Defining Education
It seems to me reasonable to start this discussion by defining education.
I will start with my own definitions.
education - the cultivation of wisdom and virtue
wisdom - the accumulation, understanding, and application of scientific, philosophic, moral, and theological knowledge
Christian Education - the cultivation of wisdom and virtue, nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty, so that, in Christ Jesus, the students are better able to fully glorify God
Classical Education - the cultivation of wisdom and virtue and the equipping of the students with the tools of learning by means of the Liberal Arts (the Trivium and the Quadrivium)
Christian Classical Education - The cultivation of wisdom and virtue, nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty, by means of the Liberal Arts (the Trivium and the Quadrivium), so that, in Christ Jesus, the students are equipped with the tools of learning and are better able to fully glorify God.
Webster's Dictionary
education - 1: the action or process of educating or being educated 2: a field of study dealing with methods of teaching and learning
educate - 1: to provide with schooling 2: to develop mentally and morally; also: to provide with information syn train, discipline, school, insruct, teach
virtue - 1: conformity to a standard of right: morality 2: a particular moral excellence 3: manly strength or courage: valor 4: a commendable quality: merit 5: active power to accomplish a given effect: potencty, efficacy 6: chastity, especially in a woman
wisdom - 1: accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: knowledge; also: insight 2: good sense: judgment 3: a wise attitude or course of action
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
I would argue that we can not even properly define wisdom if we do not have wisdom. These lexical definitions are good. But a lexical definition is only one way to define terms. In reality, there are many ways to define terms (examples, etymology, real life experiences, etc). Some people are not very good at defining terms with lexical definitions, but they have still have certain knowledge of some words and ideas due to their familiarity with the subject or thing. I am saying this because I think that the definitions of wisdom given above are a good starting point. However, as we grow in wisdom (and thus in appreciation of wisdom), I think that we will find that using words to describe wisdom can only be so effective. Language itself limits our ability to justly define wisdom. Yet, as we fear the Lord and thus obey his commands to seek wisdom, then wisdom will enter our hearts. Describing this to those that have no wisdom is a very difficult, nigh impossible, task. I would argue that this is the task of educators. We can not fulfill this task without God's grace working in us and through us and working in the student's heart as well. Both the student and the teacher need to fear the Lord in order for true, authentic education to happen.
posted by Dan at 2:56 PM
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