Opinion: John Wesley on Education

Christian Education

according to John Wesley

Each year, over 21,000 students aged six to 18 years attend one of our 15 Methodist schools. Another 1600 aged three to six are in 11 Methodist preschools. What makes for Christian education, particularly from the Methodist perspective?

Secular education is focused on the human being, where man is the measure of all things—his knowledge, capabilities and achievements.1 But the goal of Christian education is to glorify God, so that all will learn to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37). As a teacher and teacher developer in JC and the university, it was a delight for me and my students to link all that happens in our bodies to a genius creator, an awesome designer—God— and then to link everything, whether science, arts, history or economics, to His ultimate purpose for our lives.

Dr Phillip Towndrow wrote, “the Christian vision of public education, based on the distinctives of the Christian faith— unconditional love, community orientation and spiritual rootedness in a perfect creator God—is to work towards the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom on earth”.2

According to John Wesley, Christian education must first recognise that all human beings, including children, are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26–27).3 “An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge,” said Wesley, who encouraged teachers to use every opportunity in their lessons to bring attention to God as creator, and as truth.

Methodist theology places a strong emphasis on freedom of choice and thus on personal faith and personal experience; school is therefore an important place for the children to hear the Gospel message and answer God’s call for themselves. Salvation for all was thus an important reason for the Methodist call for education for all.4

Wesley held that it was in community that a fuller appreciation of Christian values such as forgiveness reconciliation, renewal and service to others can be developed.5 Aaron Ho, a Christian ministry staff (CMS) at ACS (Independent) says that students face multiple challenges and CMSs can make a big impact by helping to marry the life-changing Gospel message with effective life skills for the students. Joshua Rusly Chai, a Year 6 student at ACS (Independent), appreciates being surrounded by Christian teachers, mentors and friends who love and support him, and show him what it means to be loved by Christ.

Wesley considered it important to help students “discover every false judgement of our minds”, “subdue every wrong passion in our hearts” and move towards a life dedicated to serving God and others.6 Character development in our students is thus part of Methodism’s traditional emphasis of cultivating Christ-likeness.

“A literate generation in this confusing age finds itself in jeopardy as did an illiterate generation in the time of the Wesleys,”7 as Harold Mason observed in 1956. The challenge continues today for our educators to prepare our next generation to be discerning when exposed to all sorts of media that may promote heresy, reject biblical teaching and even poke fun at believers. Christian educators must be “steadfast and righteous and not buckle under the pressure to do what is expedient and perceived to be politically correct.”8 They must live out their faith even as they teach, and they teach that others will come to love God.

Catch the testimonies of these teachers, Christian Ministry staff and students in the upcoming videos “Calling to be a teacher” and “Christian Ministry in Schools” produced by the Council on Education.

The five key features of Wesleyan Education that continue to be relevant today: • Promote self-discipline • Provide understanding and wisdom • Encourage a life-long encounter with Christ • Encourage living according to our needs and not our wants • Encourage a strong work ethic combined with a powerful sense of service to others

1 Creation Training Initiative, “Christian Education,” 12 June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4feWFQ51oQ. / 2 Philip A. Towndrow, Education and Society: A Christian vision of Public Education in Singapore (Singapore: Sower Publishing, 2015. / 3 G. M. Best, Education from a Methodist Perspective, https:// www.methodist.org.uk/downloads/education-amethodistperspective-270312.pdf. / 4 Ibid. / 5 Ibid. / 6 Ibid. / 7 Harold C. Mason, “Some implications of Wesleyan Theology for Christian Education,” The Asbury Seminarian 10, no.1: 7-15, https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google. com/&httpsredir=1&article=2161&context=asburyjournal. / 8 Towndrow.