Basic Principles
Although there were some variances in emphases, there are basic principles of agreement in the Reformers’ views of education.
1. A high regard for education as a means in promoting Scriptural Christianity.
All the Reformers, without exception, placed a high premium on education as a vehicle to promote the faith of Scripture. In a time of social and political turmoil and prevailing ignorance of Biblical truths, they not only preached the doctrines of the Bible, but also pointed church and state to their educational task.
The Reformation period was unique in time and we can hardly equate it with todays‘ situation, when church and state seem to have little in common. We do, like the Reformation period, live in a time of social and political unrest and instability. The philosophical and political ideas of Marxism/Communism are influencing many people; there is a revival of interest in Islam and Eastern religions; and there is no longer room for the Bible in the schools.
For the church to have an influence in the reformation of today’s world, it ought to pay more attention to education, not only of those who are already related to the church, but especially of those who have little or no church connection. The church ought also to study the relationship between church and state in providing funds for religious instruction in public schools as well as in the financing of Christian schools. A state which provides free, compulsory education, and which has many citizens which claim Christianity as their religion, ought to receive some input from Christians and provide some benefits for its Christian citizens.
2. The authority of Scripture in the curriculum and the educational process.
At the core of the curriculum of the schools of the Reformation was the Bible. It was God’s Book which expounded the way of salvation, but also shed light on the other areas of life. It was the supreme authority in whose light all other subjects were to be evaluated. The views of the Reformers were in direct contrast with those of Erasmus. He, like the Reformer s, placed a high value on the humanities. Yet, unlike the Reformers, who subordinated the humanities to the authority of Scripture, Erasmus sought to reconcile faith and reason. He wanted to harmonize culture and Christianity. A union between these, Erasmus believed, “would resolve the conflict between reason and faith, work and grace, revelation and inquiry, self-assertion and authority.”35 The Reformers appreciated the humanities only to the extent that they were not in conflict with Scripture. They were insistent on this point, and especially Luther made some strong assertions in regard to schools which corrupt the Word of God and an education which places reason above faith. Calvin’s views were similar to Luther’s. Like Luther who held that the will is in bondage,36 Calvin pointed to the blindness of the understanding without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. “We acknowledge man by nature to be blind, darkened in understanding, and full of corruption and perversity of heart, so that of himself he has no power to be able to comprehend the true knowledge of God as is proper . . . Hence he has need to be illuminated by God.”37
This principle is very important for us today when science dictates to man in all areas of life, also in the educational field. Not man and his rational thinking is the authority, but, as Calvin says, “the testimony of the Spirit (in Scripture) is more excellent than all reason. For God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word . . .”38
3. Education is for life.
Not only is knowledge necessary for salvation, but education is to train for life. All areas of life, the home, the church, the market–place, and government, are in need of Christians who are trained to serve. A good education makes good citizens, the Reformers believed. A good Christian education is necessary for all of life, but especially for teachers of the Word—pastors and all who give leadership in the church, the Reformers stressed.
Today we still need this emphasis. A good education is necessary for good government and good citizenship, but it is of utmost importance for those who are to give spiritual leadership in the church.
4. The home and family are primary in education.
The father was held responsible for the education of the children. In the home lay the primary responsibility to train a child in the “way he should go.” But the Reformers also recognized the communal responsibilities of the church and state in aiding parents in their task. Calvin and Knox stressed the responsibility of religious education in the home as well as in the school. The Reformed view of the covenant, whereby infants are incorporated into the church by baptism, makes it incumbent upon parents to bring their children up in the Christian faith.
We need to stress the task which parents have in the home today. Many families are breaking up and the teachings of Scripture bearing on the home and its task need to be emphasized. The church has a task here too and must aid the Christian parents in carrying out their duties.
5. Methodology and the psychology of the child are important.
Because of the nature of their work as Reformers, calling the church back to the Scriptures was the main task of the Reformers, and therefore the emphasis seems to have been more on content and right doctrine than methodology. Yet in various degrees the Reformers paid attention to the developmental process of the child and the child’s psychological needs. Foremost in recognizing these needs was Luther. But also the other Reformers were aware of the peculiar needs which children have. The curriculum they proposed sought to do justice to fulfilling all the needs, intellectual and physical. The curriculum was well–rounded and included art, music, and physical exercises. Calvin believed that “sculpture and painting are gifts of God,” even though he rejected images in the church.39
It remained to later educators such as John Amos Comenius (1592–1670), to develop pedagogy as a science. Living after Copernicus and Francis Bacon, he combined the two perspectives—looking to God, and looking to man -in his educational theories.
Ever since, the pendulum has swung towards man and nature being the sources of all knowledge. Those who are involved in the educational process should be aware of this and judge methodology and psychology and learning theories in the light of God’s revelation in Scripture.
6. Freedom of inquiry is not a license to practice heresy.
All areas of knowledge were open for inquiry and study, according to the Reformers. Yet, this did not mean students were free to practice or propagate any view they wanted. To guard against heresy and license, the church exercised strict control over the schools through its teachers. They, like the ecclesiastical leaders, were required to register their adherence to articles of faith, summarized in the Confessions of the church.
This practice still continues in Reformed churches, especially regarding office–bearers in the church. Schools and other institutions often have as their basis, the Scriptures as expounded in the Three Forms of Unity (the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dordt) and the Westminster Confession.40 I believe such a practice is good and wise. It preserves the purity of doctrine and gives unity to the educational process. Without such control a church or an institution could eventually drift from its Scriptural basis and be open for all kinds of heresies.
The Reformers obviously thought true doctrine was important, for the Reformation period was a great creed–making period. Because all kinds of heresies prevailed in the church, they found it necessary to summarize the teachings of Scripture and teach them to the people.
7. A high regard for teachers.
The Reformers’ view of the teacher was that of a calling next to a minister of the Word. They saw the teacher as the greatest influence on the student learning process.
They were right in this and it is a principle teachers do well to remember. Educational theories today hold that the greatest influence, greater than any methodology, is the teacher.
Conclusion:
We who wish to stand on the foundations laid by the Reformers do well to study their educational views. Although there are slight nuances in emphases, their unanimity on basic principles is overwhelming. They all viewed education as the primary means for promoting the true religion; held to the supreme authority of Scripture in the educational process; viewed education as a preparation for all of life; they saw the home and family as the foundation of church and society; they saw the importance of methodology and the psychology of the child; they believed freedom of inquiry is not a license to practice heresy; and they had a high regard for the teacher.
Bibliography
Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion. 2 Vols. John T. McNeill, Ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960.
Calvin: Theological Treatises. J .K.S. Reid, Ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1954.
DeJong, Peter Y. “Calvin’s Contributions to Christian Education.” Calvin Theological Journal, Vol. 2, No.2, Nov. 1967.
Hanko, R. “Luther’s View on Education.” Perspectives in Covenant Education, Fall 1979, No. 1, Vol. 5, pp. 20–69.
Plass, Ewald M., Compiler. What Luther Says. Saint Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1959.
Smith, Samuel. Ideas of the Great Educators. New York, Hagerstown, San Francisco, London: Barnes & Noble Books, A Division of Harper & Row, Publishers, 1979.
Towns, Elmer L. Ed. A History of Religious Educators. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1975.
Footnote: The first part of this article which appeared in our September issue outlined the educational views of individual Reformers. This concluding part draws some general conclusions applying them to current problems.
34. Marshall Coleman Dendy, A History of Religious Educators, pp. 161–66.
35. Robert Ulrich, A History of Religious Educators, p. 95.
36. Robert Ulrich, A History of Religious Educators, p. 95.
37. Calvin: Theological Treatises, p. 27.
38. Calvin’s Institutes, I, VII, 4, p. 79.
39. Calvin’s Institutes, I, XI, 12, p. 112.
40. Reformed Bible College has these in its constitution and its teachers and students must be in agreement of these Confessions.