Integration of Christian Education into the Learning Experience

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Integration of Christian Education into the Learning Experience

Introduction

Christian educators agree that the core of the whole educational enterprise must be Christ and the Word of God. This focus is what gives meaning and purpose of Christian education. It makes all the difference to secular education. However, it seems to be a gap between the theoretical presentation of these concepts and educational practice. Voices are raised to say that Christian education is more like a cake of secular education with a chocolate coating that Christian chocolate cake Christian (Douglas, 1991).

Education of Christian started with Jesus himself who was also educated in the religion of Judaism. Jesus welcomed and taught different types of people, including the poor, the rich, women, the outcast, and the children (Richards,1988). Through questions, parables, and object lessons, he challenged traditional understanding, inspired fundamental change, and recruited followers. When Christianity broadens, the need for teachers to teach about the Christianity increased. This led to the start of the catechumen's schools. The idea of these schools was to train new adult to convert for baptism. These candidates for baptism spent two to three years in listening to sermons and instructions in Bible doctrine and the Christian disciplines of fasting, prayer, exorcism, confession, and lifestyle of Christians.

If education was going to be Christian it had to see theology as the filter which social sciences are integrated, and which produces Christian education (Brian, 1984). The state forces the Christian to curb an inherent sinful nature and rest content until the Kingdom of God is fulfilled, even if this control requires the coercion of the heretical into orthodox belief. For classical thinkers, the individual can be fulfilled only within the context of a community.

Faith and learning integration

The integration of faith in education is a process of deliberate and systematic approach, from a Christian perspective, the entire educational enterprise - both programmatic devices. As part of the Seventh-day Adventism, the process approach is to ensure that pupils and students when they complete their studies, have freely integrated biblical values and their conception of knowledge, life and destiny is rooted in the Bible, Jesus-centered, service-oriented and others turned to the kingdom of God.

The integration of faith with the teaching and learning is an intentional and systematic process by which educators and administrators focus on all activities of an institution from a Christian biblical perspective. As a result, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. As a response, a growing number of church ministries have moved toward an emphasis on Christian spiritual formation. But churches must hold together education and formation, the teaching of the faith and the forming of the faithful (Gary, & Steve, 2009 ). The Adventist educational context, the objective of this process is to get students to complete their studies, have voluntarily internalized Christian values and a vision of knowledge, life and destiny based on the Bible, focuses on friendship with Christ, is aimed at service motivated by love, ...