption. For those of us who have been around the block a time or two, experience has taught us that what feels good is often not the product of good. Nor does it have the capacity to actually produce good. Often, adopting the deepest, most uncomfortable responsibilities are what genuinely produce goodness in our lives and in those with whom we interact. As Christians, we know and understand that goodness is found within the pages of Scripture and the words of Christ on how to love God and love our neighbors.
The Responsibility of Christian Education
With this in mind, I write in the conviction that as Christians, we bear a deep responsibility for instilling Christ-centered virtue and ethics in our families, in our workplaces, and in the institutions that serve as intermediary buffers between society and the state, i.e., the culture in which we exist.
In this model, college is far more than a place where a student learns the tools required for building a financial career. I contend that as an intermediary institution, a college is where morals and ethics are taught, reinforced, and held accountable in producing the next generation of spiritual and societal leaders. The question is: what morals and values are being taught?
Someone will teach our children. It will be either us at home, colleagues in the workplace, or secular educators in collegiate environments. Our youth will adopt the moral philosophy of that which they consume: secular humanism that teaches self-gratification, or the wisdom of Christ that teaches our utmost duty is to glorify and enjoy God forever.
Charles Francis Potter, who signed the first Humanist Manifesto in 1933, made it very clear what the intention of humanist education was,
“Education is thus a most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism. What can the theistic Sunday-school, meeting for an hour once a week, and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?” (Charles Francis Potter, Humanism: A New Religion (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1930)
It is of no surprise that the ultimate purpose for Christian education is for imparting the Gospel of Christ. Our obligation in spreading far and wide the need for belief, repentance, and baptism in Christ is non-negotiable. It is in this mission where the narrower purpose of Christian education is found, and in what I contend is one of the more overlooked aspects of our responsibility as Christians: influencing and shaping the culture where we live, labor, and leisure. Being in the world, but not of the world.
It is in this realization that I have come to conclude, and wish to share with you, that Christian education is functionally about shaping culture and fostering virtue in students who are equipped to pass on and inspire the Gospel of Christ, and objectively choose to do the right thing time and time again regardless of who is watching.
Gospel Influence and the Revitalization of Society
At Trinity College of Jacksonville, we are taking this responsibility seriously. We understand that Christian ethics and virtue must be the foundation not only in churches, but equally so in healthcare; in anthropology; in engineering; in criminal justice; in strategic leadership; in museum studies; in military service; in the sciences; in technology; in philosophy; and virtually every discipline that supports a healthy, free society.
As such, we have a joyful privilege to remain unapologetically Christian as an institute dedicated to strengthening students for service, purpose, and leadership founded in Christ. This includes the obligation to position our students as contributing members of a good, free society and culture. The purpose of Christian education is ultimately to impart the Gospel for the harvest of souls. The by-product of this teaching and reinforcement is the continuous revitalization of society and culture.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to be a part of this story! Your gifts equip our staff and campus with the resources required to sustain Christian education. Additionally, your advocacy to potential new students ensures classrooms are full of eager student-leaders.
If you have specific ideas on how we can more efficiently teach the Gospel and influence our cultures and communities, I invite you to reach me at tdlowe@tcj.edu where we can talk and explore ideas together.
In Service,
Tyler
by Mr. Tyler Lowe, Director of Development at TCJ
