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The Use of the Bible in Home

Education
Michael Goheen
Burnaby, B.C.

Three Roles of Bible in Home


Education
Worldview context
Devotional book
Academic subject

Worldview: The basic religious


beliefs embedded in a shared
story, which integrate and shape
the whole of our individual and
communal lives.

A worldview will . . .
Shape every part of family life including
education
Provide the bigger context for the
educational task
Shape purpose of education, curriculum,
pedagogy, disciplines, etc.

The Bible . . .
. . . must shape every subject.

The place of the Bible in our task of


studying the creation is not to give
answers, but to guide us in our search for
answers, to be the light by whose
illumination we find answers in the
creation itself.
-Stuart Fowler

Two Dangers
Dualism: Scriptural authority is reduced to
spiritual or theological or religious or
moral issues
Biblicism: Seeks data for sciences in
Scripture

Authority of Scripture for Academic


Disciplines
Shapes worldview

Gives relevant themes and norms

Themes and norms that give more


specific direction
Natural sciences: world as cosmos;
ordering word of God
Political sciences: sovereignty of God;
God-given authority of government;
justice; liberty; peace
Sociology: norms for family, marriage

Themes and norms (contd)


Psychology: humankind as image of God
fundamental unity of humankind
as religious being
History: kingdom of God; human origin,
purpose, destiny; cultural mandate;
antithesis
Economics: justice, stewardship
ownership, work

Bible as Devotional Book


Pressure of immediate gratification
Empowered for task

Spiritual battle in educational task


Power of sin
Sin: a seductive power, a damning power,
an active dynamic and destructive force
Sin is a power that seeks to rule and ruin
everyone and everything. (Berkouwer)

Power of the gospel


Rom.1.16; 1 Cor.1.18

Bible as Devotional Book


Pressure of immediate gratification
Empowered for task
Need to refocus confessional eyesight

Role of chapel or devotions


(or family worship?)
To provide an opportunity for the
educational community to gather together
as an academic body to refocus their
confessional vision in worship of Jesus
Christ and his kingdom as the goal,
source, and standard of their academic
work.

The primary purpose of chapel is to


nourish the faith life and refocus the
confessional vision of the educational
community. The kingdom of God is the
ultimate horizon and context in which we
carry out our academic work. We do not
automatically pursue that kingdom in our
work; it is vision that needs to be
nourished.

The context of this worship is an academic


community. That determines will
determine the worship experience of the
educational community. Chapel worship is
to deepen our common commitment to
carry out our academic calling in the light
of the gospel.

Such listening together to Gods Word, singing,


praying, and unitedly confessing [our] faith
should take on an academic form as a liturgy for
learning. These convocations should not be
regarded as spiritual mountain-top retreats
from the mundane realities of the classroom, but
as a communal rallying-point, summoning
students and teachers together to renewed
dedication to the eye-opening experience for
returning to readin, writing, rithmetic with
renewed vision. It is a time for putting on the
spectacles of Scripture anew so that in its light
we may see more clearly in every branch of
learning. (Gordon Spykman)

The Bible as Academic Subject:


Two Misunderstandings
Biblical studies is automatically
Christian
Bible is easier to teach than other
subjects

Bible as Academic Subject


Theological reflection: What is the Bible?
Hermeneutical reflection: How do we
interpret the Bible?
Pedagogical reflection: How do we teach
the Bible?

Theological Reflection: What is the


Bible?
Divinely authoritative message in
human words
Redemptive intent

The Bible is the Word of God,


record and tool of his redeeming work.
It is the Word of Truth,
fully reliable in leading us
to know God and have life
in Jesus Christ
(Our World Belongs to God)

Record: Narrates, recites Gods


redemptive work and response of his
people.
Tool: Incorporates us into that
redemption; nourishes salvation; gives us
guidance in living out redemption.

Historical narrative narrates the history of


redemption and calls for response:
revelation and invitation
Poetry nourishes our covenant faithfulness
Wisdom and law guide us in our covenant
walk
Gospels witness to Jesus and call for faith
Epistles open up significance of gospel for
life

Theological Reflection: What is the


Bible?
Divinely authoritative message in human
words
Redemptive intent
Christological key

Hermeneutical Reflection: How Do


We Interpret the Bible?
Theological context
Literary context
Historical context

Skeleton of the Bible: Historical


Books
Tell one story of Gods redemptive acts in
history

. . . the Bible provides us with an


overarching narrative in which all
other narratives of the world are
nested. The Bible is the story of
God. The story of the world is first
and foremost the story of Gods
activity in creating, sustaining, and
redeeming the world to fulfill Gods
purposes for it (Gerkin).

Bible as One Story


Act One: God Establishes His Kingdom: Creation
Act Two: Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall
Act Three: The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated
Scene One: A People for the King
Scene Two: A Land for the People
Interlude: A Kingdom Story Waiting for an
Ending: The Intertestamental Period
Act Four: The Coming of the King: Redemption
Accomplished
Act Five: Spreading the News of the King: The Churchs
Mission
Scene One: From Jerusalem to Rome
Scene Two: To the Ends of the Earth
Act Six: The Return of the King: Redemption Completed

Danger!
Breaking up the Bible into little bitsmoral, sermon,
theological, historical-critical, devotional
If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in
danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is
shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our
lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant
cultural story of the secular Western world. If as
believers we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to
become the foundation of our thought and action, then
our lives will manifest no the truths of Scripture, but the
lies of an idolatrous culture. Hence, the unity of
Scripture is no minor matter: a fragmented Bible may
actually produce theologically orthodox, morally upright,
warmly pious idol worshippers! (Drama of Scripture, 12)

Skeleton of the Bible: Historical


Books
Tell one story of Gods redemptive acts in
history
Ultimate context for other books
. . . the Bible is essentially narrative in
form. . . . It contains, indeed, much else:
prayer, poetry, legislation, ethical teaching,
and so on. But essentially it is a story.
(Newbigin)

Story of Gods Mission


The Bible renders to us the story of Gods
mission through Gods people in their
engagement with Gods world for the sake
of the whole of Gods creation. (Chris
Wright)

Story of mission
Gods mission: Long term purpose to restore the
whole creation and all of human life
Israels mission: Embody Gods original
creational purposes for the sake of the world
Jesus mission: Reveal and accomplish Gods
final redemptive purpose for the creation
Churchs mission: Continue Jesus mission to
make known the kingdom of God to the ends of
the earth in life, word and deed

Redemptive-History Narrated from


Four Standpoints

Mosaic (Genesis-Numbers)
Exilic (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings)
Post-exilic (Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles)
Post-resurrection (New Testament)

Authors:
Select (e.g., Jericho and Ai)
Arrange (e.g., David and Saul)
Interpret (e.g., Why cant Israel take the
land?)
Emphasize (e.g., Omri and Ahab)

Literary Context
Literary structure
Literary genre

Understanding genre . . .
. . . will provide a reading strategy

Historical Context
What is the intent of the author?
How would the original audience
understand the text?
What is the historical-cultural context?
How is my historical-cultural context
shaping my interpretation?

Pedagogical Reflection
What can children handle at what age?
Story telling
Visual enforcement

Percentage of Content We
Remember

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