The document discusses the foundations and history of Christian education from its earliest origins. It covers influences from Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, as well as contributions from Jewish traditions. The teachings and examples of Jesus formed the primary foundation. Christian education was then institutionalized in the early church through practices like preaching, teaching, and offering counsel. It discusses how Christian education has evolved over time.

1. FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN
EDUCATION

2. I. FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
A. Fundamental Ideal of Christian Education
B. Time-Frame of Christian Education
C. The Students of Christian Education
D. The Time Before Christ
E. The Time of Christ
F. The Time After the Ascension of Christ

3. II. CONTEMPORARY PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
A. The Rise of Religious Education: Liberal
Protestantism
B. Liberation Approaches
C. Feminist Religious Education

5. Imitation of Christ and assimilation to Christ
(Ephesians 4:21-24)
- Getting rid of one’s old self
- Heart and Mind must be made completely new
- Must put on the new self, which is created in God’s
likeness and reveals itself in the true life:
upright and holy
~Paul the Apostle

6. Faith development is a lifelong
process, thus,
religious education should Fowler, Stages of Faith
~James
continue
throughout life.
C. The Students of Christian Education
Adults and Children 
The canonical literature recounts education of adults.
This should serve as warning against narrowing the
concept of Christian Education to the education of
children.

7. Influences from the Greeks and Romans
1. From the Greeks
Greek philosopher Plato
(427-346 B.C.)
Educational ideal based on a philosophy of life
which Christians found to be in consonance with
Christian life and discipline
Ultimate aim of education: help individuals go
beyond opinions and beliefs to arrive at
knowledge that is certain and true
Method of education: students gather for dialogue
and pursuit of intellect – beauty, truth and
goodness

8.  Existence of a realm where pure forms of
goodness, justice, and love dwell
 greatest value to human life: ascent of the
soul
 Christian educators adopted Plato’s educational ideals
and theory
- Augustine conclusion: knowledge of the ultimate, the -
idea of the Good
- The method of education: begin with self-examination
 Contributions
a. Plato’s Academy b. Plato’s Republic

9. Greek philosopher Aristotle
(384-322 B.C.)
Writings were introduced to the west by Arab scholars
 Scholastic philosophers use many of the ideas from his
philosophy to expound the deeper meaning of Christian
teachings
 His metaphysics mapped out a basic approach and
language for understanding Christian truths and realities:
a. the existence b. the existence and c. the
and nature of nature of the sacramental
God human soul rites of the
 Ethical teachings: the value of habits and virtues in moral
church
education

10. Greek philosopher Isocrates
(436-338 B.C.)
Educational ideal:
speak well and think
right
Influential to Christian
Influential for stressing humanists
grammar, rhetoric, and Erasmus, Martin
oratory for reading and Luther, and Ignatius of
understanding of biblical Loyola
writings and effective
teaching of them to others Influential to the
(the heart of Christian Christian educators
education) Augustine and
Jerome

11. Stoicism Philosophy
Stoic educational ideal
a. teach people to live according to the laws of nature
b. submit to the divinely established order in the universe
Education ⇨ use of logic and reasoning
 Stoic ethics: emphasized  Emphasis on the
presence of the divine
in humans
duty
living the
rational life in  Stoic focus: human
will of accord with
God nature
kinship with the divine
and human
purification through
self-control

12. 2. From the Romans
Quintilian
(90 A.D.)
Education must produce
intelligent and ethical
Cicero persons and orators active
(43 B.C.) in public life; must be able
Goal of education: humanitas to discourse on any subject
⇨lifelong striving for erudition and take up leadership
and ethical character roles in the state
⇨Both Cicero and Quintilian Only the good person can be a
influenced the educational writings
good orator
of Augustine and Jerome in the early
church.

13. 3. From the Jewish Heritage
The greatest impact on Christian life and education came
from the Hebrew Writings
 Education: a socializing and nurturing agency
: a challenging and criticizing force
Writings Focus
The Torah Concerns of the community
The Prophets Concerns of the community
The Writings (Wisdom Teachings) Moral and ethical growth of the
individual

14. Writings Focus
The Torah Concerns of the community
The Prophets Concerns of the community
The Writings (Wisdom Teachings) Moral and ethical growth of the
individual
The Wisdom teacher is
Have a provisional a faithful product of
nature: always open to the tradition, not just
new experiences and repeating and trusting
insights. There will be and parroting old
new experiences, new judgments but making
insights. new judgment on the
basis of new data.

15. Three Modes of Education
1. 2. Preaching 3. Offering
Teaching of of the word of counsel
the Torah by of God by by the wise
the priests the prophets persons or
sages
Complete education of the community entails listening
to all three groups:
Priests Prophets Sages

16. 1. Jesus as the Teacher
Jesus is the
The ministry
Master and the Jesus instructed the 12 and larger groups, sent out
of Jesus’
Teacher: his disciples to teach others, taught individuals,
teaching: the
according to and taught groups
primary
his disciples
foundation
and to those
of Christian All that Jesus did was always accompanied with
who heard
education teaching and explanation
him.
Master and Teacher ⇨ used 50 Jesus showed (incident with Emmaus disciples):
times in John’s gospel he deeply cared for his students; teaching should
not be reduced to direct instruction – instruction
must relate to life experience and offered in an
interesting and challenging form.

17. 2. The Twelve Disciples and Other Learners
The gospel tradition makes clear: the disciples, the
students of Jesus were themselves to become
teachers and healers announcing the reign of God.
The ultimate proof of learning is that people will do
something. Once the disciples learned that the Lord
had broken bread and spoken to them, they felt
compelled to carry the message with others
Eventually, the twelve disciples became travelling
gospel teachers. (ref. Luke 9:1-6)

18. 1. Education in the Apostolic Church
Early apostolic church shaped
teaching in specific forms:
Important
dimension of Proclamation Kerygma
the growing
community Building up the Koinonia
community
Witnessing to their Marturion
faith in Jesus
Became Service for and with
institutionalized the needy of the Diakonia
into a ministry community
of the word
All four evolved in and from the worship
(LITURGIA) of the church

19. The early church also had its own particular teaching
or doctrine (DIDACHE)
Teaching and Action: Teaching: very important in the early
very much connected church
(Acts 4:32-35) (1 Cor. 14:1-4). Paul says, “Set your heart
on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of
People were drawn into proclaiming God’s message.”
the early Christian
communities because Christian education took place in
the group’s teachings homes, synagogues, and open spaces
were confirmed by a way with either informally organized small
of life that showed action groups or large audiences.
toward the needy

20. 2. The First Century Christianity“
First use of the expression: “Christian Education” was
Clement of Rome’s letter to the Corinthians, written about the
end of the first century.
“Let our children share in the education which is in Christ. Let them
learn
-the strength of humility before God
-the power of pure love before God
-how beautiful and great is God’s fear and how the fear of God
gives salvation to all who live holily in it with a pure mind.”
(Apostolic Fathers, 1952, pp. 47-49)
Speaks of the discipline and instruction of Christ providing a protective force for Christians.

21. The emergence of the CATECHUMENATE
2-3 year
RITUAL and A course of instruction which
probationary
FORM of included the following:
Christian a. A time of evangelization period
formation to b. A general introduction to
initiate the Christian faith Culminated
prospective c. A fuller explanation of on Easter day
converts to the salvation history from (formal acceptance
faith Creation to the Last into community)
Judgment
“The Education that God gives is the imparting of the truth that
will guide us correctly to the contemplation of God and a
description of holy deeds that endure forever.”
~Clement of Rome

22. Contribution of the early church to Christian
Education
Education
Education for
as a
community
proclamation
building
of a message
Education in
Education service to the
Education
as a prophetic material and
as moral
witnessing to spiritual
instruction
the truth needs of the
community

24. Christians were not just to be absorbed with the salvation of
individuals but also were to struggle for a more just world.
Religious Educational approach To raise learners’
education as a aligns and couples the consciousness of
means to social experiences of social injustices
achieve social learners and social and to motivate
liberation and analysis of oppressive them to participate
help in the structures to liberation in the struggle for
struggle for theology and appropriate justice and social
social justice. learning strategies transformation

25. Integration of life and experience into one educational event
and attempt to achieve the integration of theory and practice
Specially sensitive to the importance of religious language,
especially language about God
Recognizes connection to and respects the partnerships of
teacher and learning