Three different paradigms of Christian religious education

Christian education is a vast and diverse field and is characterised by a wide variety of approaches to practice and theory. It is shaped by and shapes the context in which it occurs. While reflecting the particular Biblical, theological, educational and philosophical emphases of its sources, it simultaneously informs and transforms those involved.

Christian education has a “pre-paradigmatic character”, that is, it is a discipline that is yet to develop a dominant model that guides all thought and practice, because of its focus on complex human subjects and their creation in the very image of God[1]. Hence, any educational concept or practice is by its nature tentative and changeable. Christian educators need to constantly reconsider the foundational questions, and need to be open and intentionally rely on the work of the Holy Spirit, who works as the unseen catalyst for learning through every aspect of the teaching-learning process.[2]

Nevertheless, Seymour and Miller[3] [4] have identified five different contemporary Christian educational approaches that have been of historical importance to Christian education. Five primary metaphors of Christian education are derived from studying current praxis, reflecting on some of the foundational assumptions and exploring the theological correlates. These metaphors are: Religious Instruction, Community of Faith, Development, Liberation and Interpretation. While no one particular viewpoint will fit precisely under these broad categories, they provides a set of organising principles that reflects and clarifies the state of the church’s education, and allow specific approaches to Christian education to be classified.

Hence, the biblical, theological, educational and philosophical foundations of three of these differing educational “paradigms” will be evaluated, using exemplars of current usage in the teaching ministry of congregations. My own preferred framework of Christian education will be explored within the discussion and critique of these perspectives, appropriating Pazmiño’s definition of education as “the process of sharing content with persons in the context of their communities and societies”[5]. Pazmiño’s educational trinity is based on a studying the content, context and persons of Jesus’ teaching, and follows the ideal of effective teaching as incarnated by Jesus the Master Teacher.

Content, persons and context thus provides the standard by which to prepare, implement and evaluate Christian education in its various forms. My personal approach is a therefore hybrid of the three educational paradigms under review. The content of the faith, based on the framework of “Religious Instruction”, will be explored from the evangelical perspective of Pazmiño[6], and address the content of the faith and the nature of tradition.
The connection of experiences of persons with the life of faith through the process of “Interpretation” will be addressed with reference to the work of Groome[7] [8], evaluating theological method and how religious and theological meanings are made. Finally, the context for faith, experienced in the “Community of Faith” will be outlined, engaging with the contribution of the Reformed Christian community as explained by Dykstra[9], and exploring the nature of the community of faith and how the church provides and transforms the activities of education.

Despite their diversity, the central theme all these approaches is the teaching of the Good News[10] – uniquely embodied in Jesus Christ as the very Son of God, and also as fully human. Jesus stands alone as the Master Teacher, “the exemplar or model for teaching whose life and ministry are worthy of passionate consideration and emulation”.[11]

---

[1] Robert W. Pazmiño, Foundational Issues in Christian Education: An Introduction in Evangelical Perspectives, 2nd rev. edn. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997), 87.
[2] Gary Newton, “The Holy Spirit in the Educational Process” in Michael J. Anthony (ed.), Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-First Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 129.
[3] Jack L. Seymour and Donald E. Miller (eds.) Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education (Nashville: Abingdon, 1982).
[4] Jack L. Seymour and Donald E. Miller (eds.) Theological Approaches to Christian Education (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990).

[5] “I define education as the process of sharing content with persons in the context of their communities and societies. This definition identifies an educational trinity of content, context and persons, that can serve to appreciate the teaching ministry of the Second Person of the divine Trinity, Jesus the Christ.” Robert W. Pazmiño, God Our Teacher: Theological Basics in Christian Education (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 60.
[6] Robert W. Pazmiño, Principles and Practices of Christian Education: An Evangelical Perspective (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2002).
[7] Thomas H. Groome, Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980).
[8] Thomas H. Groome, Sharing Faith: A Comprehensive Approach to Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1991).
[9] Craig Dykstra, Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices (Kentucky: Geneva Press, 1999).
[10] Donald E. Miller and Jack L. Seymour, “The Future” in Jack L. Seymour and Donald E. Miller (eds.) Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education (Nashville: Abingdon, 1982), 162.
[11] Pazmiño, God Our Teacher: Theological Basics in Christian Education, 60.