Superpowers and trade-offs
ChatGPT and the rise of AI
My journey through dualism
God’s work in Deniliquin
Book review: Education for Hope
My top podcasts
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How do you view technology? Do you tend towards an understanding of it as a device or an instrument? And what is the difference? In this edition of The Christian Teachers Journal we begin by exploring technology. Anna Grummitt reflects on the questions above in the context of our core identity and developing rhythms that help redemptively redesign life in our tech-saturated world.
As Derek Schuurman reminds us, all things, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), are part of the “latent potential in creation” but a framework of structure and direction is necessary to faithfully unfold their possibilities and purposes. He presents three guidelines for discerning a Christian response to AI.
Emerging from this framework is the transformational understanding of “Christ in all things and at the centre of all things”. This is at the heart of Fiona Naccari’s journey “through dualism” towards effective Christian teaching. If God is at the centre of a school community, how does that community deal with closure? In a personal piece Jemma Keast reflects on God’s work, purposes, and faithfulness, and our cause for hope.
Ken Dickens presents a book review on the journey of Christian education in Canada. Cautioning against triumphalism, it is a story of hope and reconciliation—for Christian education, the Christian life, and God’s world.
Emily Shea shares with us her favourite podcasts. The edition concludes with a moving letter to all educators by Shaun Brooker. Enjoy!
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Superpowers and Trade-Offs
Anna Grummitt
ChatGPT and the Rise of AI
Derek C. Schuurman
My Journey Through Dualism
Fiona Naccari
God’s Work in Deniliquin (1996 - 2022)
Jemma Keast
Book Review: Education for Hope
Ken Dickens
My Top Podcasts
Emily Shea
Class of 2023: National Institute Graduates
Educator in Every Christian School From Every Christian Parent of Every Christian Student, Ever.
Shaun Brooker
ABSTRACT This article offers an overview of some of the key ideas about technology and humanity shared by US author Andy Crouch in the 2022 Richard Johnson Lecture hosted by the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX), in his 2022 book, The Life We’re Looking for; Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World , and in several videos produced by CPX. In particular, the author focuses on Crouch’s definition of human beings as “heart-soul-mind-strength complexes designed for love” and the implications this vision has for how we should use technological products—as instruments that develop our proper powers, rather than devices that give us “superpowers”. The article also suggests some particular implications of Crouch’s ideas for teachers of high school students.
With each new technology we gain something, but we so often lose something important in the process. Are these tradeoffs worth it? And since technology is so ingrained in our lives, if we did want things to change, would it even be possible?
Iwake up in cold sweats every so often thinking: What did we bring to the world” (Fadell, 2017, as cited in Franklin-Wells, 2018, para. 3). These words were delivered in a 2017 lecture at the London Design Museum. The speaker was Tony Fadell, creator not of the atomic bomb, cigarettes, or poker machines, but of a product most of us rely on so heavily that we’re afraid to be without it: the iPhone.
According to Surface Magazine, “few [people] have played bigger roles [than Fadell] in shaping today’s technological landscape” (FranklinWells, 2018, para. 1). But since as early as 2011, after vacationing in Hawaii and seeing fellow travellers unable to put down their phones, he has begun to feel elements of doubt and regret about the device he played a leading role in creating (Stern, 2022).
It’s a familiar story. In the awardwinning 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma, many former employees of big tech companies shared their unease over how modern technologies (and especially social media) are designed to be addictive and are leading to both political radicalisation and serious mental health struggles in young people.
In an Atlantic article provocatively titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” author Jean Twenge (2017) links a sharp rise in teen depression and anxiety since 2011
with the upsurge in smartphone and social media use. In another piece, “Why American Teens Are so Sad”, Derek Thompson (2022) points out that social media has been replacing other activities among teenagers, such as going out with friends, playing sport, and even sleep. This, he argues, is a significant factor behind the proportion of American high schoolers saying they feel “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rising from 26% in 2009 to 44% in 2021 (para. 1).
Technology promises so much, and truly has transformed the world. But most of us agree that, upon reflection, it never quite delivers what we were hoping for. High-tech devices make many aspects of our lives easier, but we still experience toil and burnout. Social media enables us to stay connected with so many people, but it rarely improves the quality of our friendships or engages us deeply in the world. With each new technology we gain something, but we so often lose something important in the process. Are these trade-offs worth it? And since technology is so ingrained in our lives, if we did want things to change, would it even be possible?
At the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX), our team felt these timely questions were worth addressing. So last September we brought US author Andy Crouch to Australia to deliver the 2022 Richard Johnson Lecture, our annual public lecture that seeks to highlight Christianity’s relevance to society and positively contribute to public discourse on key aspects of civil life.
Today, Andy Crouch is now partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organisation that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship. He is also the author of six books, including Culture Making (2013), The Tech-Wise
It is easy to see how schooling develops the mind, but a good question to reflect on might be: How can I design my time with students to develop them holistically, as heart-soul-mindstrength complexes designed for love?
Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place , (2017), and most recently The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World (2022). Having wrestled for years with the promises and perils of technology, Crouch was the right person to deliver the lecture, titled “Disconnected: Why Technology Keeps Disappointing Us”. While he was here, we also recorded a podcast and filmed several videos with him, including a series of eight bite si ed clips specifically for high school students.
We believe that Crouch’s ideas are especially relevant and important for Christian teachers as you seek to guide and instruct your students to help them flourish. In particular, Crouch draws on an ancient vision for who we are as human beings and argues that this should shape how we use technology and structure our lives.
In Mark’s Gospel, we are introduced to a teacher of the law who asks Jesus a big question: Of all the commandments, which is the most important? ( ark 1 : ).
Jesus answers: The most important one is this: ear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ove your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these ( ark 1 : 1).
In this answer, Jesus is quoting the Shema Israel (Deuteronomy :4 ). And while it is a command, it also offers a compelling vision for what it means to be human. In Crouch’s words: very human being is a heart soul-mind-strength complex designed for love (Crouch, 0 , p. ).
ach of these four qualities are
fundamental to who we are as humans. We are heart : filled with emotions, desires, longings. We are soul : there is something more to us than what you can see or touch; we have a sense of transcendence. We are mind : we have the capacity to rationally think our way through the world. And we are strength : we have physical bodies, and these bodies matter (Crouch, 0 b).
On top of this, we are designed for love . In the opening chapter of The Life We’re Looking For , Crouch ( 0 , pp. ) writes that humans are born searching for a face; we seek another person who is looking for us, and who loves us. This quest to be truly known and loved—continues throughout our lives. Crouch ( 0 ) writes,
We are designed for love—primed before we were born to seek out others, wired neurologically to respond with empathy and recognition, coming most alive when we are in relationships of mutual dependence and trust. Love calls out the best in us—it awakens our hearts, it stirs up the depths of our souls, it focuses our minds, it arouses our bodies to action and passion.... When we love, we are most fully and distinctively ourselves. (p. )
This is a beautiful, compelling vision. And if this is who we are designed to be, it follows that as teachers of young people, your vocation involves calling students to this expansive vision of what it means to be human.
It is easy to see how schooling develops the mind, but a good question to reflect on might be: ow can I design my time with students to develop them holistically, as heart-soul-mind-strength complexes designed for love?
This is an exciting prospect, but it is a challenge because, as Crouch argues, far from developing us as human beings, so many elements of our lives disengage us from who we are meant to be (C , 0 b). And that brings us back to technology.
The newborn baby enters the world looking for someone who recognises them, who truly knows them personally. Our technological devices capitalise on this innate desire. Our phones literally unlock as they recognise our faces, and the advertisements the social media algorithms feed us are so personalised it seems like they are overhearing our thoughts (Crouch, 0 , pp. 10).
Technology also gives us superpowers (C , 0 c) we can travel to the other side of the world by sitting on a plane, and maintain low-friction friendships through an app. A robot can vacuum our floors. But, as Crouch argues, while these superpowers are understandably “intoxicating” to us, they are not very good for us, as they don’t develop us as people or strengthen our relationships (C , 0 c). In fact,
Our phones can also be used as instruments— to create art, maintain deep relationships with friends overseas, optimise our exercise, and explore questions around purpose and meaning.
they tend to do the opposite. An example Crouch (2002, p. 56) uses is how central heating has replaced the traditional hearth, where families used to gather for centuries. In this case, technology has made our lives easier, but now families are more likely to scatter as individuals all over the home, each absorbed by a glowing rectangle.
In The Life We’re Looking For, Crouch (2022) writes,
You cannot take advantage of a superpower and fully remain a person, in the sense of a heartsoul-mind-strength complex designed for love. This is not an unfortunate side effect of superpowers or a flaw that could be overcome with future improvements. It is the essence of their design because superpowers are power without effort. And power without effort, it turns out, diminishes us as much as it delights us. (p. 45)
The “shadow side” of recent advances in technology is the fact that our devices have been designed based on a false notion of who we are as human beings (Crouch, 2022, pp. 1213). But encouragingly, he thinks it is still possible for us to thrive without renouncing technology entirely: we just need to redesign how we use it (CPX, 2022b), and incorporate healthy rhythms of tech use into our lives (CPX, 2023a).
The potential of instruments that develop our proper powers
Crouch argues there is an urgent need for redesign when it comes to our technologies—and the biggest need is for tech companies to create products that “equip us to see, and rejoice in, the allness of human beings” (Crouch, 2022, p. 79). But while most of us can’t redesign the iPhone, we can redesign the way we use technology to develop us as heart-soul-mind-strength complexes designed for love.
The way to do this, according to Crouch, is to strive as much as possible to use technology not as devices that give us “superpowers”, but as instruments that develop our proper powers (CPX, 2022a). Devices tend to take over and do things for us, leading us to dwindle as human beings. But when we use instruments—like musical or scientific instruments we are creating and making something of the world.
So often we use our phones as devices, with scrolling mindlessly through Instagram feeds or getting ChatGPT to write an assignment perhaps the best (or worst!) examples of this. But our phones can also be used as instruments (CPX, 0 a) to create art, maintain deep relationships with friends overseas, optimise our exercise, and explore questions around purpose and meaning.
As teachers of a generation whose members spend, on average, 7.3 hours per day on their phones (Dixon, 2021), it’s worth asking: How could I encourage my students to use their phones as instruments more than as devices? And how might I use technology in the classroom in a way that helps them develop their own proper powers, rather than disengaging them?
Crouch also argues that we need to redesign our lives to better engage in the world as human beings (CPX, 2022b). Although technology can be used as an instrument, thriving as heart-soul-mind-strength complexes will also look like implementing rhythms of tech use into our days, so that fulfilling real world activities are not displaced. The three big rhythms Crouch has implemented in his own family life are:
1. A “no phones in the bedrooms” rule
2. Going outside in the morning before turning on the phone
3. Dedicating one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year, as technology-free time (CPX, 2023a) This all sounds sensible, and also hard! It’s easy to feel defeated about our own ability to do things like this, let alone that of high school students. But, reassuringly, in a recent Australian survey, 74% of respondents said they wanted to reduce their time on social media (Mainstreet Insights, 2020). It is likely your students will be open to at least trying to implement some tech rhythms in their lives.
At the same time, they might also have genuine anxieties like: If I disconnect, won’t I be left out? How can I build and maintain real friendships offline? And is it even possible to break my screen addiction?
To help them wrestle with these concerns (and more), the Centre for Public Christianity has produced
In a recent Australian survey, 74% of respondents said they wanted to reduce their time on social media. It is likely your students will be open to at least trying to implement some tech rhythms in their lives.
eight short videos (1-3 minutes long), available for free on our website, where Andy Crouch answers some of these questions. We have also developed a few suggested activities for class discussion based on the videos and additional related material from our online library. Scan the QR code to explore them all.
We hope you enjoy using these resources, and that they help you guide your students to flourish as heart-soul-mind-strength complexes designed for love, and to incorporate rhythms into their lives that help them engage fully with the world around them.
Please do contact us (youth@ publicchristianity.org) with any questions or feedback!
References
Crouch, A. ( 00 ). ekindling old fires. Christianity Today 46(9), 56. https:// www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/ august5/26.56.html
Crouch, A. (2013). Culture making InterVarsity Press.
Crouch, A. (2017). The tech-wise family: Everyday steps for putting technology in its proper place. Baker Academic.
Crouch, A. (2022). The life we’re looking for: Reclaiming relationship in a technological world. Convergent Books. CPX. (2022a, December 13). Devices vs instruments [Video]. Vimeo. https:// www.publicchristianity.org/devices-vsinstruments/ CPX. (2022b, December 8). Disconnected: Why technology keeps disappointing us [Video]. Vimeo. https://www. publicchristianity.org/disconnectedwhy-technology-keeps-disappointingus/ CPX. (2022c, December 13). Superpowers vs your own powers [Video]. Vimeo. https://www.publicchristianity.org/ superpowers-vs-your-own-powers/ CPX. (2023a, February 15). Healthy tech [Video]. Vimeo. https://www. publicchristianity.org/healthy-tech/
CPX. (2023b, February 8). Songs of human experience [Video]. Vimeo. https://www. publicchristianity.org/songs-of-humanexperience/
Dixon, G. (2021). Aussies spend almost 17 years in a lifetime staring at their phones. Reviews.org. https:// www.reviews.org/au/mobile/aussiescreentime-in-a-lifetime/
Franklin-Wells, O. (2018, March 12). Tony Fadell wants to disrupt Silicon Valley. Surface Magazine. https://www. surfacemag.com/articles/tony-fadelllooks-to-unseat-apple/ Mainstreet Insights. (2020). The Australian screen age: Exploring the relationship between Australians and screen time. https://mainstreetinsi.wpenginepowered. com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ MainstreetInsight_The-Australianscreen-age_Sep2020.pdf
Stern, J. (2022, July 1). The iPhone’s creators reveal the consequences they never expected. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/ articles/the-iphones-creators-revealthe-consequences-they-neverexpected-11656667803
Thompson, D. (2022, April 11). Why American teens are so sad. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic. com/newsletters/archive/2022/04/ american-teens-sadness-depressionanxiety/629524/
Twenge, J. (2017, September 15). Have smartphones destroyed a generation? The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/2017/09/ has-the-smartphone-destroyed-ageneration/534198/
1. hat is your reaction to Crouch’s definition of human beings as heart soul mind-strength complexes designed for love”? How might you design your classes to help students thrive in all these areas?
2. What do you think of Crouch’s distinction between devices/superpowers vs instruments/proper powers? How could you encourage your students to use their phones as instruments more than as devices? And how might you use technology in the classroom in a way that helps students develop their own proper powers?
3. What rhythms of tech could you consider discussing and agreeing upon with students in your classroom? What rhythms of tech use have you implemented into your own life outside the classroom (or what rhythms would you like to implement)?
Anna is youth and schools coordinator at the Centre for Public hri ti it ot or pro t e i o p th t ee to engage the public with the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Christian faith. She lives in Sydney with her husband and oneyear-old son.
Want to get in touch with Anna? Email her at: anna.grummitt@publicchristianity.org
To hear a discussion with this author, go to the Christian Education Podcast. Scan this QR code or find it on a podcast app.
ABSTRACT This article was first published in The Christian Scholar’s Review blog in January 2023. It has been republished with permission by the author with edits for The Christian Teachers Journal readership. In this piece, Derek reflects on his journey in studying and lecturing in technology, particularly focusing on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) over the years. Derek notes that technology amplifies opportunities to do good as well as to do harm. He helpfully suggests three general guidelines for Christian educators as they seek to discern a biblically-informed response to AI.
When I was a teenager, I purchased an early personal computer called a Timex Sinclair ZX-81 with money I earned from my paper route. I was amazed at how computer programs enabled me to build “castles in the air … creating by exertion of the imagination” (Brooks, 1995, p. 7). What started as a hobby later developed into a vocation as I pursued a PhD in the field of robotics and computer vision.
At the time (nearly 20 years ago), the field of AI was climbing out of an “AI winter”, and I found myself attracted to newer machine learning methods that were being used for image recognition (I was using something called Principal Component Analysis or PCA).
I recall being astounded at the profound elegance of “training” a computer with a set of example images and then observing how well it could identify new images that were not part of the original training set. Even those early machinelearning techniques seemed magical. Two things became apparent to me in the following years. First, the technology amplified opportunities to do good as well as to do harm. Already as a grad student, I observed many research efforts being directed towards face recognition—an intriguing and challenging technical problem that had pitfalls for misuse and a myriad of privacy issues. I consciously chose a research direction that I felt was a more redemptive application of machine learning, such as automating the visual sorting of recyclable goods.
I later recognised this approach as confirming the theological notion of structure and direction: the possibility for technology is rooted in the structure of God’s good creation, and direction refers to how we unfold technology in either obedience or disobedience to God (Wolters, 2005). The second thing that became apparent to me was that AI was developing faster than many of us would have predicted. As an engineering grad student some 20 years ago, I would have scoffed at the notion of an autonomous car; the computer vision challenges were simply too great in unstructured and unpredictable environments. Within the decade, Google successfully demonstrated a self-driving car. In the words often attributed to Yogi Berra, American professional baseballer and commentator, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future”—even for those who are developing technology. One of the latest developments to catch widespread attention has been ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI. Unlike the modest number of example images I used for training in my graduate work, ChatGPT used 570 gigabytes of example documents. ChatGPT can interact with a user by responding to questions and replying to prompts. While some of the responses are amusing or simply wrong, the results are frequently astonishing, providing surprisingly coherent and cogent responses to a wide variety of prompts including composing poems, stories, sermons, and essays. The results have been so remarkable
Christians will need to join the wider dialogue surrounding these powerful new technologies, bringing insights into what it means to be human and to help shape public policy with a voice that is both biblical and relevant.
it has led to speculation about the death of essay writing as a tool for assessment and about the future of many skilled jobs.
Indeed, computer programmers may be programming themselves out of a job. A system called Copilot takes input prompts and generates computer code, leading some to speculate about the end of programming.
While rumours of the demise of writing and of programming are likely exaggerated, there will be definite impacts for education. How should we modify our written assessments and academic integrity policies when students have access to AI-generated text? Could we use AIgenerated text for critical assessment exercises that might help students write (and code) better? Although these questions will require wider discussions among educators, what follows are three general guidelines as we discern a Christian response to AI.
First, we need to avoid the pitfalls of viewing technology with either too much optimism or with undue pessimism. We must reject a reductionistic worldview that sees all problems as reducible to technical problems that can be solved by technology. A trust in technology, sometimes referred to as technicism, is essentially a form of idolatry. On the other hand, we should not view technological
developments with a despair that they will inevitably threaten humanity. AI is part of the latent potential in creation, and we are called to responsibly unfold its possibilities. Theologian Al Wolters ( 00 ) writes that the Bible is unique in its uncompromising rejection of all attempts … to identify part of creation as either the villain or the savior (p. 1).
Second, rather than focusing on what AI can do, we need to start with an ontological question: how are people distinct from machines? A common tendency is to anthropomorphize our machines, thereby elevating the status of our machines and, in doing so, reducing the distinctiveness of human beings. Already in the 1960s, the early AI pioneer Joseph ei enbaum (1 ) explored the notion of automating psychotherapy with a chatbot named I A. Weizenbaum concluded, “There are limits to what computers ought to be put to do (pp. ).
In his book, Humans Are Underrated, Geoff Colvin ( 01 ) suggests asking the following question: hat are the activities that we humans, driven by our deepest nature or by the realities of daily life, will simply insist be performed by other humans, regardless of what computers can do? (p. 4 ). An AI chatbot or robot should never substitute for human wisdom, care, or companionship. Without a biblically-informed ontological grounding, we will be susceptible to various reductionistic philosophies like physicalism and Gnosticism (Schuurman, 01 ). The biblical story is clear that while humans are also creatures, we are uniquely created in the image of God and distinct from machines. The notion of the imago Dei endures, even as our machines become more capable of things that, up to now, only humans have been able to do. The theologian erman Bavinck ( 004) argues that “a human being does not bear or have the image of God, but he or she is the image of God (p. 4).
Third, we need to discern norms for the responsible use of AI. The creators of ChatGPT bumped up against the “AI Alignment” problem—the challenge of aligning an AI system with the goals and values of the designers. The developers had to grapple with bias (including racism) in their training set. Technology is not neutral, and neither are the algorithms and the training data used in AI. Consequently, AI systems can perpetuate injustice, a real threat as big data is employed in a wide variety of fields including insurance, policing, marketing, loans, and politics (O’ eil, 01 ). e will need to discern creational norms for AI which include considerations like justice, cultural appropriateness, caring, social norms, stewardship, transparency, and trust (Schuurman, 01 ).
Since norms are not simply reducible to algorithms, we will need wisdom to discern the extent that we ought to replace traditional human roles with machines. Moreover, appropriate norms should point us towards using AI to opening up new possibilities for showing love to our neighbour and caring for the earth and its creatures (Schuurman, 01 ). Already, AI has shown amazing redemptive applications in medicine, drug discovery, environmental monitoring, wildlife preservation, assisting people with disabilities, and enhancing traffic safety.
Christian computer scientists and engineers can find common cause and join groups such as AI for Good, AI for arth, and AI and Faith. Moreover, computer scientists will need the help of philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and others in the humanities to help direct technologies like AIgenerated text in normative ways. At Calvin University we have begun conversations around ChatGPT and its impact on teaching and learning.
red Brooks (1 ), a respected Christian computer scientist, wrote, “It is time to recognize that the
The biblical story is clear that while humans are also creatures, we are uniquely created in the image of God and distinct from machines.
original goals of AI were not merely extremely difficult, they were goals that, although glamorous and motivating, e t the i ip i e off i the wrong direction (p. 4). Brooks advocates for IA (Intelligence Amplifying) systems over AI, suggesting people and machines will be able to do far more than AI alone. As an example, one of my colleagues at Calvin University has been exploring the use of AI for helping people write better as opposed to writing for them (Arnold, 0 1).
Despite the possibilities for sinful distortions, AI is part of the exciting possibilities in creation that Christians can help direct in God-honouring ways. Christians will need to join the wider dialogue surrounding these powerful new technologies, bringing insights into what it means to be human and to help shape public policy with a voice that is both biblical and relevant.
The Cape Town Commitment ( 011) that came out of the ausanne Congress includes a “call to action” that specifically identifies emerging technologies like AI as areas with “deep implications for the Church” where Christians need to engage.
For more information on The Cape Town Commitment see https://lausanne.org/content/ctc/ ctcommitment.
References
Arnold, K. ( 0 1). aithful text prediction. Christian Courier. https:// www.christiancourier.ca/faithful-textprediction/
Bavinck, . ( 004). Reformed dogmatics: God and creation (J. riend, Trans.). J. Bolt ( d.). Baker Academic.
Brooks, . . (1 ). The mythical manmonth: Essays on software engineering Addison-Wesley.
Brooks, . . (1 ). The computer scientist as toolsmith II. Communications of the ACM, 39( ), 4.
Colvin, G. ( 01 ). Humans are underrated: What high achievers know that brilliant machines never will. Penguin.
O’ eil, C. ( 01 ). Weapons of math destruction: How big data increases inequality and threatens democracy Crown.
Schuurman, D. C. (2013). Shaping a digital world: Faith, culture and computer technology. Inter arsity Academic ress.
Schuurman, D. C. (2018). Steering a course for Artificial Intelligence. The Banner https://www.thebanner.org/mixedmedia 01 0 steering a course for artificial intelligence
Schuurman, D. C. ( 01 ). Artificial Intelligence: Discerning a Christian response. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 1( ), . Tamkin, A., Brundage, M., Clark, J., & Ganguli, D. (2021). Understanding the
capabilities, limitations, and societal impact of large language models Stanford Education. https://nlp.stanford. edu/pubs/tamkin2021understanding.pdf. The Lausanne Movement. (2011). The Capetown commitment. A confession of faith and a call to action. https:// lausanne.org/content/ctc/ctcommitment ei enbaum, J. (1 ). Computer power and human reason: From judgment to calculation. W. H. Freeman. olters, A. . ( 00 ). Creation regained: Biblical basics for a Reformational worldview. Eerdmans.
1. Schuurman draws on olters’ ( 00 ) theological notion of structure and direction, noting technology is rooted in the structure of God’s good creation, and can have a direction—unfolding technology in either obedience or disobedience to God. How is this concept of structure and direction helpful for your educational context and use of AI?
2. Schuurman describes various “creational norms,” a summary of which can be found at: https: cs.calvin.edu activities books fieldguide norms.pdf ow might each of these norms apply to artificial intelligence?
3. Schuurman suggests that “rather than focusing on what AI can do, we need to start with an ontological question: how are people distinct from machines? What does the Bible say about what it means to be human and what are the implications for how AI ought to be used, especially in your education context?
Interested in this piece? Derek’s writing is used as text and readings in the National Institute for Christian Education subject EDU555 Digital Technology and Education. Contact admin@nice.edu.au for more information.
Derek worked in industry for a number of years and later completed a PhD at McMaster University in the area of robotics and computer vision. He is currently professor of computer science at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the uthor o the oo Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology o uthor o the re e t oo A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers, both published by InterVarsity Academic Press. He and his wife, Carina, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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By Fiona Naccari
ABSTRACT In this article Fiona Naccari explores her personal, spiritual, and professional transformation through Master of Education studies at the National Institute for Christian Education. It shows how a teacher’s experience of schools in childhood and youth can shape their view of the purposes of schooling, and how these assumptions can be challenged through study and reflective practice.
Completing my Master of Education through the National Institute for Christian Education has been a rewarding journey. In reflecting upon and analysing my personal and professional transformation, challenges certainly arose, but also a sense of achievement through positive changes in perceptions, knowledge and understanding, and professional performance. Both challenges and successes were connected to the changes I experienced in my views and practice
of Christian education, both within the classroom and in leadership. The first part of this reflection and analysis explores challenges that arose for me as I gained more knowledge and understanding. This was my personal journey with the practice of dualism and the inconsistency I perceived between an authentic Christian education and dualistic practices I have observed. The second part of this reflection explores my deepening understanding of Christ being the centre of all things, and how this awareness transformed my planning and teaching practices. It explores the transformational changes that occurred through having a deeper understanding of teaching and leading from a biblically-informed perspective and worldview.
In the foreword to the book
Christians as Teachers (Beech, 01 ), Norsworthy describes three powerful factors influencing the journey of an effective Christian teacher. The first one she states, is the teacher’s personal schooling experiences which provide the lens “through which the rightness of all other forms
In reflecting upon and analysing my personal and professional transformation, challenges certainly arose, but also a sense of achievement through positive changes in perceptions, knowledge and understanding, and professional performance.
of education will be understood and measured” (p. vii). This has been my experience and was the foundation of my initial perception of Christian education within schools.
My own history of schooling involved attending 12 different schools in Canada and Australia—including public, Christian, and Catholic schools. One year I attended a small, independent fundamentalist Baptist school. It was legalistic, imposing strict rules, especially when it came to purity and modesty. For example, girls sat at one side of the bus and boys at the other. Regardless of the strict rules we had to abide by, I still enjoyed the strong friendships with other Christians, singing in chapel, and I am forever grateful for the many Bible passages that I had to memorise. However, I do remember being disillusioned. The books in the small library were only Christian books that the teachers had read beforehand to make sure there was nothing worldly in the storylines. Being an avid reader, I soon devoured most of this limited collection, and was made to feel guilty about going to the local library to get more books to read. I also disliked my school uniform that was ultra-modest and limiting, especially when it came to sports. This experience of wellintentioned but legalistic Christian
schooling left a negative impression on me.
At this time the practice of separating church from everyday life began to shape my worldview. It did not entail behaving one way at church and another outside church, as I still wanted to live a Christian life. It just meant I kept the two areas as “two distinct realms” (Walsh & Middleton, 1 4, p. ). Impacted by Greek philosophy, a dash of Augustinian anthropology, and the pervasiveness of dualistic thinking in churches, I became infected with the idea that secular and sacred don’t mix.
When we relocated to Australia, I was sent to a state high school. I experienced significant culture shock, but as a young person I adapted. I already had a strong faith and many friends at church. I was determined that if I ever had children, I would not put them into a Christian school, but encourage their faith at home and church so they could learn to distinguish between good and evil and make their own stand to defend their faith and lifestyle as I did. Limiting my Christian convictions to being a witness in a public school, when required, was a fine compromise to me, and not to be undervalued.
I became a teacher myself because of some exemplary teachers I had. My year 5 teacher was the strongest influence, and he practised Christian education in a rather unorthodox manner. He was the principal and a classroom teacher at a rural Canadian school, and a solid Christian. We prayed the Lord’s Prayer and read from the Bible each day. He was dedicated, fair, and demonstrated the fruit of the spirit through his leadership and teaching. We were encouraged to show kindness to all students, be honest and hardworking, and to pray and read the Bible. Even though it was a state school, he would refer to biblical teaching in class lessons. So I had two very different experiences. One was openly Christian but restrictive. I’m sure
the school leaders had the best intentions, but the lasting impression for me was negative. As Graham (2009) explains, attention to “the law as a means of attaining and retaining God’s approval” leads to legalism, rather than God’s grace which “is the very foundation for the holiness and obedience that we desire for our students” (p. 9). My other experience was in a secular school with a strong Christian teacher influence where I experienced grace through my year 5 teacher. He was strict but had an unmistakable graciousness as he wanted us to be our best and use our gifts to serve others. His love for the Bible was evident. I wanted to be a teacher like him. I am still amazed that he was able to teach how he did in a public school.
I began my teaching career as a music teacher working in various state schools. Staff were aware of my Christian background, but I never mixed my beliefs with teaching practice. When my children became old enough to start school, my school search was based on academic integrity, especially a sound literacy program, good music program, and the provision of a second language. A religious instruction programme was not a prerequisite as I felt that could be nurtured at home and through an active church life.
owever, I did not find a local school that met my expectations. My husband and I decided to look at a local Christian school. This school ticked all the boxes academically. So, my reintroduction to Christian schooling began with my own children attending a Christian school. However, my intent was not really honourable, as I did exactly what Dickens (2006) writes about: sending my child to a Christian school not for the “sake of Christian nurture, but for the sake of perceived academic advantage” (p. 120).
When I returned to teaching, being a parent and an employee in the same school allowed me to observe its operations from both sides of the fence. This led me to investigate
At this time the practice of separating church from everyday life began to shape my worldview. It did not entail behaving one way at church and another outside church... It just meant I kept the two areas as “two distinct realms”
the true meaning and practice of Christian education and, eventually, enrol in the Master of Education course through the National Institute for Christian Education along with my teaching partner.
The first major challenge for me was becoming aware of dualism. Before I commenced my master’s course, I thought I did practice Christian education in a Christian school by having devotions in class, praying, reading the Bible, and occasionally connecting what we were learning in class to biblical perspectives, though the latter was not planned for intentionally. However, working with my teaching partner made me more aware of my practices, and I started to make some prayerful changes within my own classroom practice and planning.
At that time, our school was part of the International Baccalaureate, and we used the scaffolding of the Primary Years Program as our planners. Once Transformation by Design (Dickens et al., 01 ) was released, my teaching partner and I discussed implementing biblical perspectives and understanding
within those planners. We went headfirst into this project, full of enthusiasm. Christian education then became the canopy over everything we taught, with all things in and through Christ, or as Dickens ( 01 ) so clearly declares: at the centre of all things, at the heart of Christian education, is Christ (p. 10). I was finally moving away from an entrenched but unbiblical sacredsecular dualistic view.
Our planning and delivery of curriculum changed. Within our required online timetable, biblical studies became a heading for a subject that specifically described in-depth study of particular biblical themes. We were also asked to display our timetables in the classroom for our neurodiverse students. This timetable heading of biblical studies, however, was not supported by senior leadership at that time, and we had to change that specific subject heading back to Christian education. This was perplexing for me because I thought, isn’t everything we teach supposed to be Christian education?
After this, an interesting experience occurred with a student from my class. She had complained to her parents that she was going to a Christian school that did many periods a week of maths, English, and inquiry, but only one period a week of Christian education. I had the required concerned parent meeting with parents who were proud of their child for making such an observation and wanted to know why this was happening. I explained that it was only a timetable subject heading but that the content of everything we were teaching has its foundation in biblical truths and is Christian education. I asked the student to explain our inquiry lesson that very afternoon. When this astute student began outlining this to her parents, she suddenly stopped, as the realisation hit her. We had been teaching from a biblical perspective all along and connecting Job’s life to people’s experiences when disaster
struck. I clarified to the parents what we had been doing in other subjects. They were very happy with this discussion, and I was pleased with my student’s ability to connect what we were learning to biblical perspectives. I changed the subject heading in my classroom back to biblical studies.
Different levels of biblical knowledge and theological understanding among staff members can make it hard to achieve a mutual understanding and skill level of biblical foundational knowledge. When the Transformation by Design (Dickens, et al., 01 ) planner was adopted into our unit planning processes, there was limited training on writing biblical perspectives due to COVID and the advent of remote learning, which continued when normal school attendance resumed.
Structural changes in planners and procedural changes can create tension, but as Dinham ( 01 ) states, it is really about changing people (p. 4) and this is where a school leader could mentor by “being a co-learner [with colleagues] and modelling learning for others (p. 0). Jensen ( 014) suggests that leaders need to “set new expectations for teaching and learning, then model changes to bring everyone on board (p. ). orsworthy (in Beech, 01 ) describes the second powerful factor influencing the journey of an effective Christian teacher and that question is, who is the teacher that teaches? (p. vii). Through my NICE journey, I was able to gain more understanding in answering that question. eading Transformation by Design (Dickens, et al., 01 ), had a significant impact on my understanding of Christian education and therefore my teaching practice. I became aware of the understanding of Christ in all things and at the centre of all things, including education. The personal challenge I had with a dualistic worldview, especially regarding my own Christian schooling experience, became a glorious transformation,
Before I commenced my master’s course, I thought I did practice Christian education in a Christian school by having devotions in class, praying, reading the Bible, and occasionally connecting what we were learning in class to biblical perspectives ...
facilitating a total change in my perception, attitude, knowledge, understanding, teaching practice, and my worldview. Part of this can be attributed to the clearly written framework in Transformation by Design. The book distinctly establishes guidelines to facilitate the foundation for developing a Christ-centred, Bible-based worldview-shaped approach to Christian education.
I see how powerfully culture can influence worldviews ( ilkens & Sanford, 2009) just as I was influenced by dualism and the sacred/secular separation. That has made me alert to dualism in school and teaching practices. An authentic Christian worldview and a transformed mind equip teachers to support students and colleagues in looking at the world through a biblical lens and the perspective of God’s truth. Instead of being “conformed to this world,” we can be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (New King James Version, Romans 12:2).
My National Institute Master’s course liberated me from dualism, producing a genuine transformation in my thinking and practice. When reading the article by Fennema (2006) Transforming Education: Teachers, I was inspired. He states that: for teachers to be transformers of education, the Holy Spirit must have transformed them; they must be born again. The requirement that all teachers in Christian schools must have hearts regenerated by the Spirit of God … is a necessary component for transformation. (p. 22) The transformation I have experienced through knowledge and prompting from the Spirit has led to changes in my roles as a classroom teacher and literacy development leader. Fennema (2006) noted that Christian teachers if they “seek to transform, need to be faithful to the Word in their epistemology, ontology, pedagogy, purposes, and worldview” (p. 23). This is an ongoing process
within my teaching and leadership roles and involves being faithful and authentic within these roles and in my relationship with peers and students. My leadership role in curriculum development includes supporting colleagues. My original brief for the role in English curriculum development was basically to raise the NAPLAN scores by training and supporting teachers to create better writers. The part about NAPLAN scores did not sit well with me. However, I do believe in striving for excellence; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). When presenting to staff about writing, I first wanted to look at the biblical perspective of why we learn to write. When the foundation for writing is based on the Bible, staff and students can perceive writing as a skill that can be used to serve and bless others, not just to get a good mark.
Our curriculum should acknowledge that “Jesus is the Lord of every facet and dimension of life” (Dickens et al., 2017, p. 11). By applying Christian principles to deliver a curriculum that is holistic and biblically informed, we help our students to understand their place within the biblical narrative. Students can be guided “to discover and understand the God-given meaning and structure of the world, and their place and purpose within it” (p. 7). I aim for formational learning which “develops the mind, captivates the heart,
and equips the hand, encouraging curious and courageous learners to explore God’s world and live out the hope of Christ” (Hanscamp et al., 2019, p. 15). Having a solid understanding of theology and application to Christian principles allows a teacher to “critique and discern where and how the Australian curriculum is congruent with and where it presents challenges to a biblically-informed approach to curriculum” (Dickens et al., 2017, p. 7). This provides the opportunity to “equip students to identify, test, and critique the underlying meanings and assumptions implicit to all the material they explore” (p. 9). This is important because,
Whatever a teacher believes to be real, true and of value is what they will teach. If a teacher’s beliefs align with the perspective of a Christian worldview they will more easily teach from that perspective. However, if they do not understand basic Christian theology and philosophy of education, they will struggle to make a Christian understanding come alive for the learner. (Starling et al., 2015, p. 49)
A change in my worldview was also related to identity in Christ, viewing the students and myself as Christ’s image-bearers and growing to become responsive disciples. James K. A. Smith (2009) depicts humans as desiring creatures and states that “we are what we love” (p. 27). What we love then shapes our decisions, habits, behaviour, and relationships. ather than being defined as abstract or conceptual, this love is described as having as the target a vision of the good life, a place we can thrive, where imaginations are gripped, and this life can intrinsically become a part of who we are. This abundant life can “only be found in God, and Jesus is the way” (Fennema, 2006, p. 40).
The third question that Norsworthy (in Beech, 2015) presents is what is one’s view of God? The understanding of who God is impacts the understanding of the “learner’s place in his creation, purpose and plan” (p. vii).
A change in my worldview was also related to identity in Christ, viewing the students and myself as Christ’s image-bearers and growing to become responsive disciples.
The task of true education is to develop knowledge of God and His created reality and to use that knowledge in exercising a creative-redemptive dominion over the world in which we live. Such an outcome can only be obtained by loving God and communing with Him, resulting in the wholehearted worship of God. (Graham, 00 , p. )
I am grateful to be experiencing this abundant life. It does not depend on life circumstances, which can be unpredictable and change suddenly. It reflects the understanding that God has me in His hands. His Word teaches me, and His Spirit guides me in all things, including my role as an educator. Christian education is a “matter of formation, a task of shaping and creating certain kinds of people (Smith, 00 , p. ), and can be practiced in our classrooms by applying biblical truths to every part of the educational process. I am very grateful for the National Institute lecturers who have travelled this journey with me and given me support, grace, and wise counsel. This journey would not have progressed without the encouragement of my teaching partner. I am extremely appreciative of his support and inspiration.
Beech, G. . ( 01 ). Christians as teachers: What might it look like? Wipf & Stock.
Cairney, T. ( 01 ). Pedagogy and education for life. Cascade Books.
Dickens, K., Hanscamp, M., Mustin, A., arker, C., Stok, J., hite, T. ( 01 ). Transformation by design: The big picture. National Institute for Christian Education.
Dickens, K. ( 00 ). Church and the Christian school. In R. Edlin, J. Ireland, & G. Beech ( ds.), Engaging the culture: Christians at work in education (pp. 10 1 ). ational Institute for Christian Education.
Dinham ( 01 ). Leading learning and teaching. ACER Press.
ennema, J. ( 00 ). Transforming education: Students. In . dlin, J. Ireland, G. Beech ( ds.), Engaging the culture: Christians at work in education (pp. ). ational Institute for Christian Education.
ennema, J. ( 00 ). Transforming education: Teachers. In . dlin, J. Ireland, G. Beech ( ds.), Engaging the culture: Christians at work in education (pp. 1 ). ational Institute for Christian Education.
Graham, D. ( 00 ). Teaching redemptively: Bringing grace and truth into your classroom. urposeful Design.
Hanscamp, M., Clarke, D., Mustin, A., & arker, C. ( 01 ). Transformation by design: Crafting formational learning. Christian Education National.
Jensen, B. ( 014). Turning around schools: It can be done. Grattan Institute.
arker, C. ( 01 ). he ro the h National Institute for Christian Education.
Smith, J. K. A. ( 00 ). Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, worldview, and cultural tradition. Baker Academic.
Starling, S., Cook, R., O’Doherty, S., Scott, S., & members of the CSA Curriculum Action Group. ( 01 ). Connecting learners with God’s big story. Christian Schools Australia. Connecting-Learnerswith-Gods-Big-Story.pdf
alsh, B. J., iddleton, . J. (1 4). The transforming vision. InterVarsity Press. ilkins, S., Sanford, . . ( 00 ). Hidden worldviews: Eight cultural stories that shape our lives. IVP Academic.
1. iona identifies her year teacher as inspirational. ho has been both inspirational and formational in your journey in Christian education? Why?
2. What do you discern to be at the heart of Fiona’s journey from dualism to “effective Christian teaching”?
3. How do you understand the inter-relationship between the character of the teacher and the curriculum of the subject?
Fiona is a primary school teacher working in a Christian school in the north of Melbourne. After completing her BEd from Melbourne University, she worked as a music and classroom teacher in a variety of schools. Fiona recently completed her Master of Education with the National Institute. She is passionate about applying authentic Christian education within the roo i re ti e w to e the i e o e alive for her students. Fiona is a cancer survivor. She enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, cooking, and walking her three dogs.
I am grateful to be experiencing this abundant life. It does not depend on life circumstances, which can be unpredictable and change suddenly. It reflects the understanding that God has me in His hands.
ABSTRACT How is God at work in a community when their Christian school is closing? What sustains and connects people as they finish a work God has called them to? In this thoughtful piece, Jemma Keast reminds us we may not see the full fruits of our work—but God does. As she reflects on her time at Deniliquin Christian School, it is with gratitude she explains how, in every season, God’s timing is always right.
Upon the closure of Deniliquin Christian School (DCS) at the end of 2022, a final school yearbook was created. This yearbook contained reflections on the school from past parents, students, and teachers. Deniliquin Christian School operated in Deniliquin, NSW, from 1996-2022. I was blessed to be part of the staff from 2016 to 2022, which, as I came to learn, was one full cycle. I saw students begin their school life in kindergarten in 2016 and celebrated their year 6 graduation with them at the end of last year. I was also privileged to be invited to see students from my original year 6 cohort complete their year 12 graduation at their new senior schools (as DCS finished at year 10). It is humbling to think that my entire teaching experience is just one of many revolutions. What follows is a collection of reflections on the revolutions of Deniliquin Christian School, with much thanks and appreciation to those who shared their thoughts and memories with our school community.
Deniliquin Christian School was founded by a principalship team of Kate Cann and Simon Taylor in 1996. The school had existed in a variety of locations and under a range of leaders prior to the current school site being purchased and devoted to God by faithful families who walked the perimeter in a prayer walk. The school was, and remained, a collection of demountable buildings, which were delivered to the school and assembled by Mobile Mission Maintenance and the original faithful families. These founding families were committed to seeing a school where their children could be taught by faithful Christians through a Christian worldview. The original staff members and families completed funding applications into all hours of the
night, and completed Board of Studies accreditation requirements. As someone who has recently taken part in the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) accreditation process, I cannot fathom the paperwork involved in completing those initial registrations. High school students waited in anticipation for the first playground to be built, and made up for lost time when it finally arrived—their enthusiasm trumping that of the younger students because they had waited the longest. Small classes and willing parents tripped away on excursions for new experiences and new friends, connecting with other Christian Education National (CEN) schools. Teachers and board members attended conferences and were billeted, growing the connections with CEN.
For many years, DCS was a school that epitomised community. Parents cleaned the bathrooms, picked up students for trips to the library, and screen printed the uniforms. The families were connected by a shared vision and shared faith. The students grew in knowledge and faith and the community extended to the playground where students,
These founding families were committed to seeing a school where their children could be taught by faithful Christians through a Christian worldview.
If a school is a child’s playground, then the staff are the monkey bars, the slide, and the bark chips. They are stable. They provide opportunities for students to play, grow stronger, try new things.
young and old, played together. As the years went by, the school began to take in students from outside the Christian community. For so many of the Christian families, the school had been a first choice—a desired and worked-for place where they were pleased to send their children, confident in both the education and care that they would receive there. For other families however, it was a local option for education when, for whatever reason, their first preference of school had not worked out. Whilst, for some, DCS was not the right fit, for others, it was a safe place for children and parents alike. Children who had struggled at their first school thrived at DCS. Students were taught to read, taught the Bible, and shown love on a daily basis from their teachers and peers. DCS was a place where those who were bullied found friends and acceptance, those who struggled in the classroom made gains, and those who grew up knowing Christ’s love had the opportunity to extend it to others. It was one of my great joys to see Christian parents reaching out to their children’s friends and families, picking the kids up for youth group and church, facilitating
a growing connection to the Christian community in Deniliquin and surrounding areas.
If a school is a child’s playground, then the staff are the monkey bars, the slide, and the bark chips. They are stable. They provide opportunities for students to play, grow stronger, try new things. They break the fall, and they are stable and reliable. And without them, there would be no playground, no school. Note here that I use the word staff rather than teachers. At DCS, I had the privilege to work alongside an exceptional staff team; teachers, administrators, aides, librarians, bus drivers, principals. In a small school, everyone is required to wear different hats (including a widebrimmed one for playground duty!) and DCS was no exception. Staff served on the association, mowed the lawns, cleaned the classrooms, built the infrastructure, planted the gardens, watered the trees, fixed the Internet, and made lunches for the children. The staff loved the children and showed grace beyond measure. I once visited a CEN school which had a sign on the inside of the staffroom door which read, “You are entering the mission field”. This was the attitude the staff took. DCS was truly a place where God’s love and grace was shared through the staff to the students, sharing it with some who had not experienced it before. DCS, like other CEN schools, was owned and run by the school association and, by extension, the board. Across my years at DCS, I experienced the leadership of two board chairs and a variety of board members, who sought after God’s will as they led the school. These people poured their time and efforts into the school, creating a place where God’s Word could be faithfully shared. Throughout the years, school parents served on the board whilst their children attended, and beyond, and in the final years,
members of the local Christian community stepped in to fill necessary roles in support of God’s work through the school.
Schools do not close without reason. In human terms, there were explanations in relation to finances, student population, and facilities. However, hand in hand with these human reasons was Ecclesiastes 3:1; “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”. This was the end of the season. And in the mourning of the “final” everything, there was the comfort that God’s timing is always right. Each student that God had ordained had attended the school. Each seed had been planted. Each staff member had made their mark. Each friendship had been built. Each trial had been endured. Each lesson had been learned.
The day before we announced to the school community that the school was closing, my class was completing our morning devotion. We had been learning about themes from the Gospel of Mark. That week, the theme was the Kingdom of God. If there is a King, then there must be a Kingdom over which the King rules. God reigns as King—always has and always will. Here is a line from the devotion that one of our staff members planned for this day: “Just because I can’t see the good that comes from a bad situation doesn’t mean there never will be”. To illustrate this line, I pulled out my copy of The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (Boom et al., 1971). I told the students the true story of Corrie and her sister, Betsie, who entered their sleeping hut in Ravensbruck concentration camp. Betsie was determined that they should be thankful for whatever God provided, which included the fleas in their beds. Corrie turned to her sister, saying, “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea” (p. 185). Weeks later,
Betsie and Corrie discovered that those fleas meant that the guards would not enter their hut, giving the women the opportunity to share the gospel with the other women in the hut. As Corrie and Betsie reflected, there was reason to thank God for the fleas. As I shared this with the class, knowing that afternoon that their parents would receive the letter informing them of the school’s closure, I spoke to them about the ways that we can pray to God in a bad situation, that one day He would show us the good that could come from that bad situation.
The next day, my class sat in the same circle for another devotion. This one was riddled with questions. There were plenty of “whys”, plenty of “what ifs”, and plenty of “what will happen to … ?”. There were tears. Eventually there was laughter (“When the school closes, can I take home the fire extinguisher?”), and there was a God-given moment. A student put up their hand to share: Last night, I prayed that God would show me the good that could come out of this sad situation. And I think I know what that might be. Maybe I will get to know some new friends, or be able to get back together with some old friends. (DCS student, 2022)
This was from a student whose grandfather had been part of the founding team that started the
school, who still worked there— whose parents had attended the school together and met there and married. And a student who had attended only this school for their whole school life, who had made a commitment to God in their kindergarten year—and a student who can find change hard. To hear these faithful words confirmed that God had been working and would continue to work.
Each morning as we finish devotion, we pray. There are generally the few “old faithfuls” who each day volunteer to pray. This day, some of those students who were generally silent in prayer, prayed for the school and each other. The student who invades my nightmares after a
rough day prayed for the teachers— that they would find work.
The season is now over. But God’s work is not done. His seed has been sown and in many it has grown and is bearing fruit. In some it is still being watered, and by God’s grace, staff will still water those same seeds in Scripture, new schools, kids’ church, and youth group. One day, God’s chosen will gather in Heaven to praise Him for the work He did at Deniliquin Christian School, and by His grace, we will see the fruit which we were privileged to plant and water. To God be the glory.
References
Boom, C., Sherrill, J., & Sherrill, E. (1 1). The hiding place. Hodder & Stoughton.
1. In challenging situations or times of uncertainty both for students’ own lives and in the life of the school, how can we help students develop resilience, find meaning, and trust in God’s plan for them?
. In light of Jemma’s reflections, how can we create meaningful opportunities for students, parents, and staff in our schools to reflect on their educational journeys, celebrating milestones and accomplishments?
3. How can you put strategies in place to help your staff, or your students, cope with change and transition in their own lives, or in the life of the school, or in their social worlds?
4. hat stands out for you about the closure of DCS and the reflections Jemma has provided? What can you take with you into your own teaching, leading, or school practice that will help you trust more in God’s love for you, and His plan for you and your school?
e too her r t o pri r te her t e i i ui Christian School, remaining there until its closure in 2022. This work in Christian education drove a desire to learn more and she completed a Master of Education through the National Institute for Christian Education in 2022. Jemma continues to teach primary school children in Deniliquin, where there are unlimited iew o u tree re e te o the u ri er peop e th t show the true meaning of community.
One day, God’s chosen will gather in Heaven to praise Him for the work He did at Deniliquin Christian School ...
By John Hull (2023)
After Kuyper’s “square inch” quote my next favourite is John Hull’s (2003), “Aiming for Christian education, settling for Christians educating” (p. 203). Therefore, I was glad to be asked to review his recently released book on the neo-Calvinist tradition of education in Canada. I was not disappointed. Now in his “retirement” phase, Hull’s passion for authentic Christian education and schooling is still palpable. As someone who has had a similar trajectory in Christian education and finding myself at the same stage in life, my passion was rekindled.
The book has three sections: historical survey, discussion of key issues, and personal memoir. Despite some significant nuanced differences, I found the Canadian experience of Christian education to be very similar to our own in Australia. In reading about another context, I gained a clearer insight into our own journey in what we call reformational worldview education. The similarities begin with our indebtedness to Dutch Reformed folk who settled in our countries, and behind that, to the rich wholeof-life philosophy flowing out of Reformed theology which was articulated by Kuyper and others.
This all-of-life philosophy had its intellectual centre in the Free University of Amsterdam, which in North America, found its home in tertiary institutions like Toronto’s Institute of Christian Studies (ICS), Dordt University (Iowa), and Calvin University (Michigan).
Reading Hull helped me see that the Dutch connection had stronger intellectual roots in Canada than in Australia, notwithstanding our own Doug Blomberg being a lecturer at ICS and eventually its president. It also helped me see the uniqueness of our National Institute for Christian Education with its embeddedness in the Christian schools’ sector.
Other similarities include the emergence of publications, partnerships, and personalities and their various influences on the
development of Christian schooling. It was encouraging to read that people and organisations didn’t always have the same mind and that what was written wasn’t always well received. Despite these things, there—like here—God continues to use our faltering efforts to achieve His purposes.
Curriculum was the major focus with much debate over the “ordering principle” of curriculum. There was also division over whether a Christian curriculum needed to be based on themes rather than disciplines. Like us, the Canadians had many struggles over how to provide a biblical perspective within a curriculum paradigm antithetical to their purposes. And the purposes of Christian education and Christian life were at the heart
The book has three sections: historical survey, discussion of key issues, and personal memoir.
of the discussions. In the “Preface”, Hull (2023) writes, “If the Christian life is meant to be a hope-filled life, it must be focused on the reconciliation of what is broken, not achieving success in a consumerdriven culture” (p. xiii).
Intrinsic to Reformational education has been an emphasis on worldview and a “Creation-Fall-RedemptionRenewal” framework. As in Australia, this emphasis has been critiqued in Canadian reformational circles. This critique has coincided with an awareness that Christian pedagogy must receive as much attention as curriculum. Hull’s quote in reference to the Canadian- (now also American-) based program, Teaching for Transformation (TfT), expresses this tension well:
TfT educators no longer consider worldview to be the end game for Christian education because they know it is not the catalyst that changes lives. However, they acknowledge the importance of worldview because teachers and students need the lens of Scripture to interpret, critique, and imagine alternatives to the spirits that rule the age. (p. 217)
The discourse of transformation features strongly in Hull’s book. The triumphalist notion of Christian schooling for cultural transformation is critiqued with reference to the work of Hunter (2010), Crouch (2013), and Smith (2009). Hull prefers “reconciliation” as the outcome of personal transformation through the gospel and, as the title suggests, hoping for and working towards the
transformation that God is achieving in His world.
I loved reading Hull because of his ongoing pursuit of a non-clichéd articulation of Reformational Christian education and his insistence on the radical nature that Christian schooling needs to maintain. He cites Harro van Brummelen, (van Brummelen, 1986 as cited in Hull, 2023), a very influential Canadian educator who has greatly influenced our thinking here in Australia as well. “You will know when the Christian school has capitulated to the public education paradigm”, he says, when its “quest for quality education [has] overshadowed the desire for uniqueness” (p. 50).
Sections of this excellent book will certainly find a place in the National Institute course readings.
I commend this book heartily to all who seek to understand the reformational tradition of education and to those who simply want their practice to be grounded in the certain hope of the gospel.
Crouch, A. (2013). Culture making: Recovering our creative calling InterVarsity Press.
Hull, J. E. (2003). Aiming for Christian education, settling for Christians educating: The Christian school’s replication of a public school paradigm. Christian Scholar’s Review, 32(2), 203-223.
Hunter, J. D. (2010). To change the world: The irony, tragedy, and possibility of Christianity in the late modern world Oxford University Press.
Smith, J. K. A. (2018, October 18). Is there room for martyrs in our church? Chapel homily. Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN. http:// forsclavigera.blogspot. com/2009/11/room-for-martyrs.html
Ken is currently a senior adjunct lecturer for the National Institute for Christian Education. His history of working with the Institute dates back to 1998 when he began as an adjunct lecturer. Ken was principal of the Institute (2009-2016) and CEO of Christian Education National (2009-2015). Before entering the tertiary sector, Ken was a school teacher for 30 years.
Ken lives with his wife Jennie in the Blue Mountains of NSW. They have four adult children and lots of grandchildren. Ken enjoys reading, doing home projects, and watching rugby and cricket.
To hear a discussion with this author, go to the Christian Education Podcast. Scan this QR code or find it on a podcast app.
I loved reading Hull because of his ongoing pursuit of a non-clichéd articulation of Reformational Christian education and his insistence on the radical nature that Christian schooling needs to maintain.
Emily is currently the teaching and learning leader at Palmerston Christian College (PCC) in the Northern Territory. She is in her eighth year at PCC and has enjoyed deepening her understanding of Christian education after teaching for nine years in the state system in Queensland. She is passionate about supporting staff development as Christian educators. Emily is currently studying her Master of Education (Leadership) through the National Institute for Christian Education and appreciates engaging with other Christian educators in this space. Emily is married to David and has four sons still at school, Max, Dru, Mitchell, and Finn. She loves the laidback culture of the NT, school camps to central Australia, and has recently self-published a book of poetry.
Host: Ken Smith & Tessa Mudge
When one of my high school teachers released a podcast mid-2022, I was interested to hear what he had to say! Ken Smith teams with Tessa Mudge to explore the science and theories of decision-making and how to make better judgements. Taking time to understand the impacts on my decision-making as suggested in this podcast has been incredibly helpful. Season one explores approaches to decision-making, offering thoughtful insights and practical strategies, such as developing tiny habits. These episodes are short and punchy.
In the second season the hosts interviewed guests from a range of professions—including politician, artist, principal, and paramedic— discussing the types of decisions required by each role.
The exploration of thinking problems and biases in their third season offers a helpful analysis of the way these problems impact our decisionmaking and provides strategies to lessen their impact. Further resources can be found at the podcast website: Good Better ight.
Host: Phil Boyte
From my nine years teaching in a state high school to entering Christian education seven years ago, I have been fascinated by the way culture is developed in schools. More recently as a leader, I have had a keen interest in what can be done to change and perpetuate culture. Phil Boyte hosts this podcast exploring school culture through dialogue with educators and experts in the field of school culture and leadership.
My most shared podcast from this series is #100, an interview with Dr John Eick, who passionately speaks about celebrating the things you wish to perpetuate! This has directly impacted my work, compelling me to intentionally look for things to celebrate each week and to include this celebration in our weekly newsletter to staff. While not from a biblical worldview, many of the discussions mirror Christian culture—building trust, creating connections, and storytelling to create meaning, to name a few. What I love about this podcast is the real conversations around what has worked and failed.
As a mum of four boys 8-14 years of age, full-time school leader/teacher and Master’s student, my time is often pulled in multiple directions. Podcasts allow me to satisfy my love of learning while folding washing, completing housework, or on long walks without needing to sit down and read (although I do that often enough for my study!). My podcast choices are often eclectic, but I thoroughly enjoy podcasts on education, biblicallysound sermons, parenting, and current cultural issues.
3 4 5
Topic / Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Host: Strahan Coleman
A relatively new podcast, this production was developed as a practical accompaniment to the book of the same name by Strahan Coleman. In his under ten-minute episodes, Strahan invites the listener to bask in the presence of God and enjoy His love for us. Countering the cultural practice of rushing, the episodes guide the listener through practices to slow down, be present, and commune with our Abba ather. I find myself wanting to sit longer than the episode’s run time. In the description of prayer on his website, commonerscommunion. com, Strahan notes that “Prayer isn’t meant to be just another transaction in the busy and consumer-saturated world we live in, but a place of deeply satisfying communion.” His gentle approach to communion with God in prayer is refreshing. I would recommend this podcast for anyone wanting to reset and slow down in their practice of prayer.
Topic / Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Host: Steve McAlpine
Hearing Stephen McAlpine speak for the first time at IT C 01 , I became a bit of a fan. Seeking out the podcasts of the church he pastored, I appreciated his biblicallysound preaching mixed with a keen understanding of the world in which we live and teach. Stumbling across Delorean Philosophy a few weeks ago was fantastic and it has quickly become a favourite. In his recognisable conversational tone, Steve unpacks where our world is headed and how we can engage with it faithfully. Covering topics from work to sex to faith to the climate crisis, he invites listeners to think critically about the topic and offers ways to navigate the cultural challenges. If you have never heard Steve speak, but you’re a Christian who seeks to understand the culture your students are growing up in and how to live out a life of salt and light to this generation, this is the podcast for you!
Topic / Genre: Education
Host: Paul Matthews
Beginning mid-2022, this podcast operates from a view that education is a glorious journey to a deeper understanding of God and His world. Hosted by Paul Matthews, Christian educator and writer, this podcast is highly relevant for those engaged in Christian education. Paul invites passionate and intelligent educators, cultural thinkers, and parents to share on contemporary topics faced by Christian educators in Australia. Paul consistently frames each topic from a biblical worldview, engages in thoughtful and intelligent discussion with his guests, and finishes the episodes offering helpful strategies on how to implement the practices discussed in schools. I appreciate the insight and application it offers to my everyday work, as well as the challenge to consider my own views on each topic. I would highly recommend this to Christian educators, especially those new to Christian education wanting to deepen their understanding.
This year’s National Institute for Christian Education graduation ceremony, combined with Alphacrucis University College, was held at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour.
We were thrilled that of the 28 National Institute graduates completing their course requirements in the past 12 months, 15 were able to attend the graduation ceremony in person. They were supported by eight members of the National Institute faculty.
Nathan Barrett
Graduate Certificate of ducation (Leadership)
Justin Boseley
Master of Education
Joseph Britton aster of ducation ( eadership)
Jodie Brotherson
Graduate Certificate of ducation
Alexander Cameron aster of ducation ( eadership)
Stephen Crocker
Graduate Certificate of ducation (Leadership)
Louisa Doherty aster of ducation ( eadership)
Melinda Dubbeld
aster of ducation ( eadership)
Lisa Dumicich
aster of ducation ( eadership)
Kellie Giannes
aster of ducation ( eadership)
Wayne Gillie
Master of Education
Frederik Hofsink
aster of ducation ( eadership)
Angella Jackson aster of ducation ( eadership)
Carey James
Graduate Certificate of ducation (Leadership)
Jemma Keast
Master of Education
Wendy Lowe
Graduate Certificate of ducation (Leadership)
Paul Lock aster of ducation ( eadership)
Danielle Lupi
Master of Education
Lukas Martens
Graduate Certificate of ducation (Leadership)
Anne Matheson aster of ducation ( eadership)
Mairwen Mortlock-Chapman
Master of Education
Victor Muller
Master of Education
Fiona Naccari
Master of Education
Rachel Parenty aster of ducation ( eadership)
Despina Soitaridis aster of ducation ( eadership)
Neville Stanway aster of ducation ( eadership)
Calum Walker aster of ducation ( eadership)
Benjamin Zhang
Master of Education
To you.
Thank you for your commitment to educating my child, not just equipping her for her future career but helping her to set her eyes on things above. I pray that you will equip her well. If you are a science teacher, teach her science in the best way you can ... with Christ’s help. Recognising that she is not just my daughter, but she is a daughter of the Most High King.
If you are a junior school teacher, teach her the foundations of literacy and numeracy well, helping her to create a curiosity for God’s creation. And do it the best that you can, with Christ’s help.
But don’t just equip her head. Help her appreciate the promises that are set out in the Scriptures for her. Help her to understand that the Creator of the Universe desires to have a relationship with her. Help her to know that even when things are not going as she would hope in life that Jesus is still King.
When she leaves your school be certain that she knows her value, her identity, her purpose, and that ultimately if she trusts God and places her calling in His hands that she can do immeasurably more than she could ever dream or imagine.
But please don’t preach at her. Don’t start science by beginning with an undirected dissertation of the Scriptures.
Rather help her discover God’s incredible creation and remind her that as Creator, God cares so much more for her than He does for the birds of the air and the flowers in the field.
As a Christian educator help her to value and love prayer.
Don’t teach her that prayer is a religious activity that happens at certain times of the day with set prayers. Do more than just praying at the beginning of the day, lunchtime,
and the end of the day. Expose her to more than just students praying, “thank you for today, pray that nobody gets hurt, amen”. Rather, teach her to love prayer and see it as an ongoing conversation with her Creator and the lover of her soul ... not just the mindless regurgitation of a cosmic wish list. Please model meaningful and authentic prayer to her, a conversation of respect between her and the Sustainer of Life. And help her to love the Scriptures. Don’t relegate Scripture memorisation to a thoughtless homework task; the memorising patterns of words from the Bible that will be assessed on Friday and replaced with another pattern of words on Monday, something that is punishable but writing out over and over and over if she has the pattern wrong on Friday.
Rather, make Scripture a fundamental part of her classroom. Let it be revisited and unpacked with such frequency that it would be almost impossible for her to not hide His Word in her heart. Please do not punish her when she gets it wrong, rather reflect how you could explore different approaches in the class to assure such a strong programme that it is harder for her to fail than it is to succeed.
And please, present the Scriptures to her in such a way that she knows that His Word is relevant to her life now and for her future. Through your passion for His Word help her to develop an insatiable curiosity for the Scripture.
Help her to love worship.
Don’t make her numb to worship by putting her in a room where all the students gather together and powerful words about her Creator and what He has done for her go in her eyes and out her mouth without
. By Shaun Brookertouching anything on the way through.
Rather take time and have her consider the rich truths that the artist has brought to life through song. Promote the stickiness of those words so that they penetrate her mind and saturate her heart.
Please don’t be offended but know that just because you are a Christian teacher, it does not mean that my daughter will experience Christian education in your classroom.
Rather, the quality of the Christian education that she experiences in your classroom will be proportional to the intentionality that you put into both the subtle and overt experiences she has of Christ, the Scriptures, and in her curriculum and how you as the teacher model what it is to live sold out for Him.
I pray that your love for her as a Christian educator will not be limited by how much you like her. She is different by design and I love her deeply.
So thank you. Thank you for the way that you will join us in modelling how to be a Christian in this broken world. That you will not just tell her, but show her the Fruit of the Spirit in action and that through who you are, she will understand what it means to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with her Maker.
Praying God’s richest blessings for you, Parents of “You Know Who”.
Shaun is the president of the New Zealand Association for Christian Schools and the principal of Hamilton Christian School. He has a passion for authentic and intentional Christian Education, sharing his stirrings about Christian education at www.christianeducation.org.nz.
Rod
Thompson,
this helpful tool builds on our Transformation by Design resources and sets out a helpful framework for teachers to immerse themselves and their students in the scriptures in a transforming and life-giving way.
Purchase a copy @ estore.nice.edu.au
