Article Analysis: "Kingdom Education"

     All people live by one of these two worldviews: man-centered or God centered.  Kingdom education is use by those who have a God-centered worldview.  A man-centered worldview hold man and its achievements above God.  In contract, a God-centered worldview holds God and who He is high above the feebleness of man.  Considering the nature of God, one who hold to a man-centered worldview would say that man is the foundation of authority.  One who hold a God-centered worldview would proclaim that God is above all, including man.  The man-centered worldview would support the opinion that man is born innately good and that he has slowly evolved to the top of the chain of life.  However, the God-centered worldview would use the Bible to support the truth of man.  Man is born with sin already in his heart because of Adam’s decision to sin.  Therefore, Christian education is needed to show children their need for God and reveal how to become a child of God.   According to a man-centered worldview, knowledge is just a collection of facts.  Knowledge is neutral; it cannot be connected to any opinions and religions.  One who hold to a God-centered worldview would use God’s Word (John 14:6) to show that trust is a Person; Jesus is truth.  Man determines the standards of morality in a man-centered worldview.  Those who hold a God-centered worldview believe that God alone governs the standard of morality.  God’s standard of morality is absolute, unchanging and eternal.  The man-centered worldview has no desire to consider the future; this worldview is focused on the here and now.  The God-centered worldview has eternity in mind.  Heaven and hell are the only options where individuals will spend eternity.  Kingdom education has God in the center of all educational matters.  Kingdom education uses the Bible as the only source of truth.  God is the foundation of reality in kingdom education.  Teachers who hold a God-centered worldview need to implement every aspect of kingdom education in their classrooms.  Teachers, who have kingdom education in their classrooms, are concerned about what their students believe.
     The God-centered worldview and education need to be seamlessly intertwined in the Christian schools.  Esqueda (2014) expressed the danger of compartmentalizing religion and education.  If teachers separate education and Christian beliefs/worldview, then Christian schools will become void and unnecessary.  In Christian elementary schools, principals need to be on guard to ensure that the students are knowing the person and nature of God while learning the basic foundational skills of writing, reading, and math.  In reading class, the students can read simplified Bible stories that reveal the mighty acts of God.  In writing class, the students can copy Bible verses that reveal who God is and what He has done.  In math class, the students can complete word problems that represent Bible stories.  God must be found and magnified in all subject matters that are taught in elementary classrooms.
     For kingdom education to be successfully taught in Christian schools, the principals and school leadership need to write a Bible-based school worldview statement.  Schultz and Swezey (2013) expressed the need for Christian educators and school leadership to create a worldview statement that addresses the Christian worldview.  The God-centered worldview statement must be supported with Scripture.  After the worldview statement is written, the teachers can then take that statement and evaluate the elements of their classrooms.  If there is an element in the classroom that does not line up with the school’s God-centered worldview statement, then it should be altered so it is in sync with the statement, or it should be removed.  Everyone has a worldview that will affect the ones view of God, view of the nature of man, view of knowledge, a view of right and wrong, and view of the future. Christian educators must fervently seek after the Lord to ensure that He is being correctly presented and fused in all school matters.

References

Esqueda, O.J. (2014). Biblical worldview: The Christian higher education 

       foundation for learning. Christian Higher Education, 13(2), 91-100. 

Schultz, G. (2010). Kingdom education: God's plan for educating future 

       generations. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press. 

Schultz, K. G., & Swezey, J. A. (2013). Theory development: A three-dimensional 

       concept of worldview. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 22, 
       227-243.