Since I was asked, here's an attempt to lay out some implications in one page. Comments? Feedback?
There are common values shared by higher education institutions which reflect the Judeo-Christian foundation of our culture. Some of these common values are honesty, respect, and fairness. Our college has an additional core of values because of its relation with the Presbyterian Church. Church - relatedness means that the college and the church share some of the same values.
The Presbyterian tradition is one of the Christian denominations arising out of the Reformed section of the Protestant division of the catholic (the word means “universal”) Christian church. The American Presbyterian family theology tree starts with ancient Israel through Jesus, Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, to John Calvin in Geneva, John Knox in Scotland, to the Puritans and Scotch-Irish in the colonies.
The Presbyterian tradition is one of the Christian denominations arising out of the Reformed section of the Protestant division of the catholic (the word means “universal”) Christian church. The American Presbyterian family theology tree starts with ancient Israel through Jesus, Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, to John Calvin in Geneva, John Knox in Scotland, to the Puritans and Scotch-Irish in the colonies.
The Reformed section includes The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (With which the college is officially related), four small off-shoot denominations,( The Presbyterian Church in America, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, The Reformed Presbyterian Church, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church) The Christian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and over 160 different denominations worldwide, most notably The Church of Scotland, the Huguenot Church, the Presbyterian Church of Korea, and the Presbyterian Church of the Congo.
Presbyterians have always valued education, and have emphasized that human beings are called to “love God with all our minds (Matt 22:37)” Higher Education in the U.S. has been significantly influenced by the Presbyterian / Reformed emphasis, both in the number of institutions founded or led by Presbyterians, and in the North American liberal arts tradition.
Presbyterians have always valued education, and have emphasized that human beings are called to “love God with all our minds (Matt 22:37)” Higher Education in the U.S. has been significantly influenced by the Presbyterian / Reformed emphasis, both in the number of institutions founded or led by Presbyterians, and in the North American liberal arts tradition.
In 1994, the PC(USA)’s General Assembly said that “to be [church] related or connected means…that the college attempts in its corporate life to be faithful to the Reformed heritage, its values, and its guiding beliefs. Among those values and beliefs are the sovereignty of God over all of life, the goodness of the created word, the value and limitations of reason, a commitment to the moral life, and a call to service.” On Being Faithful: The Continuing Mission of the Presbyterian Church in Higher Education, p.32)
Some principles of education from the Presbyterian Heritage
Some principles of education from the Presbyterian Heritage
The purpose of the college is beyond itself.
The purpose of education is for the transformation of individuals within a life-giving community. It is personal, but not private. We have responsibilities to one another.
Learning and teaching are not just occupations, but sacred callings.
The universe is orderly and rational. Outcomes can be anticipated.
We have been given minds to discover how the universe has been created and sustained.
All responsible study, no matter what the subject or implication, glorifies God.
Faith is not threatened by any advancement in human knowledge.
Diversity is expected and welcomed.
Learning is always accompanied by humility. No human has complete knowledge, so others may be able to provide additional information. This requires an openness and hospitality to diversity.
The thoughtful conscience of the individual trumps church doctrine or dogma.
There is a unity of knowledge (and faith), such that wisdom is integrated knowledge. There may be concentrations in a major, but they are disciplines within the wholeness of a broad and integrative whole.
Most of these principles would be affirmed by secular American educators, who would not know their source.
The Presbyterian understanding of education is not proselytizing, nor is it afraid of any legitimate investigation. Its understanding is that the Christian faith can confidently participate and contribute to the academic enterprise without any dilution of intellectual rigor.
The purpose of education is for the transformation of individuals within a life-giving community. It is personal, but not private. We have responsibilities to one another.
Learning and teaching are not just occupations, but sacred callings.
The universe is orderly and rational. Outcomes can be anticipated.
We have been given minds to discover how the universe has been created and sustained.
All responsible study, no matter what the subject or implication, glorifies God.
Faith is not threatened by any advancement in human knowledge.
Diversity is expected and welcomed.
Learning is always accompanied by humility. No human has complete knowledge, so others may be able to provide additional information. This requires an openness and hospitality to diversity.
The thoughtful conscience of the individual trumps church doctrine or dogma.
There is a unity of knowledge (and faith), such that wisdom is integrated knowledge. There may be concentrations in a major, but they are disciplines within the wholeness of a broad and integrative whole.
Most of these principles would be affirmed by secular American educators, who would not know their source.
The Presbyterian understanding of education is not proselytizing, nor is it afraid of any legitimate investigation. Its understanding is that the Christian faith can confidently participate and contribute to the academic enterprise without any dilution of intellectual rigor.
Mental activity is, at its heart, holy and worshipful. Since God is God of all, there is no field of inquiry which is inappropriate for intellectual investigation. The concept of academic freedom arose out of this conviction. Anyone who is responsibly engaged in the discovery of truth is worshiping God, whether or not she or he even realizes it or even believes in God.
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