The administrative leadership at Christian schools must be certain that they are offering courses that meet the pattern for child development given in the Bible. Luke 2:52 shows that the only perfect Child to walk the earth, Jesus Christ, matured in a four-fold way: “wisdom and stature, and favor with God and man.” The biblical model for an education toward the goal of Christlikeness is one that provides rigorous and proven courses to train children in wisdom (academics and the arts), stature (physical education and personal health), favor with God (spiritual training), and favor with man (social development and civic responsibility). A program that either ignores one of these educational areas or over-emphasizes one does a disservice to its students and is not following a biblical model for its course offerings. Practically then, a pseudo-science course with foundations in the Freudian concept of psychoanalysis has no place in the Christian school. Any course plan that does not fit into the framework of what God’s Word teaches or allows must be rejected.
After determining course offerings, the leaders of Christian academic institutions must carefully contemplate the biblical content of textbooks they use to reach established educational goals. They would do well to remember that textbooks must not merely have biblical maxims added on top of progressive methods and secular philosophies. In his book Christian Education for the Real World, Henry Morris cautions that “secular humanism is either explicit or implicit in almost every textbook available today” (Morris 2002, 166). With that warning in mind, school stakeholders must be careful to choose textbooks that recognize God’s Word as the source of all truth. Morris mentions Abeka, BJU Press, and Master Books as some publishers that are friendly to the Christian educator (Morris 2002, 167). Whether distributed by a secular publisher or a Christian publisher, each textbook must go through a thorough evaluation process to make sure that the textbook follows the admonition of I Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” God’s Word as the greatest textbook of all time is a divine work of goodness. Classroom texts must not only be free of anti-biblical thought but also embrace biblical excellence in matters of academic verity, layout and design, and inclusiveness.
After determining the courses offered and the textbooks used to teach those courses, the Christian administrator must also be careful to model and encourage educators to use proven teaching methods demonstrated in Scripture. The master Teacher, Jesus Christ, serves as the Model for perfection in teaching methods. His teaching was never centered on shifting societal norms but rather on eternal truth. Practically then, rap music’s popularity in ungodly society does not mean that Christian educators should feel free to present lessons in a rap format to hold student attention. Jesus modeled multi-faceted utilization of object lessons, guided discussion, illustration and parable, lecture, and rhetorical questioning. By following the example of Jesus Christ’s teaching methods given in Scripture, teachers can be sure to honor the biblical example and foundation modeled by Him. It is imperative for Christian educators to remain faithful to the foundational principles of curriculum development found in God’s Word in the areas of course offerings, textbooks, and teaching methods. Philippians 4:8 is a reminder that building on truth, righteousness, beauty, and a good report is a recipe for virtue and praise. Building a biblical curriculum is no different. Educators who want a uniquely Christian result will use a biblical foundation to guide every curricular choice made. Only then can a school truly be a Bible-based Christian institution.
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Morris, Henry M. 2002. Christian Education for the Real World. Green Forest: Master Books.
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