Education for God's Glory (eBook)

Chapter V

Integration of God’s Kingdom into Schools

The Word of God says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17, NIV). The Kingdom of God and the earthly kingdoms operate on different value systems. In the earthly realm, education is viewed as a tool to develop thoughts and ideas and find truth in an individual’s life. Rushdoony writes, “Education is the self-realization and self-development of the child,”1 which develops good earthly citizens. Kingdom education, on the other hand, focuses on God as the source of truth, freedom, and knowledge (John 14:6; Psalms 146:7; Numbers 24:16), and develops Heavenly citizens who bring God’s Kingdom on earth (Philippians 3:20). Therefore, Christian educators should teach God’s children from the perspective of His Kingdom and according to His values, which will significantly benefit their earthly life.

Follow Jesus. Through His only begotten Son, Jesus, God calls every believer to a life-long journey of continued greatness. Hauerwas & Willimon beautifully state, “With a simple ‘Follow me,’ Jesus invited ordinary people to come out and be part of an adventure, a journey that kept surprising them at every turn in the road.”2 Therefore, God’s Kingdom on earth is full of “People on the move, like Jesus’s first disciples, breathlessly trying to keep up with Jesus.”3

Operate in Love. In God’s Kingdom, everything is built on love (1 Corinthians 13; Matthew 27:45-53). William Cox writes, “Love is God in action and is the most powerful force in the universe.”4 In addition, love is the highest currency in the Heavenly Kingdom and precious in any earthly country. The administration and staff of a Kingdom school should be faithful, loving followers of Christ who inspire students to be the same.

Pre-eminence. Based on Galatians 2:20, Vallotton & Johnson said, “We have been anointed as kings and priests [on earth], we have been commanded to disciple nations, and we have been equipped with the wisdom, power, and authority of God Himself.”5 Jesus desires for His disciples to bring the fullness of the Father’s Kingdom to earth.

In right standing with God, believers can value others. Vallotton & Johnson state, “When we carry honor in our hearts for others, our value grows in their eyes, and we gain a place of influence with them.”6 Going deeper, they write, “Honor is the cornerstone of an empowering culture that eliminates the need for control.”7 Therefore, God’s love and honor of people should be the foundation for every level of all Kingdom schools’ operations. 

A Mind Shift through Relationships. God is the King, the Lord, and the ruler of all, but He is also the Father, and He desires to have an intimate relationship with each of His children (Isaiah 41:13; Matthew 23:37; John 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:9). The relationships with the living God will lead to a positive mind shift. “All that is needed is a slight change of mind, an inner change of heart, a few new insights”8. In line with this, Munroe recommends, “Turn your thoughts over to the Creator who made you. Let Him reorient your thinking.”9

Integration of Kingdom Values into a School Setting

God’s Kingdom is everlasting and, “In His perfect time, God will replace all earthly kingdoms with a new heaven and new earth occupied only by His own (2 Peter 3).”10 Therefore, God and His Kingdom should be the ultimate focus of all subjects and activities at Kingdom schools. Cox continues, “Kingdom schools are envisioned as centers of worship where learning occurs; its graduates are treasure chests of God’s endowments.”11

The purpose of a Kingdom school should be to promote God with all of His characteristics, advance His Kingdom on earth, and make disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). “The word disciple means ‘learner’. The very nature of a disciple is that they need someone to teach them.”12 Therefore, Kingdom educators are entrusted with a great privilege and high responsibility to prepare followers of Jesus. “A major role of Christian educators is to model for the students how to travel along the Kingdom Road.”13 The whole school should operate in the atmosphere of love, grace, and forgiveness and raise citizens of Heaven. Always remember that God is not only a Creator of all, He also, “Is the expert on the students . . . and has thousands of years of experience in working with people!”14

Let’s look at a few examples of how God can be the center of some school areas and individual subjects.

Fundamental Document

Christian education carries the name of Christ; therefore, the Word of God should be a fundamental document for its operation. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3). In the earthly kingdom, governing documents may be subject to change by people in power, but in God’s Kingdom, the Bible is the unchanging law of God. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28). King David proclaims, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalms 40:8).

The Bible is the best foundation for any teaching material, and should be included in evaluating curriculum (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). The Word of God has power (Hebrews 4:12), heals (Psalms 103:3-4), reveals great things of God (Psalms 78:2-4), encourages (Philippians 3:13), and is a weapon for spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:17). The Holy Spirit always acts according to the law of God. “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33).

History 

The Triune God existed before humanity. The story of humanity was written by God, and it involves relationships with Him. True history cannot exist without Him. God continually holds all history in His holy hands. “From the Biblical perspective, God is the determiner of history.”15 Kingdom educators can help students see how God revealed Himself to others in the past, worked with them, built relationships, addressed issues, and helped preserve His laws and values. From history, students can learn how the spiritual and physical realms interact with each other and see, in actions, various characteristics and attributes of God shown toward people, such as love, compassion, mercy, justice, and power.

History reveals God’s heart to humanity. Giving an early church example, Jones writes, “To draw first-century Romans to trust in Jesus, God used their longings for moral guidance, for personal value, and for personal relationship with the divine.”16 History helps us understand the present, “God’s people must learn to view God’s present activities in the light of God’s past revelation of himself in the pages of Holy Scripture.”17

God and His Word are the foundation for teaching history at Kingdom schools. “Christian historiography rests on the concept of absolute truth, a personal truth, Jesus Christ.”18 He continues by saying, “The Bible gives not merely a chronology of history, but the meaning, purpose, and direction of history . . . It cannot be understood apart from Him and His Word.”19

Mathematics

Brewer says, “There is power in God’s Word and numbers are a valuable part of His incredible lingo. You cannot separate His Word from numerical symbol. God is a God of perfect order. When He uses numbers to speak, there is incredible power in it.”20

Poythress points out, “The Christian metaphysics of mathematics is founded in the being of the triune God.”21 As proof of God’s headship in all areas of mathematics, the Bible says, “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Psalms 147:4). “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Therefore, mathematics at Kingdom schools should be grounded in the Bible and taught from God’s perspective to expand the greatness of God in students’ hearts.

Science

The Bible lays the foundation for science, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, . . . All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). From the invisible realm, which the human eye cannot perceive, God made the visible world for us to dwell in (Hebrews 11:3). “The whole of the physical universe, inclusive of ‘mind’ and ‘matter,’ is created being, the handiwork of the sovereign God, who is uncreated being.”22

In addition to the above, “No truth nor any fact exists apart from the triune God. We cannot omit theology from the teaching of any science.”23 Science should be based...