This is a look at the third approach in this short series on integrating math (You can see the other two ways here: The Worldview Question Approach and The Perspectives Approach). There are certainly lots of other ways to think about biblical integration, but these are three good places to start.
The Stewardship Approach
Stewardship is about rightly spending what God has given us. The big question of this approach is simple:
How does my course content (math) help students be better at ordering the world and making disciples? What skills can they learn here (through math class) to be more equipped for a faithful life?
The two questions above can be fleshed out into many areas that can be regularly considered. Here are a few:
- Mission: What is the purpose of my life? God put me here for a specific amount of time at an exact moment in time. How should I spend the amount of life God gave me? Math helps me grasp that time is limited, that I am here to multiply the church, and that, if I have Christ, I have it all.
- Worship: What is so amazing about God? He is unlimited. He is beyond me. He is the starter and finisher. He put all the laws in place that govern math (and life in general).
- Leadership: How can I point others to the truth? Math illustrates that there is true and false, right and wrong. The same is true in life. I must share truth because people believe lies. We must confront falsehoods because they can break lives. When we break the Lawgiver’s laws, it leads to pain and problems. I need to be invested in solving problems — spiritual, physical, and other. Math can help me grasp the problems and solve them. Math is meant to help me love my neighbor.
- Transferable skills: What can I learn from working through math that will help me be more like Christ in my life? Humility, hard work, perseverance, wisdom to seek help.
These are just a few areas of stewardship. The list can go on and on. However, I hope that the above questions and ideas will point you in the right direction.