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The Church As an Educational Institution

by Steve Kozak
1/03/2007 / Education

The 21st century is faster, more diverse, with increasing needs, and decreasing attention spans. Children are getting more Ritalin, and less educated. The governments on all levels show a concerned effort in education and development of skills in children, however these efforts seemly go unmatched by popular mediums of entertainment. The pains of video games, R-rated movies, questionable television shows echo throughout much of the American evangelical culture, yet the question I ask is what is the local church doing to educate not only children in these aspects, but the parents as well. After all it is the parents who hold the key to access these various mediums of entertainment.

There is no doubt that television has supplied the American household with countless hours of entertainment, important news events in real time, and shows like Sesame Street have taught children good morals for many years. However, the overindulgence has created more harm than good. Television has begun to desensitize Americans to many of the very moral objections once held even as early as twenty years ago. Television is an unreality appliance that dominates our mentality. We then take this unreality mentality and impose it on the rest of the real world. The 90s hit Television show Friends features the character, Joey, whose life revolved around sexual activity with women. He prided himself of his pursuit of the one night stand. The reality of this world created by Friends is inherently false and unrealistic. It is my opinion, even in a post-modern, seemingly, anti-Christian ethic society, most people do not act in such a way. Yet these are the shows introducing ethics and morals to young people on a nightly basis. Culture either turns a blind eye or accepts it as the new norm.
According to the author, George Guilder, Televisions are becoming nearly omnipresent, imperialistically colonizing automobiles, airports, restaurants, classrooms, bars, daycare centers and computers. Televisions new dominance on modern culture in addition to handheld video game systems imitating real life violence, ipods, and cell phone connected to the internet, have given rise to new challenges for parents and the local church.

The question for most is where to draw the line between a biblical world view and actions that reflect a mindset focused on a post-modern, consumerism driven culture. Parents often utter the excuses of a deserving child. They do so, however without asking themselves, does their child actually deserve. A life rich and full of spiritual wealth given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, guarantees eternal life, however a life cluttered with material wealth and concerns of idolatry results in a mindset insufficient of worship of Christ. Answers to such complex cultural issues appear simple, fundamentally from the surface.

Televisions increased usage to about four to five hours a day has altered not only knowledge itself, but the ways of knowing. It is conceivable to believe that most Christian homes that own a television also own a Bible. Objections to sex, violence and other material of question is raised frequently in the Christian home, however, the content of television has seemly become immune to such objections and criticism. Scripture, on the other hand, tells a different story. test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NIV). The decreasing amount of time spent in Scripture and an increased amount spent in front of one of six different crime shows, is affecting the Christian world view. Time spent in front of the television as valued, cherished and longed for is forming the ways of knowing rather than informing the ways of knowing. The content of sexual immorality, homosexuality, and general inappropriate conduct illustrated on Friends becomes the way in which youth are informed of proper behavior, rather than the Apostle Pauls message to the Corinthian church. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor the drunkards nor the slanderers nor the swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NIV). This kind of behavior is representative of habitual behavior driving mentalities and sensibilities to bear the mark of that form of communication. Like it or not, this behavior becomes idolatry, destroying the lives of Christian adults and their children.

Certainly nowhere in the Bible is the phrase; being a Christian is easy. Or even something like it. Tough, uneasy and often unpopular choices must be made on a daily basis. Those choices, entertainment mediums, people to converse with, or even how to act in a busy grocery store must be compared to the highest of standards known to any Christian, the Bible. Every Christian should be asking questions regarding the teachings of Scripture in everyday life; after all it is indeed the handbook.

Conceivably, every local church has members that love Christ, give faithfully and cheerfully, volunteer and consider themselves to be a good person. Yet, I believe, many of those same people know little about the history and theology of the Christian faith. Imagine a teenager asking his father the problem with homosexuality. The answer is not in how much love for Christ the father has, or how much he volunteers. The answers are written inside Gods Word and that father needs to know where to go and how to explain it.

By no means am I suggesting that this is a simple task to accomplish nor am I contending that every answer to every question is clearly stated in Scripture. The difficulty in this lies in understanding. While inspired Scripture is discernable for both scholar and lay person alike, those not formally educated should posses a support system of education for clear, concise, and correct interpretation of Gods Word. This is the duty of the local church.

In Pauls letter to Timothy he describes the church as the pillar and support of truth (1 Timothy 3:15 NIV). Edification of the saints should be the primary responsibility of its leaders to properly prepare for ministry. Churches must break from ways that do not work, cling to the ones that do and most importantly, find new ideas that train the saints to do the work of Christ. I believe that if Christians were to posses a much greater understanding of the why behind the what, conversations about Christ would get bolder, proclamations to friends and family would get louder, and faith would become deeper rooted in Christ. When it comes to things of faith, someone elses doubt debilitates our own faith and drives the once zealous evangelistic mode in reverse. Most Christians sense deep in their hearts that they know far too little about faith and are embarrassed about it.

Once a comfort level is established great enough for Christians to enter the world and speak of Christs death and resurrection, imagine the greater ease to speak to children, especially our own. Knowledge creates desire and desire fuels excitement. Thats what Christians need to be, excited. Excited to have Christ and excited to share Christ.

J.P. Moreland, in his book; Love Your God With all Your Mind, The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul, describes the church as a war college mobilizing and training an army of men and women to occupy territory and advance the kingdom until the king returns. The war we are in is one for hearts and minds and the destinies of people all around us. He also writes that the church must see herself as an educational institution, and the development of the Christian mind will be at the forefront of the churchs ministry strategy of equipping the saints.

For Further Study

Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of
Postmodernism. Downers Grove, Intervarsity Press.

Lindsley, Art. C.S. Lewis Case for Christ: Insights From Reason, Imagination and
Faith. Intervarsity Press, 2005.

Moreland, J.P. Love God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in The Life of The
Soul. Nav. Press, 1997.

Moreland, J.P. and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian
Worldview. Intervarsity Press, 2002.

Piper, John. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry.
Nashville, Broadman & Holman, 2002.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalists Personal Investigation of the Evidence
of Jesus. Zondervan, 1998.

On the front lines of battle, I have entrenched myself. I stand for Christ, shouting praises, giving thanks and enduring all suffering only to reside with our God for eternity.

For more please visit www.dailykozak.blogspot.com

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