The Christian Educator’s Delima

By: Aaronda Smith

The list describing an educator is grand to say the least: teacher, administrator, counselor, etc. Regardless of which job is in operation, everything an educator does requires one thing - the provision of instruction. So, what happens when the position’s requirements conflict with what one believes, and one’s faith is under attack? There are several issues affecting Christian educators, but the major dilemma is simply being a Christian as well as an educator. The role of politics in education is a familiar one as many laws have been passed to ensure equity and equality for all. Brown vs. The Board of Education resulted in school integration; Engel vs Vitale banned prayers from school; even the oldest of them, the Constitution, implemented the separation of church and state. For the Christian educator, these laws further add to the dilemma Christian teachers are grappling with, but these challenges go far beyond equity or equality. The very identity of the Christian educator is being challenged; therefore, the dilemma is not in politics but the struggle to maintain standards when everything else around wants to strip them away.

TEACHING FROM GOD’S POINT OF VIEW

Since this is an article about Christian educators, we must first address teaching from God’s point of view. As one of the five-fold ministries discussed in Ephesians 4:11, teaching is vital not just to one’s education, but to one’s spirit. Jesus Himself was known as a Rabbi, a Jewish spiritual leader or teacher. Being a teacher, therefore, means more than a paycheck; it is a God given mandate to nurture his children. The first dilemma Christian educators must settle is that the job is just a job. Teachers minister to the educational needs of the students they serve. Your calling as a teacher is not

separate from your job as a teacher. Consider 1 Corinthians 12:28. The office of a teacher is the third ministry, following the apostles and the prophets. God ordained teachers to be a part of his staff long before the educational system, but many are being forced to curtail their Christian identities in both action and speech. Unfortunately, there are not too many laws in support of sharing Christian ideals that contradict societal or cultural norms. Since they are often reprimanded, many Christian educators choose to remain silent.

Secondly, the changing attitudes of society have increased restraints on what can and cannot be taught, further impacting the Christian educator’s role. Teachers now must deal with gender identity issues, lack of parental support, and the ever changing administrative policies. The job of the teacher has become more complicated and, for the Christian educator, more difficult. Despite this difficulty, it is necessary for them to establish their identity. Yes, Christian educators are considered ministers of the gospel, but when referencing their role, they are ministers of service. There is difficulty in managing the varying facets of the educational system while also maintaining one’s spiritual identity. Juggling several personas is never an easy feat. No matter the changing attitudes of society, it is imperative for the Christian educator to exhibit the same identity to those they serve, Christ.

One final dilemma to address is the choice to hold true to one’s faith. There are many systemic principles threatening the values and standards upheld by Christian educators. Yes, one must be “wise as serpents” but “harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16), but one must also avoid becoming a passive Christian when God expects boldness. Understand that nothing catches God by surprise. He already knew what type of societal duress educators would experience and the pressure to capitulate to societal trends such as the acceptance of LGBT agendas and book banning, specifically the Bible and the teaching of Christian values. These efforts are attempts to silence both the church and its ministers, but the Christian educator must be willing to eschew wisdom in all of their dealings and get the job done.

Schools are not churches, but they pretty much have the same function-- to instruct and educate future generations to continue building. The role of a Christian educator has certainly become increasingly more difficult, but II Timothy 4:3 warned us of these times when people would select their own teachers and rid themselves of sound doctrine. As a Christian educator, one must hold strong to the faith and be emboldened to stand on biblical convictions. You cannot afford to let go of your faith; you must fulfill your role, and never be ashamed of Jesus! (Mark 8:38) Dilemmas in education will always be challenging, but the dilemma for the Christian educator is whether or not you will continue to stand or cower.

The dark side of desensitization

by Jonathan Colbert

To desensitize, based on Merriam Webster’s dictionary, is “to extinguish an emotional response-as of fear, anxiety, or guilt-to stimuli that formerly induced it.” The noun desensitization refers to a therapy developed in the 1950s to help people deal with phobias and disorders like PTSD and anxiety. With this definition in mind, one would assume that desensitization is a wonderful thing; however, there is another side to it that has over time proven to be a hidden adversary, especially to Christians.

How desensitized have we become to events like violence, disasters, and other traumatic events constantly being shown to us via the media or directly? Why is this especially dangerous for a Christian, and what can be done to combat it?

What is the last gruesome event that you remember that you have seen in the media and/ or witnessed firsthand and how did you react to it? Remember the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022 that claimed the lives of nineteen students and two adults on the last day of their school year? As horrific as this was, it is nothing new since, according to the New York Times, it was one of over a recorded 500+ mass shootings that happened in the U.S. in just 2022, with nearly 700 recorded the previous year. How about natural disasters like the flooding in Eastern Kentucky that saw water rise to the height of the roofs of houses and resulted in over thirty fatalities? This, again, is nothing new since it’s not the first time the earth has experienced a flood or any natural disaster. In fact, natural disasters have and continue to occur more frequently and have become deadlier. For example, the infamous Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 resulted in quadruple-digit death tolls and billions of dollars in damages.

On Screen…

Did you perhaps see something awful in your social media feed or while playing a video game? Sadly, content that revolves around violence, drama, scandal, etc., are among the media subjects that garner massive attention from viewers. Users even market their own social media accounts using headlines and profile pictures that revolve around these and similar topics. The fact that numerous users are doing this means that this tactic is yielding positive results and is considered an effective self-marketing strategy. We are living in a time when the way in which people respond to violent actions can be compared to that of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It is not uncommon to watch people passing by a badly bruised man beaten and left to die; the difference today is that people would stop to take pictures or film for their social media accounts. It is as if violence has become entertainment and the value of life is being diminished. This is further proven by violent games that include bloody one-versus-one fighting game, first-person military shooters, and real-world simulators complete with profanity, sex, drugs, and shootings. All these things play a part of the enemy’s plan to desensitize the next generation and beyond. What one generation embraces, the next generation tolerates. This is especially dangerous to the current and next generation of Christians.

The Danger…

Why is a desensitized Christian so dangerous? Well, let’s reflect on the definition of desensitization mentioned at the beginning.

“to extinguish an emotional response-as of fear, anxiety, or guilt-to stimuli that formerly induced it.”

A desensitized Christian is dangerous because they are made insensitive to the direction that this world is going and see little to no reason to do anything about it. The sin (violence, fornication, deception, etc) that they see around them will not phase them because their emotional, or in this case, spiritual response has been extinguished. Sin is that stimuli that should always induce opposing spiritual reactions from God’s people. If this is taken away, it can serve as a doorway for Satan to enter. Though desensitization itself is not a sin, it can lead to acceptance, an “It is what it is” attitude, and eventually falling into sin. Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth in charge of slowing down the world’s rotting process, reaching out to the lost and abstaining from even the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). How are we supposed to save someone else if we ourselves are ensnared?

Avoiding Desensitization

To avoid falling victim to the negative side of desensitization as a Christian, it is best to not entangle yourself in the cares of this life (2 Timothy 2:4) and maintain a relationship with Christ. Learn to fast in order to get away from, not just food, but the carnality of this life and focus seriously on the Lord. Pray and read His word daily in order to better recognize His voice and maintain an awareness of the coming of the Lord.

When you do these things, you will be able to flourish in more spiritual things and “be made perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”(2 Timothy 3:17)