One of the things that homeschooling my kids has taught me is how much various education philosophies have infiltrated the church.
Modern education philosophies driven and funded by the tycoons like Rockefeller and Ford, wanted education to be practical and direct.
1/
Modern education philosophies driven and funded by the tycoons like Rockefeller and Ford, wanted education to be practical and direct.
1/
They didn’t want thinkers, they wanted workers. They wanted people who wouldn’t form unions, who followed orders, did their job. At this time, the classical approach which focused on developing logical rhetoric was dismissed for more profitable, practical skills.
2/
2/
Education suddenly had dollar signs on each piece of knowledge. We need this kind of education because we need these kinds of workers. No longer was everything connected. Now, everything was specialized.
3/
3/
The problem is that everything is connected. Why does poetry effect scientific development? Why is nature effected by music? Hearts and minds are best developed together. We are not fractions of people.
4/
4/
At the same time, sayings like “you don’t need to know, you just need to know where to find it when you need it” caught on. Memorization was mocked. Free up the brain space! But great thinking is connecting information, and you don’t know what to connect unless you know it.
5/
5/
Take those 2 principles into church: 1) seeing people for what they can accomplish for you instead of whole people, needing both heart and mind development, 2) not bothering to learn what you can’t “use” in the Bible.
Then see what happens.
6/
Then see what happens.
6/
For one thing, training women in theology goes out the window. If they can’t be pastors, it’s a waste in resources. They can’t “use” that information. We don’t ask “would this benefit them as wholistic heart/mind humans. We ask if they can “use” it, like a job.
7/
7/
We also see scripture as a resource to be used, not something to study just for the beauty of it. We mine it for useful information, helpful tips, and marketable ideas.
8/
8/
In understanding the beauty of scripture, we will find so many of the richest treasures, but we don’t see them, because we don’t even know what we are looking for.
9/
9/
A classical approach (trivium) assumes we don’t know what we are looking for. We need to be taught, and discipled, as whole persons.
This approach doesn’t see the student on a path of discovery to find their truth.
It sees them as people needing discipleship.
10/
This approach doesn’t see the student on a path of discovery to find their truth.
It sees them as people needing discipleship.
10/
