July 11, 09
Faith reflection:
Q1: How can Christian educators teach from the biblical perspective?
Q2: How can they differentiate educational truths from secular truths and teach them accordingly from the biblical perspective?
A few weeks ago, I had a chance to read Parker Palmer’s book (1998), The courage to reach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. In the light of my Christian educator background I accept most of what Palmer lays out in his book. However, his definition of truth is quite questionable. Palmer (1998) maintains that “…The less we talk about truth, the more likely that our knowing, teaching, and learning will be dominated by a traditional- and mythical-model of truth, the objectivist model so deeply embedded in our collective unconscious that to ignore it is to give it power” (p. 102). From the Christian perspective, what Palmer describes as truth by the special religious groups is mythical objectivism. He argues that such views act as a hindrance to embracing diversity, ambiguity, creativity, conflicts, honesty, and humility (pp. 97-111). In that light, Palmer believed that a subject in education has the potential to carry the truth (pp. 105-107). From the postmodernist perspective, what Palmer suggests and emphasizes in regards to the definition of truth can be understood by many educators and be applicable in their teaching and education related endeavors. Yet from a different light what Palmer suggested could be different from what the Christian view implies. Thus, my primary research interest lies in taking the views of many educators such as Palmer on educational truths and looking at them from the Christian perspective. How can what they claim to be true be made applicable to what Christian educators try to do in faith-based education? For me, the biggest challenge lies there.
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