Scotch College

Month:

No one can deny the part that the Bible has played in the past in moulding Western civilisation. Likewise no one can deny that for very many people it appears to have had its day'

(W. Neil November 1953).

This quote is taken from Neil's preface to his book 'The Rediscovery of the Bible'.

The basic premise of this book is that as a result of the scientific scholarship of the past century and the new insights which has made them possible, we are in a better position today than in any previous age to see the relevance of the Bible for our time and the guidance it offers us as members of the human community. Yet many may ask that as the new millennium, post-modernistic trends of relative truth abound then should this view of human spiritual self-examination be the main pillar upon which a Christian Education programme be implemented.

The original Scotch College prospectus published in 1851, states; 'the objective contemplated by this seminary is to impart superior education to young men'. With the incorporation of the College in 1980, the aims were more fully expounded, to include such aspects of the 'education of a humane, scientific and general nature consistent with the teachings of Christianity, to promote the development of Christian ideals of citizenship, and to provide the students of the College regular opportunities for religious observance and worship - which in form shall not be inconsistent with the usages of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria from time to time'

(A Guide to Scotch College, 1989-1990: 3-7).

Peter Vardy's Five Strand approach to religious education allows the teaching of Christian education to be incorporated in a balanced, dynamic programme whilst also allowing the freedom of the listener to indulge in questioning and the forming of their own individual spiritual identity as he comes to grips with the wonderful stories found in the Bible and their application in his daily individual and corporate life. These five strands include:

• Strand one: an appreciation of the Bible and Christian tradition
• Strand two: values education within a broad religious framework
• Strand three: to introduce young people to central areas in philosophy of religion
• Strand four: to help young people to become familiar with the main world religions
• Strand five: to provide children with an appreciation of the value of stillness.

Of all the above strands perhaps the only one that needs further explanation is Strand three. This includes arguments for and against the existence of God; an understanding of God's omnipotence and omniscience; what it means to talk of 'Eternal Life'; the philosophic problems raised by the idea of survival of death and the problem of evil and innocent suffering. These are ongoing life issues and these questions will be discussion points allowing the boys to begin to make informed choices as to the "answers" they begin to propose.

The above framework concurs with many Biblical scholars that proffer the following point-of-view. In ancient times, people when reading early Hebrew accounts about Yahweh's intervention in the early formation of the Israelites as a nation providing a beacon of light to the surrounding nations often asked the following: What is the point of the story? What is it meant to teach? Inquiring minds of today are no different and should be encouraged to ask similar enquiries. Likewise when we read the parable of the Good Samaritan children may well deduce that Jesus was teaching a lesson about neighbourliness. Both the Old and New Testaments emphasise some moral and/or religious truth. The Bible is full of wonderfully compact and illuminating teaching-stories about God and His relations with ourselves.

The values that the Christian education programme seeks to encourage through open discussion include patience, tolerance, perseverance, friendliness, humility, generosity, love, empathy, and compassion.

I would suggest that the Bible's main emphasis is about relationships. How the fragmentation of relationship between God and mankind was restored through God's

self-giving of Jesus. The Scriptures emphasise the importance of persevering to achieve "right" relationship between each other and to God. The Five Strand approach allows this to be discussed and for the boys to make informed choices as to the way their day to day relationships impact upon them individually and those with whom they interact in the wider community.

Christian Education is not taught in isolation but often intersects with other subjects being taught. For example an important component of this term is the discussion of feelings.

Both the grade ones and twos are also studying different systems of the human body. Thus a discussion about the physiological impact of 'feelings' upon us as people seems to be a 'natural' integrated approach.

The Christian Education programme is constantly evolving. Hopefully it is attuned to the needs of the students and their community. I would welcome discussion with anyone who has found that this article or the programme itself has provoked a response.

Whilst the farmer may know the number of seeds sown, only God knows the numbers of seeds the crop will produce. The farmer's hope is that it will be one of abundance and that not only his family will rejoice but that the crop may be shared amongst those that need to be fed.