The Reformation Changed Conceptions of the Family by

March 02, 2022 Post a Comment

"The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind," writes Mark Noll in the opening of his archetype volume The Scandal of the Evangelical Heed published in 1995. He goes on to complaining that even with all the success evangelicals have had on a popular level they have failed "in sustaining serious intellectual life."

This past weekend, I was at an issue with thousands of people who would agree with Noll's assessment and are working to do something almost it.

They are part of the homeschooling movement, which, based on U.S. Department of Education statistics, educates effectually two 1000000 students or nearly 3.4 percent of the students in the U.S. And while the percentage of nonreligious students is on the rise, the overwhelming majority of today'south homeschool students are in Christian families who wanted their children to have a Christian education either through homeschooling or private Christian schools.

The idea of homeschooling and Christian education is not new. In fact, until the late 19th century in the U.S., homeschooling was common and most students received a Christian education. Abode educational activity had been the norm since the founding of our country.

However, in the tardily 19th and early on 20th centuries, states started passing compulsory school attendance laws and we witnessed the rise of secular public instruction championed by people like John Dewey. Some accept named Dewey's progressive, anti-Christian influence on public education as one of the contributing factors that moved Western culture from a in one case Christian civilization to our electric current "post-Christian" culture.

Christian Education Roots in the Reformation

The idea of the importance of Christian education was firmly established by leaders of the Protestant Reformation such as Martin Luther and John Calvin. The book John Calvin, Theologian, Preacher, Educator, Statesman, explains that Luther and Calvin both disagreed with the medieval church's view that "ignorance is the mother of piety," didactics every laic needed to be able to read and written report the scriptures for themselves.

The reformers' interest in didactics did not stop at literacy. They were interested very broadly in the "what" likewise as the "how" of pedagogy.

I've summarized the great enquiry past David Murray and R.B. Peery on this topic in the following list—here are five educational reforms initiated by the reformers that significantly changed the confront of education and still impact our educational system today:

1. Universal Education

Earlier the Reformation, pedagogy was the privilege of only wealthy aristocrats and priests, simply the reformers argued that it should be made available to all. Their schools were the first to brainwash girls and saw the importance of developing the potential of every child for the glory of God. The later on reformers similar John Calvin "opened the mode for people to enhance themselves by education and by the diligent utilize of their knowledge and abilities" writes Joel Beeke in his book Calvin for Today. Finding their full potential through education and applying it to their work enabled the ascent of what would exist called the Protestant piece of work ethic, which would positively shape Western Civilization for centuries.

ii. The Church building and Parents Are Responsible for Pedagogy

The reformers believed that the primary responsibility of educating children roughshod upon the church building and parents (with possible infrastructure support from the state). Luther personally started numerous schools in existing churches. Congregations were expected to provide the necessary funding and oversight. Parents were besides expected to play an of import function, not but making certain their children attended class but also reinforcing educational activity at home. Church leaders would shepherd the instruction process and appraise a student's progress by meeting with students and parents during the school year.

iii. The Goal of a Child's Teaching Is Both Theological and Applied and Includes Study of Nature and the Natural World

The reformers' doctrine of God's providence and sovereignty over all cosmos impacted how they approached the written report of all topics, not but religion. As Jacob Hoogstra writes in his volume, John Calvin: Contemporary Prophet,

…there is not a single fact in the universe that is not a God-centered fact…all facts derive their significance and meaning from the mind of God.

And the following excerpt from Mark Thompson'south book, Engaging with Calvin, shows the importance the reformers placed on studying the natural world:

Co-ordinate to Calvin, scientific discipline was a gift of God, created for the benefit of mankind. The real source of natural cognition was the Holy Spirit. Whoever dealt with information technology best-selling God, obeyed the call of God and focused on God's cosmos. Thus, biological science was also theology.

The reformers believed that their move would grow through a study of the arts and sciences seen through the lens of scripture.

4. Good Education Requires Gifted Christian Teachers

The Reformers saw the task of the teacher equally extremely important. They viewed teachers as "officers and servants of the church" and required that they not but exist trained in the subjects they would teach but also obtain a caste in theology and "be of mature and skillful character". They also argued that teachers' pay should be generous enough to let for poor children in their classroom who could not afford to pay for their schooling.

five. Education Should Prepare Students to be Good Citizens of the Church and of the State

John Calvin started the Genevan Academy, which would become the model for colleges and universities for hundreds of years. The Academy was a university that offered higher learning in a number of subjects, including theology, preparation pastors and those preparing for other vocations. The school also saw their job as raising up those who would be prepared to serve in the church and in government.

Beeke, among other historians, tells us that wherever the followers of the Reformation went, they founded churches, schools, and colleges. Many of our early colleges like Yale, Harvard, and Princeton were originally based on the model of the Genevan University.

Clearly, the Reformation sparked needed change in more than the church. Education was simply one of its beneficiaries, but those benefits have spanned eras and continents every bit a result of the concerns and guidance voiced by Luther, Calvin, and other reformers.

(If y'all can read this, give thanks the Reformers!)

Editor'due south Note: Check out IFWE's high school homeschool curriculum on economics (Biblical Foundations for the Economical Way of Thinking) and on calling (Understanding God'south Calling) in the IFWE bookstore.