Implications Biblical Worldview in Education

Biblical integration presupposes, on the one hand, a corresponding connection between biblical principles, propositions and values, and on the other hand, with ideas, practices and educational content. Based on the biblical teaching that a person is not only a physical, but also a spiritual person, a Christian history teacher draws pupils' attention to how and to what extent spiritual and pseudo-spiritual ideas or quests (regardless of whether they are true, false or entangled) influenced the general course of history or any particular event like the French, American revolutions. The task of the Christian, not necessarily Orthodox, but also Catholic pedagogy is the disclosure of those gifts of God that can contribute to the disclosure of the image of God in man. The Christian approach to education consists in complementing education with spiritual, moral or religious components, it is the restoration of the perception of reality in its entirety - including the material and spiritual spheres.

Biblical Worldview

The biblical worldview and providential view of history prevailed in the position of the church and the Western world from the time of the Reformation to the 20th century. Western nations were committed to biblical truths to varying degrees, but at least they were on the right track. The founders of the United States, including non-Christians (such as Franklin and Jefferson), had a biblical worldview, while now people - and even many Christians - are dominated by secular and humanistic ideas. Much of the Western Christian world became secularized over the last generations. One of the main reasons for this is that these Christians have lost the biblical worldview. Their ignorance of the truth led to the rejection of Western culture from freedom, justice and prosperity (the fruits of the Gospel) to tyranny, oppression and poverty (the fruits of humanism and secularization). The education system has played a key role in this.

Christian Philosophy of Education

Modern schools neglect the formation of pious character and are not able to prepare students for the successful performance of their future duties. Most young people, after graduating from school, experience a lack of creativity and entrepreneurial skills, because the skills they acquired in the process of education cover for the most part knowledge absorption. A true education system should give people the skills of producers - those who are able to accept knowledge and creatively apply it in many new areas without any detailed instructions from the outside on what to do and how (Noddings, 2018, p. 100).

It is possible to note three components that are very essential for the Christian education system: The teacher who shows himself that he is the letter of Christ (2 Cor. 3: 3) is the most important link in the education system (Itin, 1999, p. 91). When you teach, you show more and convey to people what you are, than what you know. In order to be as effective as possible, a teacher (and we are all teachers to a certain extent, because we teach everyone with whom we have a relationship), should master his subject so much that it becomes a part of his life. Content: In the material we teach, the Bible should be central. Although the Bible does not contain all the formal facts from all areas of knowledge, it contains principles and reveals God's plan for each object. Method: besides the teacher and the content, the teaching method itself must also be Christian. We should contribute to the formation of a righteous character, as well as instill a love of knowledge and prepare people to own the land.

Implications for Educational Practice

To provide Christian education it is necessary that not only the motives of learning (philosophy) and its content (program) belong to Christ. The teaching method must also be Christian. Using humanistic methods or curricula and supplementing them with a few Bible quotes and prayers is not a way to teach Christians. The principled approach is based on the integrity of education, that is, the movement from the general to the particular. As an example, consider a subject such as history. Instead of studying individual historical events without any unifying factor, the biblical approach involves first a general, holistic view of history, and then a detailed examination of its individual fragments in close connection with the whole.

If a student understands this, then there is a standard for him, within the framework of which all the information he receives logically fits, which means that the process of studying is no longer for him simply memorizing facts. Scientific analysis has a very limited place and function. This principle should be one of the guiding principles in the development of an integral Christian education course by us. Such an understanding of the limitations and functions of scientific analysis frees us once and for all from the internal antinomies of the educational theory and practice of humanism.

A true biblical approach to education involves much more than studying various academic disciplines and trying to squeeze the Bible into them. The biblical principled approach to education reveals that the source and purpose of all knowledge is inextricably linked with God and His design for man. Every theory of education implies a certain anthropology. The Montessori or Dewey methods are also the fruits of certain religious statements that base education on a particular religious theory of human nature (Knight, 2006, p. 13). It would be difficult to show the truth of this statement separately from the rest. All discourse and discussion on education must begin with certain anthropological starting points. In particular, when we begin to develop a theory of education, we need a deep and thorough analysis of the specific assumptions on which it is based. To achieve this goal, we need to ask how the methods and goals of science and school relate to the life tasks of a person and what is the role of the school in preparing the child for the performance of his life calling. These purely practical questions are directly related to the more fundamental ones concerning the nature and purpose of man (Peterson, 2001, p. 50).

Conclusion

Conscience, religious ideals, political behavior, economic practice, moral values - all this is the result of interaction between the organism and the environment. Regardless of the social or cultural characteristics that a person may have, they are all secondary or acquired characteristics that serve a person to satisfy his basic needs. Biblical revelation about the meaning of human existence in this regard excludes any humanistic or abstract-idealistic view of education. Neither the creation of a qualified worker or a cultural person, nor the integration or social regulation of a person, nor the formation of an independent person or a responsible citizen, nor even an individual rebirth and the ideal of a pious and pious Christian can serve the ultimate goal for education. All such ideals of personality are mostly humanistic and are incompatible with biblical evidence regarding the religious nature of man.

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