THE CRISIS OF EDUCATION
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
We must be concerned with the state of our educational system in America for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that education is unique in its spiritual implications. God is very concerned with knowledge. The Bible is a Book of knowledge. There is no dichotomy in the Bible between being a Christian and being educated, since all true knowledge is rooted in God (Romans 3:4). The Bible commands us to learn and condemns us when we refuse to do so (Proverbs 1:7; 10:14). The crisis in education today is not merely the lack of quality in productivity and in output, it is also a crisis of worldviews. A worldview is a grid, a set of presuppositions or assumptions a person holds that determines how this person operates as well as influencing the decisions he or she makes. We could say your worldview is the way you look at life. It affects every aspect and dimension of life.
There are two fundamental worldviews out there. One is a theistic, or God-centered, worldview. A theistic worldview makes an assumption that God exists, that He has revealed Himself, and that the revelation He has given is the standard through which all information is to be filtered. The other prominent worldview is a humanistic, or man-centered, worldview. A humanistic worldview means that everything is filtered through the lens of human speculation and perspective. Keep in mind that humanism can still be religious. A humanist may say, “I believe in God,” but he or she will still filter their decisions through the grid of humanity. This is similar to referencing God on Sunday yet granting Him no bearing on the remainder of the week. God is good for religion, but not good for guiding and determining day-to-day as well as lifelong decisions. To a large degree, a person’s worldview is shaped by the education he or she receives and how that education is communicated. The worldview that prevails is the one that will set the standard for what is accepted as true.
REFLECTION: Why is education important (whether or not it is formal education)? Why is the worldview of the educator important? If your children are being taught by people who are not believers, how can you counter that?
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