Galli’s “The Cost of Christian Education”

Last week I received an e-mail from a theology student at a seminary in Brazil. He’s taking a class in apologetics and wanted me to share my thoughts on, “How can I prove God historically?” I found the question vague and asked for clarification. The best I ever got was that he was trying to prove the existence of God using “the historical apologetics.”

I’ve always found “apologetics” as an approach to faith or belief rather foreign to how I think about faith. It’s a bi-product of an objectivist approach to epistemology and learning. Ultimately, it sounds too much like people are trying to convince themselves about what they want to believe. Mark Galli discusses the limitations of that educational approach in matters of faith in his article, entitled “The Cost of Christian Education.”

His article begins:

“The thought of watching my youngest pick up her high school diploma tomorrow has started me pondering education—in our nation and in the church. I’ve been concerned about both, and I’m hardly alone. Teachers, students, parents, and administrators all can wax eloquent about the problems of public education. And anyone who has taught Sunday school knows that the joy of being with children during that hour is accompanied by concern about what exactly is being accomplished. In many churches, Sunday school feels like baby-sitting with a lesson attached.”

You can read the rest of the article from the Christianity Today website.

What do you think? Share your thoughts.