This is the second half of a post on Christian Schooling and a defense of its presuppositions.
THE ANTITHESIS
The antithesis is closely related to the covenant. There are always at every time and place the children of God and the children of the world. These groups must be distinguished and treated differently. It has often been understood that for CRC members, the public school is the sphere of the world and the private school is the sphere of the redeemed. There is a battle going on between good and evil, the wicked and the righteous, and many have operated with the mentality that ‘we will not subject our children to the world, especially at a young age, but we will rather protect them, as much as we can from such harm and wickedness.’
For Kuyper and his followers in Holland and America/Canada, this was such an important aspect of reality that must not be under-emphasized. It is not only the job of the church and the home to teach children about the riches we have in Christ, but also of the school. All three “spheres” are training our children. As C. Van Til states, “However, only in the school, in which professional people engage in setting forth the whole history and meaning of human culture, can Christ and his work be portrayed in full detail as he works out his program of removing all that divides men from God, their creator-redeemer, and of directing all that accomplishes their reunion with him.”
In recognizing the antithesis, we can see that all of education, whether history, science, or mathematics is built upon the creation of God. There are no brute facts, but rather all knowledge must take into account the vast distance between God and man and the redemption of Christ to restore the lost communion.
According to W. Masselink, who wrote a treatise entitled Common Grace and Christian Education in which he explains the role of common grace in Christian Education and how that plays a role in the antithesis (See also C. Van Til in Common Grace and the Gospel). As Christian schools, the teachers and students must see that they are indebted to those unbelievers who have shown such proficiency in their fields, that a failure to borrow what they have taught would be unwise. There is much more that can be said about this, but we don’t not have the room to do that here. We ought to take what is helpful from what has been taught.
However, if the doctrine of common grace (I use the term with a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge) is ever used to defend or promote sinfulness or a violation of God's law, this is certainly not what has been intended by men such as Masselink and Van Til. I have seen the term so abused that I doubt its helpfulness in the discussion. One example is the allowance of Calvin College having the Indigo Girls rock band play on campus. The Indigo Girls are a lesbian rock band. How could they do such a thing? Answer: Common grace and a over emphasis on transforming culture. This thinking must be rejected.
PROTESTANT VOCATION
Going back to John Calvin and the Reformation in the 16th century, protestants have had a unique view of calling and vocation than that of other religions. According to the Reformed, God calls us into any number of occupations and callings in our life. At one time, we have many callings and these are all from God. This means that there is no job or area of life that is not inherently religious. You can’t escape from God in the business world. At one time, a Christian may be called by God to be a husband, father, teacher, trainer, business-man, and elder in a church. In light of this, the education of children is to equip them for this calling.
As Reformed, we do not believe that only those who hold full-time ministerial office are called by God. God calls Christians to be doctors, lawyers, laborers, teachers, missionaries, store clerks, and public servants. This hinges closely on a proper worldview as a Christian. As Kuyper is often quoted, “There is not one square inch of this earth, that Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not call out, ‘Mine!’” The calling of a Christian is wide and effects every day of their lives. I may help an old lady carry her groceries to her car, in part, out of a calling to love my neighbor as myself.
Therefore, in education, this must be a driving principle. Teachers, parents, and preachers must be teaching covenant youth this important and vital truth. A young girl may be called by God to be a stay-at-home mother some day. This is a noble and high calling because it comes from God. The Christian Day school, in part, is a tool that must be used in preparation for vocation.
I have already mentioned the far-reaching aspects of Protestant vocation, but this affects as well those our children marry. It is often the case that those who are children are most near, especially in their school years, are often the one they will someday marry. This is a joy to many Reformed parents. Protestants believe that God does not call anyone into something that is contrary to His word. For instance, God would not call my child to marry a non-Christian in order to convert them. For, God says, “Do not be unequally yoked with non-believers.” It has often been said among the Dutch Reformed, “Well, at least we know that he/she comes from a good family/school.” There is something important to this. This does not mean that the certain young man or woman is elect, but rather that his/her parents share the same presuppositions in sending their children to this school.
Another aspect of calling comes in light of teachers. Reformed school teachers are called by God to train children. They are not to complain, or do as little as possible to get by, because of their calling. The Reformed do not want to entrust their children into the teaching of someone who is different from them in terms of religion, service, etc. It is a high calling to be a Christian school teacher and this must be realized by all of them.
CONCLUSION
God has given those in the history of the CRC a rich heritage of Christian schooling. CRC members have been involved in the parochial school days, as well as the transfer into the parent-run school days. Now, for some, the tradition continues on in the United Reformed Churches. Our children are a heritage of the Lord in whom he entrusts us as parents and communities with their education.
It is my prayer that God will continue to bless us with Christian Day schools, teachers, and children who are nurtured in the fear of the Lord to be leaders in our secular society to have a Christian influence on the world. We need Christian professionals who believe in the sovereignty of God, who walk with God in the covenant, who sense the reality of the antithesis, and who view their vocations as callings from the God who is sovereign over all. Soli Deo Gloria.
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