Why a Biblical worldview is critically important

Dan Beerens
Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he discusses why a Biblical worldview is critically important.

Ron Sider presents evidence in his disturbing book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?, that evangelicals without a Biblical worldview are not living any differently (or in some cases demonstrating worse behavior) than the average non-evangelical. However, all is not gloom and despair! In the last part of his book he presents a strong argument that evangelicals with a Biblical worldview demonstrate different behavior – deeply committed Christians demonstrate more Godly behavior and spend significantly more time living out their faith.  Read More...

How would you/your school develop a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?

As a result of getting a Christ-centered education, we want our students to love God with their minds. So, we want our students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. One way to do to this is by having our students experience a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum:
  • Guaranteed: All teachers at a given Christian school teach specified Bible content in each subject they teach.
  • Viable: All teachers have sufficient instructional time to teach the specified Bible content.
  • Biblical perspective: The specified Bible content is formatted as Biblical principles. Each Biblical principle is supported by at least 3 Bible passages.
  • Curriculum: The specified Bible content is documented in the curriculum.
To move forward on developing a Biblical perspective curriculum, you’ve reflected on 5 key questions:
  1. Regarding developing a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what are the opportunities/problems?
  2. What’s your stakeholders’ perspective of a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?
  3. Where are you/your school in terms of having a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?
  4. Regarding developing a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what’s your/your school’s level of motivation?
  5. To develop a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what do you/your school need to keep doing? start doing? stop doing?
Read More...

Use 9 questions to reflect on Biblical perspective in your course

Targeting Biblical perspective is vital. To get an idea of where you are in terms of targeting Biblical perspective, reflect on 9 questions:
  1. What kind of people do you want your students to be?
  2. What do you want your students to understand about God and His creation? 
  3. What’s your vision? 
  4. What do you target?
  5. Specifically, what do you want your students to connect?
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What’s your stakeholders’ perspective of a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?

Christian school communities are composed of stakeholder groups, including staff, parents, students, alumni, donors, and the board. These groups have a stake in students developing a Christ-centered worldview.
 
Question: What’s your stakeholders’ perspective of a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum? Read More...

Regarding a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what are the opportunities/problems?

Christian schools have a key opportunity to take fuller advantage of—to help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. One way to move forward on this is to develop a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum.

Question: Regarding a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what are the opportunities/problems? Read More...

Develop a Biblical perspective curriculum

As a result of Christian education, we want our students to love Jesus and live for Him. So, we help our students develop a Christ-centered worldview by:
  1. Modeling Christ-like behavior.
  2. Providing devotions, chapel, and Bible class.
  3. Giving opportunities for service.
  4. Helping students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
Read More...

Develop the big picture of your subject area

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Harold Klassen of Transforming Teachers emphasizes the importance of understanding a Biblical perspective of your subject area.

Making sense of any idea is always easier if you know where it fits in the big picture.
Knowing where the subject you teach fits in the big picture of God’s purposes and activities, can help you see the connections between your lesson content and God and His word. Helping your students see things from a Biblical perspective becomes an exciting possibility. Read More...

5 ways to help your students develop a Biblical perspective

Everyone has a perspective. On everything. On things like grasshoppers, gasoline prices, glaciers melting, and God. Everyone has way of looking at things. At things like chocolate, character qualities, carbon emissions, and Christ.
 
Every Christian school student has a perspective. And our role as Christian educators is to help each of our students develop a Biblical perspective. Read More...

Use 5 questions to connect philosophy and classroom practice

Kim 90X90
Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, uses 5 questions to reflect on connecting a Christian philosophy of education with classroom practice. Read More...

In Christian education, what’s success?

In terms of student learning at a Christian school, our stated definition of success is students applying a Biblical perspective to course content (not just learning the course content). However, our real definition of success is best seen in what we do, not what we say. Read More...

Target Biblical perspective

By targeting Biblical perspective, teachers can help student apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.

What's your mission?

You’re working at a Christian school, and it’s vital that you understand the answer to the following question: What’s your mission? To answer this question, first let me clarify what I mean by “mission.” Your school’s mission is your school’s purpose. Read More...

What happens at a Christ-centered school?

Shortest answer: The “4 Christ-centereds.” Short answer: At a Christ-centered school, students learn Christ-centered content for a Christ-centered purpose from Christ-centered people in a Christ-centered environment. Read More...

How committed are you to Biblical literacy and to Biblical perspective literacy?

I am committed to biblical literacy, and I am committed to biblical perspective literacy. I am committed to students understanding a biblical perspective of all subject areas and all course content—including key concepts/issues. Read More...

I want students at Christian schools to be proficient

Christian school students need to be proficient in understanding a biblical perspective of course content.

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