Basic Christian Education Principles For Teachers

By Brenda Schmidt


A teacher plays an important role in molding his or her students to become better Christians or embrace the faith in their lives. However, teaching should not be taken in a haphazard manner. There are Christian education principles for teachers that must be followed in order to achieve desired results. Here is a look at some of these pillars that will guide the teacher in his or her training.

The first responsibility for a teacher is to live the gospel he or she is teaching to children. The reality is that instructors are drawn from the same environment as students. It means that they will interact on regular basis. In the course of interaction, students should see the God that the teacher has been talking about in class in their teacher. If they fail to see that, the lessons taught will be useless.

The gospel must be taught in its factual form. There are different versions and wording for stories in the bible. The teacher must represent facts correctly and avoid misleading. This happens when the teacher does not study the bible with passion. Some names are mixed up and incidences misrepresented. In some cases, lessons are misrepresented because of religious bias. The bible is the source of all Christian knowledge and should remain as such.

The context of biblical stories is as important as the stories. It is by failing to understand the context that many pastors and instructors have twisted the gospel. There are parables given but they are always read in context. If a story is drawn out of context, it will be difficult to correct the resulting misinterpretation in the minds of children. Children are also bound to believe that the interpretation you have given is biblical. Shock on them when they fail to find it.

Guide students on implementation of the gospel or lessons learnt in their lives. The bible was written thousands of years ago. This means that some of the examples given could be difficult to understand. In some cases, the process of understanding may leading to misleading interpretation. Through your guidance, application becomes easier and meaningful to learners.

Students should be encouraged to ask questions. Stories and lessons from the bible are bound to elicit questions. Be ready to answer or address these questions. By stopping your students from asking questions, you will be dealing with a gullible class. It becomes impossible for them to apply the lessons learnt in the bible. It is by asking questions that the lessons stick on their head. They also learn to apply the teachings of the gospel.

Teach them about discernment. The message of Christ can easily be lost when interpreted amidst noise. It might even not make sense to you because the context or society that existed then has changed into something else. During discernment, the learner will understand the deeper message that Christ was passing. It also makes it easier to feel this message and how it is applying in your life.

Memorizing should not be fronted at the expense of understanding. It is good that a student knows the details of a story or parable, but it is important that he or she learns to think through it. Understanding will create Christians who can live the gospel and not just recite it.




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