My Philosophy of Christian Education

Let my teaching fall like rain

and my words descend like dew, 

like showers on new grass,

like abundant rain on tender plants.

Dt. 32:2 

My philosophy of Christian education has been shaped by my personal experience in theological education as a student and from serving in Christian education professionally. Throughout these experiences, I have crafted a working definition of Christian education that I implement as my mission as an educator:

“Christian education is the process by which an institution informs and transforms its members for the glory of God and to bring His glory forth. It is when a “teacher” intentionally comes alongside a “student” (partnering with the family) to facilitate learning, in the head, the heart, and the will. This will become the foundation of further learning, ministry, other Christian leadership, and the spread of the Gospel of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission and display the Kingdom of God.” 

Sadly, the term “education” can sometimes conjure archetypal images of a 1920’s classroom with a boring instructor in the front of the class, droning on about Homer, while her uniformed students fall asleep on their wooden desks. In Christian education, our definitions and models cannot be reduced simply to passing along the important content and information. Christian education needs to be transformative. It is especially sad when Christian educators settle for a status quo vision of education instead of striving for the goals in the above definition. My goal as a Christian educator is to work towards constructing an educational process which is transformative, as well as informative, both for the teacher and student. 

As a Christian educator, I have the immensely important opportunity and privilege of being an example of faith for my students and to “come alongside” them to encourage transformation and growth through the process of the curriculum and extracurricular mentoring. The great model for this is, of course, the incarnation of Christ. When I as the educator walk alongside of the student, we share in life; in Christian community with Christ. Both parties therefore, are learners in Christ. My greatest goal as a Christian educator is to embody this image of both the teacher and student being active participants in the educational process. The pedagogical approaches that I tend towards in the classroom not only are extremely effective for educating but also excellently reflect these goals!

I seek to provide the best pedagogical practices, challenge my students with high expectations, and expect that they will rise to that challenge. I believe that student participation is instrumental in the learning process and is invaluable to students as they seek to deepen their level of understanding on the subject at hand. However, I believe that participation goes far beyond an attentive brain or occasional raised hand. Teaching unengaged students is the same as teaching an empty room. I hope to cultivate a freedom in the classroom that allows for an intellectual curiosity to find truth and understanding. It is my hope that by cultivating this intrinsic curiosity it will pervade the students’ academic experience with the curriculum in my classroom. 

I am fully committed to Christian education! As I have discerned God’s call on my life to be a Christian educator, and as a person who has seen and experienced the goals of Christian education in my own life, I desire to help others experience transforming education in the name of Jesus Christ. I endeavor to serve with the Christian educative community at large, as it works as an arm of God’s universal Church, to raise the next generation of transformed people to be Christian leaders, deep thinkers, love bringers, and world changers. I strive to use the content of the course, not simply to teach the content of the course, but rather, to lead students in the “Great Curriculum” of living life unto the Lord. I desire to become a co-participant with my students in the endeavor of learning; seeking to accomplish the above goals of Christian education; that by our inquiry, God would glorified, and that His glory would be brought forth through the spread of the Gospel of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission and to display the Kingdom of God!

Soli Deo Gloria! 
Peter T. Fitzroy 
February 26, 2018

Article Theology in the Fourth Gospel

The last chapter of the Fourth Gospel (excluding the redactional 21^st chapter) provides critical readers with a fine example of “prominence” in Greek grammar. The English word “the” is perhaps the most ubiquitous, rivaled only by “a.” But in Greek, this little article plays a role in the foundation of our understanding of the entire grammatical system.

The example here is the issue of prominence, meaning the character or subject which the author wants to bring to the foreground of the narrative. In John 20 for example, the author uses the article to establish prominence for the character of Jesus. The primary example of this is at the end of the chapter. When Jesus is present with his disciples, or is the person speaking, his name appears with the article, rendered literally as “the Jesus.” But when Jesus is not present in the narrative the author chooses not to employ the article. Another example of this can be found in verse 2. Speaking of Jesus in past time, the author does not include the article, as Jesus is not prominent at this point in the narrative.

The only exception to this rule serves as a window to view the author’s theology and literary prowess. In verse 15 when Jesus does speak, according to this idea, there should be an article with his name. However, at this point in the narrative, Mary’s eyes had not been opened to Jesus yet; from her perspective, he is still merely the gardener, and hence not a prominent character. Only after Mary realizes that the man is Jesus does the article appear again with his name when he speaks in verse 17. Let us marvel at the artistry by which the author has constructed his theology, that even the word “the” can serve to advance his theological ideas.