One of the most exciting parts of being a teacher can be seeing how your subject/content-area is a part of the discipleship process. Here are three ways that you can go about starting to think through your class. NOTE: These can be especially helpful if you think through these issues with your course descriptions, unit goals, or essential questions in hand.
The Worldview Question Approach
Some (like John Frame, James Sire, Martha MacCullough, and many others) employ worldview questions to organize thinking. A very basic version of this is:
Origin – Where do we come from?
Meaning – Why are we here?
Morality – What’s right and what’s wrong?
Destiny – Where are we going?
Biblical integration can be accomplished by asking, “How does my course relate to these questions? Does it answer them? Does it help me understand any of them better? How so?”
The Perspectives Approach
John Frame advocates a way of looking at issues from three points of view based on God’s authority (the normative perspective), his control (situational perspective), and presence (existential perspective).
Authority – What does God (especially through his Word) say about this topic or how we should handle it?
Control – How does God demonstrate his power over, in, and through this topic?
Presence – What does it mean for us to live our lives in his presence regarding this topic?
The Stewardship Approach
In Genesis 1:28, God’s Word speaks of subduing and filling the earth. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus calls his followers to make disciples. The big question here is simple:
How does my course content help students be better at ordering the world and making disciples? What skills can they learn here to be more equipped for a faithful life?
These are just three options, but they can be a great place to start!
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