I appreciate this Podcast, as someone who didn't go to Adventist school, but certainly love the church it's great to hear from an educator in that field. Spiritually is Caught Religiosity is Taught I will ponder.
Adventist ed is a significant investment for great reasons. I only wish there would be something better could be done for church Sabbath schools. Programs like that could also benefit from some value genesis and a bit more investment.
From the book Pagan Christianity on contemporary Christian education, “The Greek philosophers Plato and Socrates taught that knowledge is virtue. Good depends on the extent of one's knowledge. Hence, the teaching of knowledge is the teaching of virtue." Herein lies the root and stem of contemporary Christian education. It is built on the Platonic idea that knowledge is the equivalent of moral character. Therein lies the great flaw. Plato and Aristotle (both disciples of Socrates) are the fathers of contemporary Christian education." To use a biblical metaphor, college, is serving food from the wrong tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than the tree of life. Contemporary theological learning is essentially cerebral. It can be called "liquid pedagogy."'" We pry open people's heads, pour in a cup or two of information, and close them up again. They have the information, so we mistakenly conclude the job is complete. Contemporary theological teaching is data-transfer education. It moves from notebook to notebook. In the process, our theology rarely gets below the neck. If a student accurately parrots the ideas of his professor, he is awarded a degree. And that means a lot in a day when many Christians obsess over (and sometimes deify) theological degrees in their analysis of who is qualified to minister. Theological knowledge, however, does not prepare a person for ministry.'" This does not mean that the knowledge of the world, church history, theology, philosophy, and the Scriptures is without value. Such knowledge can be very useful. But it is not central. Theological competence and a high-voltage intellect alone do not qualify a person to serve in God's house. The fallacy is that men and women who have matriculated from seminary or Bible college are instantly viewed as "qualified." Those who have not are viewed as "unqualified." By this standard, many of the Lord's choicest vessels would have failed the test.'" Pagan Christianity, pg. 251-252.
I think it's sad that we still list these things that make Adventists distinctive. The jews had the Sabbath, a health message, a sanctuary message, and so on. What they didn't have was an understanding of the greater extent of the controversy or understand that God is actually love. His law is love, it is how the entirety of creation is to function. The majority of Christianity is still chained to a romanised pagan understanding of who God is. However, He is waking 5 virgins up to trim their lamps.
This is interesting, of those 5 distinctives not one is biblically necessarily true and some are clearly false. 1. investigative judgment (sacturary) not true, not demonstratable from the Bible, not even relative to anyone on earth. 2 Remnant, no biblical evidence that it is a reference to a denomination at all. 3 Ellen White as Spirit of Prophecy, completely non biblical the Bible phrase is a reference to the Holy Spirit. 4. State of the Dead, The Bible is mixed on that one. 5. The Sabbath, again mixed. certainly what day one assembles together is not worship, it is community, regardless of day. 1 day out of 7 the days you rest is a sabbath rest, does not matter which day you rest on, So if that is the purpose of SDA education it is simply propaganda for a denomination, which does not seem that valuable.
I appreciate this Podcast, as someone who didn't go to Adventist school, but certainly love the church it's great to hear from an educator in that field.
Spiritually is Caught
Religiosity is Taught
I will ponder.
Adventist ed is a significant investment for great reasons. I only wish there would be something better could be done for church Sabbath schools. Programs like that could also benefit from some value genesis and a bit more investment.
From the book Pagan Christianity on contemporary Christian education, “The Greek philosophers Plato and Socrates taught that knowledge is
virtue. Good depends on the extent of one's knowledge. Hence, the
teaching of knowledge is the teaching of virtue."
Herein lies the root and stem of contemporary Christian education. It is built on the Platonic idea that knowledge is the equivalent
of moral character. Therein lies the great flaw.
Plato and Aristotle (both disciples of Socrates) are the fathers
of contemporary Christian education." To use a biblical metaphor, college, is serving food from the wrong tree: the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil rather than the tree of life.
Contemporary theological learning is essentially cerebral. It can
be called "liquid pedagogy."'" We pry open people's heads, pour in a
cup or two of information, and close them up again. They have the
information, so we mistakenly conclude the job is complete.
Contemporary theological teaching is data-transfer education.
It moves from notebook to notebook. In the process, our theology
rarely gets below the neck. If a student accurately parrots the ideas of
his professor, he is awarded a degree. And that means a lot in a day
when many Christians obsess over (and sometimes deify) theological
degrees in their analysis of who is qualified to minister. Theological knowledge, however, does not prepare a person
for ministry.'" This does not mean that the knowledge of the world,
church history, theology, philosophy, and the Scriptures is without
value. Such knowledge can be very useful. But it is not central.
Theological competence and a high-voltage intellect alone do not
qualify a person to serve in God's house.
The fallacy is that men and women who have matriculated from
seminary or Bible college are instantly viewed as "qualified." Those
who have not are viewed as "unqualified." By this standard, many of
the Lord's choicest vessels would have failed the test.'" Pagan Christianity, pg. 251-252.
I think it's sad that we still list these things that make Adventists distinctive. The jews had the Sabbath, a health message, a sanctuary message, and so on. What they didn't have was an understanding of the greater extent of the controversy or understand that God is actually love. His law is love, it is how the entirety of creation is to function. The majority of Christianity is still chained to a romanised pagan understanding of who God is. However, He is waking 5 virgins up to trim their lamps.
This is interesting, of those 5 distinctives not one is biblically necessarily true and some are clearly false. 1. investigative judgment (sacturary) not true, not demonstratable from the Bible, not even relative to anyone on earth. 2 Remnant, no biblical evidence that it is a reference to a denomination at all. 3 Ellen White as Spirit of Prophecy, completely non biblical the Bible phrase is a reference to the Holy Spirit. 4. State of the Dead, The Bible is mixed on that one. 5. The Sabbath, again mixed. certainly what day one assembles together is not worship, it is community, regardless of day. 1 day out of 7 the days you rest is a sabbath rest, does not matter which day you rest on, So if that is the purpose of SDA education it is simply propaganda for a denomination, which does not seem that valuable.