My Educational Theology 2: the Family & Education
I believe that any education or ministry of children and adolescents begins with the parents and church flow from our belief that the Bible sets up the family and the church as the primary institutions of influence on children.
The family was the first human institution ordained by God and God very specifically has given parents the responsibilities for the upbringing and education of their children. The family is designed by God as the agent of reproduction and socialization and to model the image of God on the human race on earth. God has designed the family as a sacred institution in which His image is most directly seen in marriage of the father and mother; through which the world sees the example of the Family of God; in which children learn the laws of nature, to deal with sin and forgiveness, the laws of reaping and sowing, in which children are raised to themselves be productive reproducing citizens of this world, and so one.
The best examples of God’s instructions to parents and parents teaching their children as found in Deuteronomy and Proverbs[1]. Though these verses only give us a glimpse of life and education in the Jewish family and God’s instructions regarding educating children, they set an important tone as to the education of children.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses gives his farewell instructions to the Jews before he dies and they enter the Promised Land. Near the end of his instructions, Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “Take to heart all the word I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law[2]. In chapters 4 and 6, Moses stresses to the people to teach, remind, inculcate, and cause their children to understand who God is and what God has done for Israel. “Impress them on your children,” Moses commands them in Chapter 6. “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”[3].
King Solomon, models parent education by giving his son instructions in the book of Proverbs. He opens his guide to living for his son by saying, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instructions and do not forsake your mother’s teaching”[4]. Most of the proverbs are lessons from a father to a son, but the last chapter also includes lessons from a mother to her son. Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy focus mainly on spiritual issues, Solomon & Lemuel’s mother provide a more temporal guidance to living a wise and godly life on earth.
Some would say that the entire responsibly of educating one’s children both spiritually and otherwise is solely the parents. That could be argued, but there seems to be a quiet underlying assumption of teachers and mentors outside the family in addition to the parents throughout the Old and New Testaments. This is more prominent in the New Testament especially when there is an understanding of synagogue schools that young Jewish children went to as they grew up. The historical record shows that these schools developed over the centuries to assist Jewish parents in teaching the Torah to their children which was essentially their formal religious education[5]. In his letters to Gentile believers Paul also mentions teachers and school to those who were familiar with Greek culture which had an emphasis on education[6].
It is the parents’ responsibility to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord and to provide training for them to be productive contributors to society. However, I don’t see that the Bible is explicit that the parents are not to share this responsibility with others outside the family who can provide quality biblical and vocational training. Frankly, I don’t see that it is possible to make a strong argument on either side, but it seems to me that all would agree that the training of the child must originate from the parents and that regardless of who does the training, the parents are ultimately responsible to have their children trained well.
Footnotes:
[1] My biblical research on the family comes from an early Youth Ministry Practicum paper entitled What the Bible says about “youth” and “youth ministry”.
[2] Deut. 32:46 (NIV)
[3] Deuteronomy 6:7, (NIV)
[4] Proverbs 1:8, (NIV)
[5] During the Maccabean Period of Jewish history, “Simon ben Shetah, the leader of the Pharisees, founded schools for boys of sixteen and seventeen to promote the study of the Scriptures”. (Holman Bible Publishers)
[6] see Galatians 3:24; Romans 2:20
The family was the first human institution ordained by God and God very specifically has given parents the responsibilities for the upbringing and education of their children. The family is designed by God as the agent of reproduction and socialization and to model the image of God on the human race on earth. God has designed the family as a sacred institution in which His image is most directly seen in marriage of the father and mother; through which the world sees the example of the Family of God; in which children learn the laws of nature, to deal with sin and forgiveness, the laws of reaping and sowing, in which children are raised to themselves be productive reproducing citizens of this world, and so one.
The best examples of God’s instructions to parents and parents teaching their children as found in Deuteronomy and Proverbs[1]. Though these verses only give us a glimpse of life and education in the Jewish family and God’s instructions regarding educating children, they set an important tone as to the education of children.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses gives his farewell instructions to the Jews before he dies and they enter the Promised Land. Near the end of his instructions, Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “Take to heart all the word I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law[2]. In chapters 4 and 6, Moses stresses to the people to teach, remind, inculcate, and cause their children to understand who God is and what God has done for Israel. “Impress them on your children,” Moses commands them in Chapter 6. “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”[3].
King Solomon, models parent education by giving his son instructions in the book of Proverbs. He opens his guide to living for his son by saying, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instructions and do not forsake your mother’s teaching”[4]. Most of the proverbs are lessons from a father to a son, but the last chapter also includes lessons from a mother to her son. Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy focus mainly on spiritual issues, Solomon & Lemuel’s mother provide a more temporal guidance to living a wise and godly life on earth.
Some would say that the entire responsibly of educating one’s children both spiritually and otherwise is solely the parents. That could be argued, but there seems to be a quiet underlying assumption of teachers and mentors outside the family in addition to the parents throughout the Old and New Testaments. This is more prominent in the New Testament especially when there is an understanding of synagogue schools that young Jewish children went to as they grew up. The historical record shows that these schools developed over the centuries to assist Jewish parents in teaching the Torah to their children which was essentially their formal religious education[5]. In his letters to Gentile believers Paul also mentions teachers and school to those who were familiar with Greek culture which had an emphasis on education[6].
It is the parents’ responsibility to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord and to provide training for them to be productive contributors to society. However, I don’t see that the Bible is explicit that the parents are not to share this responsibility with others outside the family who can provide quality biblical and vocational training. Frankly, I don’t see that it is possible to make a strong argument on either side, but it seems to me that all would agree that the training of the child must originate from the parents and that regardless of who does the training, the parents are ultimately responsible to have their children trained well.
Footnotes:
[1] My biblical research on the family comes from an early Youth Ministry Practicum paper entitled What the Bible says about “youth” and “youth ministry”.
[2] Deut. 32:46 (NIV)
[3] Deuteronomy 6:7, (NIV)
[4] Proverbs 1:8, (NIV)
[5] During the Maccabean Period of Jewish history, “Simon ben Shetah, the leader of the Pharisees, founded schools for boys of sixteen and seventeen to promote the study of the Scriptures”. (Holman Bible Publishers)
[6] see Galatians 3:24; Romans 2:20
posted by Boucher at
4:25 PM
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