Tuesday, January 10, 2012

My Thoughts On Christian Education

For the past few months I've been watching my favorite television show Good Times while getting ready for work each morning.

One episode I've watched (on more than one occasion) is relating to education. The morning starts with Florida waking JJ and Michael up so they can get ready for school. It's report card day and everyone is anxious to see grades (well, almost everyone).

Michael and Thelma are straight A students and JJ is on the verge of being held back in the 11th grade. Due to their love hate relationship, Thelma and JJ make a bet that if he passes the 11th grade he gets the bathroom first for a month and if he doesn't he has to wash dishes for a month. The bet is sealed with a twisting of pinky fingers.

Later that day, Thelma and Michael enter the house waving report cards...Michael has all As and Thelma has all As and one B. Then enters in JJ with a long face and his report card. He hands it over to Florida while Thelma pulls out the apron as she feels she has won the bet. Florida opens the report card and to her surprise JJ passed with Cs and an A in Art. Everyone is so excited about JJ passing until Florida opens his notebook to see that his test don't match his report card. So Florida and James gives him a pop quiz with one condition if he doesn't answer correctly they're going down to the school to see what's really going on. Needless to say, he answered none of them correctly so they go down to the school to have a conversation with the school principle.

To their dismay they found out that the school was pushing JJ through so that they could continue receiving government financial aide which is based on the number of students that graduate each year. James nor Florida is happy about this discovery so they leave it up to JJ to make the decision to go with the school's policy or stay back in the 11th grade. JJ choices to move into his 12th grade year knowing that he should have stayed back to get the education he needs to make in life.

I know Good Times is only a TV show but it does have some real life implications that many people in our families and in some cases (but not all) in the Church.

Biblical illiteracy is a growing trend now among our Christian community. People don't study the bible and many preachers don't study/preach the bible for accurate interpretation and understanding. This makes for an unhealthy Body of Christ.

We have to get back to making the pulpit and pew bible students. The pulpit must preach the word of God and members must study the word of God.

Ultimately, Christian education is a personal discipline for every believer.

Study to show yourself approved to God a worker who is not ashamed rightly handling the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

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