Faith and Learning

Brett McInnis
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

The secular education system in America has done away with teaching biblical courses and has prohibited teachers from using religiously indoctrinated material. From the studies of Cardinal Newman, The Idea of a University, he proves that all education is religiously indoctrinated. While secular education wants you to believe that what they teach is neutral, Newman argues that it is impossible for education to be neutral. For instance, by not teaching students about God and assuming he doesn’t exist, it imposes another form of theology known as atheism. The education system’s claim to make education neutral is a contradictory assertion by nature. They themselves cannot live up to it because secular education teaches from a religious perspective. Therefore faith and learning cannot be separated. This integration is why it is extremely important to teach from a biblical perspective.
True education brings us into the knowledge and fear of the Lord and because there is no separation between education and faith, many are taught by a false standard. When we teach from the principle, that there is no God, education loses its purpose. Dictionary.com defines education as, “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.” We want to be made ready for mature life. Christ claims, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” If we want to see students utilized to their fullest, it is vital that we teach from the Christian perspective, which is that God is the giver of all life and that knowledge begins and ends with Him. This prepares us to be made more human and in the likeness of God. While secular education only offers external motivation for acquiring knowledge, Christian education transforms us from the inside out because of its purpose driven by truth, life, and God. We are created to be more, for it is Christ in us the hope of glory who transforms and changes our lives and the lives around us. Secular education compromises with weakness and settles for a life of mediocrity and self-service. When our only concern is about vocation or gaining knowledge for self interests, it defeats the very purpose of knowledge. Knowledge is about knowing God and having the ability to share Him with others. John 17:3 says that eternal life is to know the Father and the Son whom he sent. If this aspect of education has been stripped from us then we are living a life with no meaning and the knowledge we have attained is useless. We are living immature lives. I encourage you to dig deep in your course materials for the glory of God because all knowledge stems back to the creator. Let us become the educated beings we were created to be and break the molds of modern education that teach atheism.