Friday, July 29, 2016

A Magnificent, Messy Mission

My beach: the beauty, the rhythm of the tides, the dying coral, the old woman picking up trash as we ate breakfast this morning...

What do a beach, a bench, and a book have in common?

They each paint in giant strokes for me what a magnificent world we inhabit, how very messed-up it is, and yet how loved and labored over it is as we all feel moved to salvage it in one way or another. As a Christian, I see a clear explanation of this in the big story of the Bible: God created everything good, sin marred that goodness, but Jesus came to defeat sin and to enroll us in God’s project of ultimately restoring all things. 

In fact, these days, everything I observe, read, experience, or hear about merges into that story. My current heightened sensitivity is due to having spent a good portion of my summer writing up subject area guides for my Christian school that each begin with a philosophy statement couched in these 4 movements of the Biblical metanarrative:
  • Creation: What’s God’s purpose?
  • Fall: What’s wrong?
  • Redemption: What difference does Jesus make?
  • Restoration: What will you do?
Here is a list of the 12 subject area philosophies (in alphabetical order):

Art
  • Creation: God is creative, enjoys beauty, and communicates some of His truth through His creation. As God’s image bearers, humans are creative, are tasked with developing the potential of creation (including visual art), and can perceive truth as revealed in God’s creation.
  • Fall: Because of sin, we glorify art and artists rather than the Creator. We fail to see and develop the possibilities of beauty and creativity within ourselves, others, and God’s creation. We wrongly perceive and wrongly communicate God’s truth seen in His creation.
  • Redemption: Because Jesus died and rose to free us from the power of sin, we can use art to glorify God and to develop the potential of creation as God intended. We can see how God reveals Himself through His creation.
  • Restoration: The Art Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students understand, produce, and respond to art. We do this so students use art to glorify and enjoy God and serve their neighbors as they further develop the potential of God’s creation.
Bible
  • Creation: God created all things very good for His own glory. Adam and Eve lived in right relationship with God, creation, each other, and themselves—they glorified and enjoyed God, cared for and developed creation, nurtured flourishing community with each other, and experienced psychological and emotional wholeness.
  • Fall: Because of sin, our relationships with God, creation, each other, and ourselves are broken. We worship false gods, abuse creation, hurt and fail each other, and experience psychological and emotional brokenness. 
  • Redemption: Jesus lived life as God intended it to be lived—sinlessly and for God’s glory. Jesus died and rose again to free us from the power of sin. All who believe in Jesus are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, restored to right relationship with God, and empowered to live as Jesus did—in healthy relationship with creation, others, and self.
  • Restoration: The Bible Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we emphasize sharing the Gospel and discipleship by meeting students where they are spiritually and by helping them (a) to read the Bible, (b) to develop Biblical literacy and a Christian worldview, (c) to think Biblically, and (d) to make and live out an informed commitment to Jesus.
Early childhood education
  • Creation: Because God created people in His image, even the smallest child deserves respect and love. They are creative, communicative meaning-makers and truth seekers. They have gifts, and they are able to learn. 
  • Fall: Because of sin, society can neglect or misuse children, or simply fail to support their flourishing. Children may face physical, social, emotional, and learning challenges. Children themselves can misuse or abdicate responsibility for their own and their peers’ gifts. 
  • Redemption: Because Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,” we follow His example of valuing children in their whole beings—physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual—and we introduce them to Jesus. Because Jesus died and rose again to free them from the power of sin, they are free to build meaning in the world God has given them, with the gifts God has given them, in the communities God has placed them, with gratitude to God and love for their neighbors. 
  • Restoration: The Early Childhood Education Department (K3, K4) equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we seek to meet each child where he/she is, support their flourishing as whole beings, ignite their God-given gifts and curiosity, and prepare them to effectively and joyfully rise to the challenges of a formal education that equips them to walk with God and impact the world for Him.
English language arts
  • Creation: God made language so we could communicate with Him and with others. Language helps us love God, love our neighbor, and take care of God’s creation.
  • Fall: Because of sin, we use language to exalt ourselves, harm others, and grab power. Because of sin, we miscommunicate.
  • Redemption: Jesus, the Word, used words to proclaim God’s truth. He died and rose to free us from the power of sin. Because He redeemed us, we can use language as God intended.
  • Restoration: The English Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students enjoy God’s gift of language and use language to learn about God and His creation, effectively communicate truth, and bring shalom.
Japanese language
  • Creation: God created language for power (how He created the earth), connection (how He communicated with people and people with each other), and truth (Jesus is the Word—God’s clearest communication of His truth to humans). People, as His image bearers, continue to use language to develop the potential of God’s creation.
  • Fall: After the fall people used language to assert human power over God’s power (Genesis 11), to separate people, and to deceive others.
  • Redemption: Jesus embodies how far God will go to re-establish communication. Jesus became human, sacrificed Himself to reconcile us to God, and rose from the dead so we could desire to be reconciled to others. He also sent His Spirit, and at Pentecost the Holy Spirit enabled all to hear the Gospel in their own language, thus showing us God’s vision of unity that will include people from every language praising Him in heaven.
  • Restoration: The Japanese Language Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students speak, read, and write Japanese language, and understand Japanese culture. We do this so that students will be gracious hosts and/or guests, appreciate the unity in diversity that people have developed as God’s image bearers, and appreciate the interconnection of language and culture. And we do this so that students can, in humility, love their neighbors and communicate the Gospel to them.
Math
  • Creation: Math is the language of creation by which it reflects God’s eternality, unchangeableness, orderliness, dependability, logic, justice, beauty, and mystery. As humans discern and apply mathematical patterns, we delight in God, His creation, and our ability as His image bearers to learn. We make predictions, solve problems, discover laws of nature, steward our resources, create beauty (art, music, architecture...), and stand in awe at the limits of knowledge.
  • Fall: Because of sin, we glorify the creation rather than the Creator, use math for selfish reasons, and give up in the face of difficulty.
  • Redemption: Because He died and rose again to free us from the power of sin, we are free to use math to love and serve God and neighbor, and we are free to persevere in the face of difficulty.
  • Restoration: The Math Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students understand, appreciate, and apply the patterns of math; and we help hone their problem-solving skills. We do this so that students will glorify God for His attributes seen in math. We also do this so that students will use their knowledge and skills to steward their resources and serve others by reasoning carefully, using data ethically, and furthering uncovering and developing the laws and possibilities God has built into His creation. 
Music
  • Creation: God created music for beauty, worship, response to life events, and communication with Him and with others. Music helps us love God, love our neighbor, and develop the potential of God’s creation. 
  • Fall: Because of sin, we glorify music and musicians rather than the Creator. We fail to see and develop the possibilities of beauty and creativity within ourselves or others.
  • Redemption: Because Jesus died and rose to free us from the power of sin, we can use music as God intended.
  • Restoration: The Music Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students understand, respond to, perform, and create music. We do this so students use music to worship God, communicate with others, and appreciate beauty.
PE/health
  • Creation: God created us as whole people (physical as well as spiritual) in a physical creation, declared it all very good, and set a pattern alternating work with rest. He did this so we could enjoy and care for the physical life of ourselves and our neighbors, in gratitude to God for all His good gifts.
  • Fall: Because of sin we idolize or fail to appreciate and care for the physical life of ourselves and our neighbors.
  • Redemption: In becoming human, Jesus affirmed the goodness of physical life. In dying and rising again, He freed us from the power of sin so that we could enjoy and care for the physical life of ourselves and our neighbors, in gratitude to God for all His good gifts.
  • Restoration: The PE/Health Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students to develop skill in movement, to appreciate and steward the health and fitness of the body God has given them, and to collaborate with others.
Science:
  • Creation: God created the universe to operate in an orderly system to show His nature and to provide a hospitable home for people. God created people in His image to live in grateful, dependent relationship with Him and to care for His creation as His regents. 
  • Fall: Because of sin, our relationships with God, creation, and each other are broken. We glorify the creation (including ourselves) over the Creator. We abuse creation (out of arrogance or ignorance) for our own profit. The creation is not hospitable to us. 
  • Redemption: Jesus submitted Himself to physical laws (He was tired and hungry; He suffered and died) and rose above them (He did miracles and rose from the dead). Because Jesus died and rose again to free us from the power of sin, we are free to live in grateful, dependent relationship with the Creator, to delight in and care for creation as His regents, and to further develop creation’s potential in order to serve God and our neighbors.
  • Restoration: The Science Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students to understand how creation operates and to apply scientific inquiry to learn more in order to develop creation’s potential for God’s glory and to help our neighbors.
Social studies
  • Creation: God created people as interdependent, responsible agents charged with caring for each other and creation and with further developing its potential in ways that would build just and flourishing communities.   
  • Fall: Because of sin, we are ignorant, apathetic, or Machiavellian about the interactions of societies, environments, individuals, and institutions; and about our responsibility as God’s agents in His world.
  • Redemption: Jesus entered history and changed it. He modeled building just community, acting on behalf of the powerless, and speaking the truth to power. Because he died and rose again to free us from the power of sin, we also can use our power to build just and flourishing communities.
  • Restoration: The Social Studies Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students use their knowledge of the interactions of societies, environments, individuals, and institutions to inform the active exercise of their rights and responsibilities as local, national, and global citizens. We do this so that students will build flourishing communities characterized by peace and justice.
Technology
  • Creation: God made people in His image, with the ability and responsibility to creatively develop the potential of creation. This includes making tools (for example, technology) that help us further develop God’s creation and serve our neighbors.
  • Fall: Because of sin, we put our trust in the tools rather than in God, and we use the tools to gratify our own desires, to avoid community, and to lie, manipulate, and hurt.
  • Redemption: Because Jesus died and rose again to bring us a salvation more sure than the false promises of technology, we are free to use technology as God intended: under His authority, with wisdom, to further develop creation and serve our neighbors. 
  • Restoration: The Technology Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we help students understand how to operate technology, evaluate content, work with others, and think critically and creatively as responsible digital citizens. We do this so that students can humbly and creatively use the tools of technology to further develop God’s creation and serve their neighbors.
Woodshop
  • Creation: God created a beautiful, functional world. As God’s image bearers, we have the ability and responsibility to further develop the potential of creation by creating beautiful, useful things. We do this with gratitude to God for His good gifts and in service to our neighbors.
  • Fall: Because of sin, we overvalue or undervalue the work of our hands. 
  • Redemption: Jesus affirmed the dignity of work by learning the trade of carpentry. Because Jesus died and rose again to free us from the power of sin, we can use our skills as God intended—to humbly, diligently, gratefully, joyfully develop the potential of God’s creation and serve our neighbors. 
  • Restoration: The Woodshop Department equips students to walk with God and impact the world for Him. To do this, we equip students with the knowledge and skills to repair and create beautiful, useful things, and to serve God and their neighbors in their work.

After writing all that, is it any wonder I see the creation, Fall, redemption, restoration story all around me? Where do you see that story today?

2 comments:

  1. Kim, this is really excellent work. I appreciate the four questions you have linked to Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration. This makes it particularly meaningful and helpful. Great!

    ReplyDelete