In my post of a couple of days ago I explained what the "silo syndrome" is and how it is affecting Christianity in the 21st century. At the close of the post I mentioned the one most important distinction of Christian education is Biblical integration. I want to follow up by explaining, for those unfamiliar with the term, what Biblical integration is and why it is the single most important distinctive of Christian education.
Christian education has its roots at least as far back as the colonial period of American history. This is something revisionist historians have tried to hide from students of American history. The earliest schools in America used the Bible as primary textbook to teach reading, spelling and philosophy as well as character traits. In the earliest period of American history, scriptural principles were taught in all schools in the young nation. A study of the roots and progress of public education will reveal until the turbulent 60's there was still an element of concession to religious freedom within the public schools. The Bible could still be read, teachers could have or permit prayer to be said in class and the ten commandments could often be seen in school hallways and classrooms. But the tide had already started to turn and today all of those things are either restricted or illegal in America's public school system. Private non-sectarian schools have existed since the founding of America and while many of them did and still do maintain a strict code of conduct, uniform dress codes and an emphasis on character and integrity, their academic programs are usually devoid of any open connection to Scripture in faculty or curriculum.
This is where Christian education is and must always be distinctive. Christian schools aren't the only academic institutions that have conduct codes, dress codes and character training, but ONLY Christian education connects all the dots with the implementation of Biblical integration.
What IS Biblical integration? Let me start by telling you what it is NOT.
--It is NOT including a Bible verse at the top of a worksheet.
--It is NOT praying before the start of class.
--It is NOT reading a Bible verse about fish while teaching a lesson on fish in biology.
--It is NOT having class devotions everyday.
--It is NOT pulling out Bible verses on dress codes or honesty or hard work to support what we require in our classrooms.
--It is NOT using a Bible verse to teach sentence diagramming in English class.
Simply stated, Biblical integration is taking a lesson objective and/or lesson outline, and teaching it from a Christian perspective. It is not just a lesson or objective devoid of God, his character, nature, or creation, nor is it solely about God, his character, nature or creation. It is a melding of the two. It is understanding the objective or lesson from the Christian point-of-view.
Biblical integration is not something that just happens at the end of a lesson. Students should be encouraged to think Biblically all throughout the lesson. Remember, seeing something from God’s perspective is not a separate task, unless that is the lesson objective. For instance, students may compare and contrast how Christians understand a lesson in comparison with how a pantheist or naturalist might see it. Sometimes when the integration happens last, students tune out, figuring it won’t be on the test or that the integration is just an add-on. The goal of good integration is for students to view a subject the way God does, and to see how this understanding impacts them personally as well as society at large.
The goal of Biblical integration is to help students to think biblically and critically about every subject. Further, the goal is for students to think biblically and critically about every aspect of their lives. Ideally, students should seek to see each subject the way God sees it. When students truly understand something from a biblical perspective, they should gain a greater understanding of the character or nature of God, or have a greater understanding of how God designed things to be.
Biblical integration is seeing how any topic or subject reveals the character or nature of God, mankind, creation, moral order, and purpose. It is single most important distinctive about Christian education because only through Biblical integration can we, as educators, equip our students with the critical thinking skills and Christian worldview to enable them to stand against the attacks of Satan in the day to day challenges of life beyond their days as a Christian school student.
Grace and peace to you all.
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