My biblical-integration-alert was triggered (in a good way) when watching the trailer for The Riot and the Dance. Take 80 seconds to watch it, and I am sure that you will see the connection as well.
We must remember that we teach the Artist through his art. The whole world truly does speak about Him, and it often speaks loudly. This is called general revelation.
Our job is to help our students make sense of the God’s world by clarifying it with his Word. The Bible is the way we confidently access God’s special revelation. While the world can be loud, the Word is clear. We are on a mission to help our students do more than see–we want them to understand and worship. We work to bring the volume and clarity together. And we must never let this aim slip from our minds.
Tragically, there are many places in the world where the Bible is more than unwelcome. There are places where God’s words are banned. For example, public execution was the consequence of distributing Bibles in North Korea. Christians cannot meet together there without fear. Our freedom to meet and teach from and toward the glory of God is wonderful gift, but its continuation is not guaranteed. We must not squander the advantages that many do not have.
God has given the Christian school in America three great gifts today: access to his own words, access to his wonderful world, and access to an environment conducive to teaching Christianly. It is in light of these gifts that we can see a second tragedy. That sad truth is that many are in the practice of neglecting one or more of these gifts. It is heartbreaking that there are regimes around the world that, out of passion, try to squelch the activities of Christian education. However, is it not also devastating that there are Christian schools in this nation that, out of passivity, do not carry out the mission of truly Christian education?
If you are a Christian educator, make the most of God’s good gifts to you. Let the Lord speak loudly (through the world) and clearly (through the Word) in your classroom.
