Viewing the School as a Community of Faith (original) (raw)
Related papers
Christian Schools - a World of Difference
Teach Journal of Christian Education, 2008
Christian education is distinctly different from other approaches to education. But knowing what that distinctiveness is and acting consistently on it is vital, for Christian schools to be authentic and to justify their existence. This article seeks to identify fundamental premises underlying Christian education; then to establish a set of ground rules for critical discussion and the development of a model to faithfully represent that enterprise. The purpose of the model is twofold: to capture realistically the dynamic nature or 'special character' of Christian schools as communities of faith, and in so doing, provide a useful frame of reference for critical review, strategic planning and renewal of schools calling themselves 'Christian'.
The Integration of Faith and Learning in the Christian School
The integration of faith and learning is essential to religious schools. Though there are practical differences in how faith is integrated, fundamental differences exist in how schools conceive and articulate such integration. Beginning with a review of the historical, political, and philosophical roots of the religious school movement in America, this study examined the beliefs of religious schools about the integration of faith and learning, and how those beliefs work out in the school program. Examples included Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and various Protestant schools in the United States and Europe. Several integration models were presented. Finally, a model of integration based on the work of the 20th century theologian, apologist, and educator Cornelius Van Til was presented.
The main theme of this paper is how Christian schools can find unity in the midst of cultural diversity. Generally, culture includes a set of belief and value systems of groups of people. On one hand, culture is God’s gift throughout history. Furthermore, cultural diversity gives people a chance to embrace and engage one another. But, cultural differences can create problems in society and in educational settings because people tend to be more comfortable with others with similar culture.
A STUDY OF THE ROLE THEOLOGY AND EDUCATION ARE INTEGRATED.
Faith and knowledge may appear to be two distinctly different disciplines but an the contrary they are not. This research is base on the integration of faith and learning, basing its ideas in the fact that education is usually devoid of a Christian morality. Hence the research will make use of literature that will show the “how” and the “why” Christ should be included in the classroom. This being highlighted by a symbiosis of faith and knowledge.
Chapter Two - Literature Review - The Meaning and Practice of the Integration of Faith and Learning
2012
A common theme in Christian school literature is the search for and/or description of the distinctiveness of the Christian school and the Christian school movement. There is general recognition that the Christian school exists as an alternative to public schools and even non-religious private schools for a variety of historical, philosophical, and practical reasons. Faith-based schools, that is, religious schools in general, and Christian schools in particular, have a unique place in the United States and Canada, in particular, but even more broadly in Europe.
Dissertation: The Meaning and Practice of the Integration of Faith and Learning, 2012
The purpose of this study is to explore the distinctiveness of the Christian school, specifically as expressed in the phrase, “the integration of faith and learning (IFL),” and to investigate how experienced teachers understand this expression and how they actually see faith integrated in practice. The goal is to contribute toward a vision of what it means to integrate faith in the process of teaching and learning in religious schools and how IFL is practiced. The research was defined by the following research questions: 1) What are the distinctive qualities of the Christian School? 2) What does the expression, “the integration of faith and learning” mean to the Christian school teacher? 3) How does a Christian school teacher integrate faith in the classroom? Or How does a Christian school teacher practice IFL? To answer these questions data were gathered through a multiple case study. Twenty-eight kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers with five or more years of experience participated in interviews designed to gather data about their understanding and practice of IFL. Participants—15 female and 13 male—represented 11 Christian schools which are affiliated with five Christian school associations in four states. The interviews consisted of eight questions and two follow-up questions. Questions one through four sought to determine that all participants met the study criteria, by establishing that participants are people of faith who affirm that faith could be integral in life and learning.
Character Reborn: A Philosophy of Christian Education
2018
This book makes a valuable contribution to Christian education. Avoiding the all-toofamiliar clichés found in some of the literature in this field, the author provides the reader with a rich tapestry of ideas and reflections, both philosophical and practical. Who is James Pietsch? He leads Inaburra, a K-12 Christian Independent School in Bangor; an outer southern suburb of Sydney. His material, in part or whole, should have wide appeal and be obligatory reading for committed educators ─ whether principals, teachers, chaplains or even school board members ─ serving faith-based Christian schools. In the opening chapters, the author establishes the credentials of the Christian faith for readers. He contends for a biblical theistic world view (as an alternative to an exclusively rational, scientific paradigm) in which the Bible is perceived as a 'love story' in which we are invited to become living, intelligent actors, as it moves to its denouement. As a principal, Pietsch is very much aware of the challenges facing schools' leadership incumbents today; the challenge of operating in an increasingly complex environment of competing and sometimes conflicting voices ─ including Caesar's. For instance, many faithbased schools now have a mixed student body from diverse backgrounds and from a variety of non/religious belief. In this context, he asks, how do we make Jesus known? How do we challenge the dominant voices of individuality, self-fulfilment and greed? Also, given the heterogeneity of students' backgrounds, is it reasonable for faithbased schools to downplay their belief system to gain broader acceptability and traction or, by this very action, do they jettison their raison d'etre? Accordingly, meaningful responses to these 'puzzles' require re-imagining of what it means
Literature Review for the Integration of Faith and Learning
A review of the Christian school literature finds a common theme, that is, the search for and description of the distinctives of the Christian school. There is an understanding that the Christian school exists as an alternative to public schools and non-religious private schools for a variety of historical, philosophical, and practical reasons. The literature makes it clear that Christian educators need to clarify their distinctiveness and pass on to the next generation of Christian educators the history, foundations, and vision of Christian education. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature as it relates to the definition of the Christian school, specifically, the meaning of the expression “the integration of faith and learning,” which is frequently used in descriptions of the distinctive features of the Christian school. In the course of this review the concepts of the religious experience of the faculty, the covenantal nature of education, religious neutrality, epistemological dualism, philosophical antithesis, and the expressions “all truth is God’s truth,” and “thinking God’s thoughts after Him” are explored.