Worldview Integration and Spiritual Formation
Mauro Meister, DLitt
ACSI Country Coordinator, Brazil
The end then of Learning is to repair the ruins of our first
Parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that
knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him.
—John Milton, Of Education
We have all heard a great deal about worldview integration and how important it is to be very intentional in accomplishing this in our class planning. We have thus developed interesting methods and approaches that have truly helped our teachers do a good job when they are applying this integration. Our books and teaching materials come loaded with great ideas about how to make integration functional in our day-to-day tasks.
There is, however, more to biblical worldview integration than merely methods and approaches. When we are working with the living truth, we must live it in order to pass it on properly. Nowadays, I am teaching more teachers than young people, and the same principle applies for both: live according to your worldview. Since my classes are mostly in Bible-related subjects, integration is not very difficult for the subject matters, but making the connections for life is difficult.
What are some leads that may help us as we work with the spiritual formation of our students?
One thing I have learned is that as we point to the truth in the Bible and use it to confront common knowledge in our students’ minds, we should ask ourselves how we have come from point A to point B in our own thinking on that subject. Then we should evaluate how we have personally grown and benefited spiritually from that knowledge. In my educational journey, I have realized that academically I have acquired knowledge through fine-sounding but deceptive arguments (Colossians 2:4). The situation is not any different for my students. What happens so often is that young and old minds are taken “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8, NIV). And this captivity even happens to the minds of Christians! In our worldview integration and our spiritual growth, we have to take the confrontational step of tearing down false knowledge. When we do take this st ep, we must make it our job to assist our students to break through this barrier as well.
Our call is to pursue academic excellence. After all, if we fail to be excellent in academics, we fail as Christian school educators. But we must not forget that the weapons with which we fight are not the weapons of the world. The weapons we use, according to the apostle Paul, “have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Paul himself tells us what these strongholds are and that they must be destroyed: “arguments [sophistry] and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (10:5). Every class period contains a spiritual battle in the full sense of the expression. Knowledge and spiritual growth are not opposites. However, knowledge can easily become pretentious and become the door to spiritual downfall.
What is our final goal as we teach day in and day out? Again, we must benefit from Paul’s teaching in this same passage as “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (10:5). We are called to help our students by teaching them the truth that leads to freedom. We do that by uilding positive knowledge about the Creator and creation as well as by tearing down false knowledge that is raised up against the knowledge of God and His Son. To accomplish this purpose, we must be able to demonstrate to our students how this new and fresh knowledge from God’s Word will benefit their academic and spiritual formation. Paul himself clearly knew the importance of living his worldview, and he stated that importance very boldly: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), just as children follow the example of their parents (Philippians 3:17). Showing our students how we have grown spiritually and benefited from the knowledge of truth in our own lives may lead them to imitate Christ. In the end, this knowledge is to teach students how to love Him, to imitate Him, to be like Him.
Heart and Mind 12.3