Proverbs 22:6--Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
It's likely that you have read this verse before. So many Christians have looked at this verse over the ages and thought it a worthwhile one to pursue. And so, many programs have developed around the idea. Teach children about God, about the Bible, about their faith, and it should "stick".
In a sense, this kind of approach is a very "modern" approach. Now, when I use the word "modern", I don't mean a current, up to date approach. I mean an approach that is typical of the period of time that has been called "modern" in recent years. And the reason I suggest that this is a "modern" approach is because of the presumptions that go into the approach are ones that came to highlight the "modern" era.
So what are those presumptions? Well, one of them presumes that, if you fill a child's mind with good things, then good things should come out of the child. If we apply the proper knowledge and information to the child, then the child should come out right. And yet, every single one of us can likely name a child who went through a program like Sunday School, confirmation, or some other teaching of the Christian faith, and then failed to live up to the second part of the verse above. They departed from it. While their heads may have been filled with good things, the good that was hoped for did not emerge.
That's why I really like the first word of the verse. "Train." Training is not merely learning. Training involves far more than knowledge. Training aims to penetrate into the entire life. It involves what we know, as well as how we think, how we act, how we discipline ourselves, and how we actually live out what we think and believe. Training doesn't presume that, if you put good in, good will come out. Training presumes that you will have to actively work to bring that good to life.
One of the downsides of traditional "modern" education is that it focuses primarily on the knowledge component of learning. In recent years, the thought of actually getting out and experiencing what we learn has started to gain much traction. I'm actually very much in favor of such an approach. As we actively engage our world with the teachings of our Christian faith, we'll start to see how God's wisdom applies and works within the world. We'll see the obstacles that we have to learn to deal with, such as inherited sin, greed, selfishness, and alternative worldviews. And as we encounter those, we then come back together to share those experiences, see what God says about them, and learn and grow with one another.
Training. It means intentional work. When St. Paul says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have a suspicion that this is something of what he means. Not that we have to work to be right with God. God has done that completely through Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection. But as we see just how deeply that impacts every aspect of our lives, we recognize the need for training to live that faith out daily.
It's likely that you have read this verse before. So many Christians have looked at this verse over the ages and thought it a worthwhile one to pursue. And so, many programs have developed around the idea. Teach children about God, about the Bible, about their faith, and it should "stick".
In a sense, this kind of approach is a very "modern" approach. Now, when I use the word "modern", I don't mean a current, up to date approach. I mean an approach that is typical of the period of time that has been called "modern" in recent years. And the reason I suggest that this is a "modern" approach is because of the presumptions that go into the approach are ones that came to highlight the "modern" era.
So what are those presumptions? Well, one of them presumes that, if you fill a child's mind with good things, then good things should come out of the child. If we apply the proper knowledge and information to the child, then the child should come out right. And yet, every single one of us can likely name a child who went through a program like Sunday School, confirmation, or some other teaching of the Christian faith, and then failed to live up to the second part of the verse above. They departed from it. While their heads may have been filled with good things, the good that was hoped for did not emerge.
That's why I really like the first word of the verse. "Train." Training is not merely learning. Training involves far more than knowledge. Training aims to penetrate into the entire life. It involves what we know, as well as how we think, how we act, how we discipline ourselves, and how we actually live out what we think and believe. Training doesn't presume that, if you put good in, good will come out. Training presumes that you will have to actively work to bring that good to life.
One of the downsides of traditional "modern" education is that it focuses primarily on the knowledge component of learning. In recent years, the thought of actually getting out and experiencing what we learn has started to gain much traction. I'm actually very much in favor of such an approach. As we actively engage our world with the teachings of our Christian faith, we'll start to see how God's wisdom applies and works within the world. We'll see the obstacles that we have to learn to deal with, such as inherited sin, greed, selfishness, and alternative worldviews. And as we encounter those, we then come back together to share those experiences, see what God says about them, and learn and grow with one another.
Training. It means intentional work. When St. Paul says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have a suspicion that this is something of what he means. Not that we have to work to be right with God. God has done that completely through Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection. But as we see just how deeply that impacts every aspect of our lives, we recognize the need for training to live that faith out daily.
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