Unity in Education and

Redemption
Melissa Peart

Unity in Education and

Redemption

 Unity:
union,unification,
integration,amalgamation;
coalition,federation,
confederation
harmony,accord,concord,concurr
ence,cooperation,
collaboration,agreement,unanimi
ty, consensus, assent,
concert,togetherness,solidarity,li
ke-mindedness, peace, synthesis
oneness,singleness,wholeness,
entity,integrity, undividedness,
cohesion, coherence, congruity,

Education:
The process of receiving or
givingsystematicinstruction,
especially at a school
oruniversity
Thetheoryand practice
ofteaching
Information about
ortrainingin
aparticularsubject

 The action ofsavingor

beingsavedfromsin,error, orevil
The action
ofregainingorgainingpossessiono
f somethingin
exchangeforpayment, or
clearingadebt

Objectives
To promote and enhance the
awareness of Christian education as
a priority for now and eternity
To share Gods educational plan for
His people in the home, church,
school and the workplace through
redemption

The primary goal of Christian education is the

formation of a peculiar people a people who
desire the kingdom of God and thus undertake
their lifes expression of that desire.
James K. Smith

Adventist Education
True education means more than
thepursualof a
certaincourseofstudy. It means
more than apreparationfor
thelifethat now is. It has to do with
thewhole being, and with the
whole period oflifepossible to
man

In Education God Comes to Share

Power

Every human being,

created in the image of
God, is endowed with a
power akin to that of
the Creator-individuality, power to
think and to do. The
men in whom this power
is developed are the
men who bear
responsibilities, who are
leaders in enterprise,
and who influence
character. It is the work

"It is the work of true

education to develop this
power, to train
the
__YOUTH__ to be
___THINKERS, and not
mere ____REFLECTORS__ of
other men's THOUGHTS."
Education p 17

Such an education
provides more than
mental discipline; it
provides more than
physical training. It
strengthens the
character, so that
truth and uprightness
are not sacrificed to
selfish desire or
worldly ambition.
Education p 18

Agencies of Education
Home
The home is society's primary and most basic educational agency. Parents are
the first and most influential teachers and have the responsibility to reflect
God's character to their children. Moreover, the whole familial setting shapes
the values, attitudes, and worldview of the young. The church and the school,
along with society's other educational agencies, build on and supplement the
work of the home. It is imperative that the home, in turn, supports the
educational work of the school.
Local Church
The local church also has a major assignment in the lifelong educational
enterprise. The congregation as a community of faith provides an atmosphere
of acceptance and love in which it disciples those within its sphere of influence
in a personal faith in Jesus Christ and in a growing understanding of the Word of
God. This understanding includes both an intellectual aspect and a life of
conformity to God's will.
School, College, and University
All levels of Adventist schooling build on the foundation laid by the home and
church. The Christian teacher functions in the classroom as God's minister in
the plan of redemption. The greatest need of students is to accept Jesus Christ
as personal Savior and commit to a life of Christian values and service. The
formal and non-formal curricula help students reach their potential for spiritual,
mental, physical, social, and vocational development. Preparing students for a
life of service to their family, church, and the larger community is a primary aim
of the school.

Agencies of Education
(contd)
Workplace:
Todays workplace environment is influenced by
numerous forces- political systems, legislation and
trade policies, economics, technology, labour unions,
and professional organizations. These fulfil functions
ranging from industry regulation, practitioner
licensing, definition of work, employee advocacy and
representation, codification of best practices, and the
scrutiny of ethical conduct. The multiplicity of
organizations and functions defy generalizations.
The Seventh-day Adventist view of employer-employee
relationships is based on teachings and narratives in
the Bible, especially those dealing with creation, sin
and its effects on persons and communities, salvation
provided through Jesus Christ, and the ultimate
restoration of harmony and perfect order in the
universe. Scripture affirms and balances the value of
individuals with the importance and good of society as
a whole.

 Principles and Values

Human beings still carry the likeness of
God
Lordship of Jesus Christ permeates the
whole of life
Christian work ethic- "Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for men."
Workplace environment should be
characterized by an atmosphere of mutual
service and mutual respect
Workplace should not dehumanize people
Christians should refrain from violence,
coercion, or any method incompatible with
Christian ideals as instruments in the

 Employers should support and

demonstrate liberty of conscience, fair
wages and working conditions, equality
of opportunity, justice, and fairness for
all
Freedom to uphold and maintain basic
religious tenets and practices

What Type of Persons Will Our

Schools Produce?
Instead of educated
weaklings, institutions of
learning may send forth
men strong to think and to
act, men who are masters
and not slaves of
circumstances, men who
possess breadth of mind,
clearness of thought, and

Such an education provides more

than mental discipline; it provides
more than physical training. It
strengthens the character, so that
truth and uprightness are not
sacrificed to selfish desire or
worldly ambition. It fortifies the
mind against evil. Instead of some
master passion becoming a power
to destroy, every motive and
desire are brought into conformity
to the great principles of right.

Adventist Christian Education Prepares

Students For Two Joys
1. Service in this world
2. The higher Joy and wider service
in the world to come

Yet the race was not left without

hope. By infinite love and mercy the
plan of salvation had been devised,
and a life of probation was granted.
To restore in man the image of his
Maker, to bring him back to the
perfection in which he was created,
to promote the development of body,
mind, and soul, that the divine
purpose in his creation might be
realized--this was to be the work of
redemption. This is the object of
education, the great object of life.
Education 15,16

The great purpose of

education is the
restoration of man

The Basis of redemption becomes

the basis of education
Modern education is
based on the Darwinian
philosophy of survival of
the fittest.
Love, the basis of
creation and of
redemption, is the basis
of true education.

The law of love calls for the devotion of

body, mind, and soul to the service of
God and our fellow men. And this
service, while making us a blessing to
others, brings the greatest blessing to
ourselves. Unselfishness underlies all
true development. Through unselfish
service we receive the highest culture
of every faculty. More and more fully do
we become partakers of the divine
nature. We are fitted for heaven, for we
receive heaven into our hearts.
Education p. 16

To love Him, the infinite,

the omniscient One, with
the whole strength, and
mind, and heart, means
the highest development
of every power. It means
that in the whole being-the body, the mind, as
well as the soul--the
image of God is to be
restored.

CONCLUSION
In the highest sense the work of
education and the work of
redemption are one, for in education,
as in redemption, "other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ" (White, 1903).
"It was the good pleasure of the
Father that in Him should all the
fullness dwell" (1 Corinthians 3:11;
Colossians 1:19, KJV).

We are story-formed people. Our lives are

first shaped by narrative, not by
information. We dont learn how to live the
Christian life by memorizing facts, rules,
precepts, morals, imports, exports,
governments, and drains. Instead, from our
earliest moments we experience the stories
of those who have gone before us: stories
from the Old and New Testaments; stories
from the history of the Church throughout
the centuries; stories of our own families
and local congregations; stories that are
enacted each week in the drama we call
worship and in the everyday conversations
and practices of the home. . . . We begin to
see our lives as part of a pattern within the
larger story of redemption. We long to live a
life worthy of that story.
Sarah Arthur in Distinguishing Dragons: The Importance of Story in Faith
Formation,from Shaped by God, Robert J. Keeley, ed.; Faith Alive Christian