Kareem Elnahal, in his valedictory speech, touches on the heart of the problem with American public education and our culture as a whole. He asks, “What is education?” and what meaning can it have if it does not attempt to tackle the problems central to each of us.
What is the right way to live? What is the ideal society? What principles should guide my behavior? What is success, what is failure? Is there a creator, and if so, should we look to it for guidance? These are often dismissed as questions of religion, but religion is not something opposed to rationality, it simply seeks to answer such questions through faith. The separation of church and state is, of course, important, but it should never be a reason for intellectual submission or suppression of any kind. Ethics — it is what defines us — as individuals, as a society — and yet it is never discussed, never explained, never justified.
Our vision is short-sighted and without purpose. This purposelessness, however, is not accidental or a mere effect of our (by historical standards) somewhat luxurious lifestyles. It is an end in itself. Postmodernism has taken hold of philosophy, art, music and is seeping into education. Postmodernism claims that there is no objective reality, no absolute truth, no foundational principles which are true for all people in all times. With roots in the nihilism of the 18th century, it seeks to tear down modern constructs of reality and allow freedom for the individual to create his own reality.
Let us put our trust in the eternal spirit which destroys and annihilates only because it is the unsearchable and eternally creative source of all life–the passion for destruction is also a creative passion.
–Mikhael Bakunin (Russian anarchist, Reaction in Germany, 1842)
It’s ultimate form is complete purposelessness. As Ravi Zacharias passed the Wexner Center for Performing Arts on his way to a lecture at Ohio State University, his host described the building:
“This is America’s first postmodern building…the architect said that he designed this building with no design in mind. When the architect was asked, ‘Why?’ he said, ‘If life itself is capricious, why should our buildings have any design and any meaning?’ So he has pillars that have no purpose. He has stairways that go nowhere. He has a senseless building built and somebody has paid for it.”
While our philosophers, artists and entertainers are deconstructing our social foundations, our children passively absorb their worldview. If anything summarizes the problems we see in education today, it is a general sense of purposelessness among our youth. If we wish to motivate our children, we must instill in them a sense of purpose. This, in fact, is the fourth spiritual need Carole Adams outlines in The Christian Idea of the Child.
Purpose: If children see themselves as having a place in history and see the events in their lives in light of a providential God, then they can have assurance for their present and future.
Each of us were created individually and with a purpose. We are to glorify God, tend and study the earth, be fruitful and make disciples. Education should meet each of these needs, describing the right way to live, the principles to live by, the sovereignty of God and the principles of each subject area. As we learn to direct each day according to our godly purpose, we instill in our children a sense of purpose in their own lives. This sets a foundation and a vision strong enough to withstand the purposeful attempts at deconstructing it and that will last a lifetime.
Previous posts on motivation and the sprititual needs of the child:
Motivation and Self-Government
Cherishing Our Children
Keep That Which is Committed to Thy Trust
Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me
(Credits and further discussion: Why Homeschool, Spunkyhomeschool, Homeland Stupidity)
education, homeschooling, home school, motivation, public school, Kareem Elnahal
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Great post Dana,
Understanding your closing lines are critical to this age… “If children see themselves as having a place in history and see the events in their lives in light of a providential God, then they can have assurance for their present and future.”
That’s a key component to evangelism in postmodern times and it should be THE message of the church today. Sometimes I feel as though the Church is afraid of our age, and that church-based industries are making money by keeping us scared.. they make us afraid that the postmodern police are going to come to town and close the doors to our churches and steal our children. When in fact, I believe that the opposite reaction will take place. As we leave the modern era, young people will grow increasingly disenchanted with hierarchy-based sources of truth (the media, the government, institutional education, denominational religion, etc.). People in the broader culture are looking laterally and inter-generationally for their truth sources today - And our blogs, and even our choice to homeschool, are our contributions to postmodernism… we’re fully culpable in the flight from, and mistrust of, these traditional power structures that our parents trusted so implicitly.
In the blog-era, our personal testimony, and especially the example we set with healthy families and healthy relationships, serve as “preaching” to this culture. We attract a willing audience when we raise children who “see themselves as having a place in history and see the events in their lives in light of a providential God”. These children stand out like a city on a hill.
Much of what we hear in Christian circles about the evils of postmodernism is wholly unfruitful - They are fighting straw-men who were created 100 years ago in the pure vacuum of philosophical test tubes. “There is no truth.. everyone is free to whatever they want”. Well..fortunately we were all created by God with a subconscious longing to return to our Creator.. to return to order and to purpose. Any structure that is not of God will, of course, ultimately fail. But I think that God expects us to use this age to introduce the Gospel to virgin ears, to be missionaries to our own neighborhoods. NOT to hide in our churches until this era passes us by.
Once again, just my $.02
Ross
I agree, Ross. I do not like when I see bits of postmodern philosophy seep into churches…we have our own brand of moral relativity as Christians. But all people in all places have sought purpose. Without it, people are left searching. Some turn to idleness, gangs, or youthful pranks.
But really, what better time for the church to present itself as the solid rock? I recently heard a pastor speak on the rise of Islam, gangs and other groups, especially in the inner city. He maintains that their “success” is not because most new adherents have rationally examined their claims. It is more like they are drowning in a sea and will cling to anything they bump into.
It is more like they are drowning in a sea and will cling to anything they bump into.
Yes and Amen. I completely agree.