In the past several years, I've addressed the topic of education often on this blog, both in the context of the church and of higher education. Under the influence of people like James K. A. Smith and Steven Garber, I've long been convinced that education is not simply about downloading information in pursuit of qualification for a job or career, but is about the formation of the whole person. This is equally true of our approach to education in the church and in our schools. In terms of the former, one volume particularly worth mentioning is Gary Parrett and Steve Kang's excellent book, Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful.

I encountered this on a very practical level when I did my undergraduate studies at Redeemer University College, and remain so grateful for professors who understood and practised this. Much of their perspective finds its roots in the Neocalvinist tradition, where thinkers like Abraham Kuyper and Herman Dooyeweerd gave shape to an understanding of education that recognised the sovereignty of God over all of life, operated with a holistic and biblical concept of humanity, and that counters modernity by not letting consumerism drive education and act as its leading function. Occasionally, I find myself regretting my university years because I did not understand this well enough. I sometimes wish I could go through those four years again with the understanding I have now.

There is, of course, much to say on this topic, and I encourage you to read further on the matter. I was prompted to raise the topic again the other day when Bob Robinson posted this bit from Steven Garber's fantastic book, The Fabric of Faithfulness:

The shriveled visions of universities under the impact of modernity…seem more concerned to produce people who are technically competent but who have little interest in the whys and wherefores of the competencies.

Education must be oriented to preparation for a calling and not just training for a career. Walker Percy’s memorable metaphor captures the irony inherent in our individual and social expectations of the meaning of education when he writes of ‘the one who gets all A’s but flunks life.'

It is crucial for leaders in education to understand this as they engage in teaching and formation. They are not just facilitators to help students download information and pass tests. Students also need to stop thinking of education as just one step on the path to getting a good job, but recognise the role a good education plays in shaping their whole life.

Since this is my own blog, I'll plug the other posts I've written on the subject, which you can find grouped together under the education tag.