What Christian Scholars have written about goals for CE

Before I look at the more specific goals which have been discussed in the literature for theological education, I want to look at some of the more general goals which Christian writers with their different sets of lenses have written for Christian education.

So here I wish to present you with a sample of goals of teaching and learning in the context of the Church and the Christian community.

Michael Lawson, Dept Chair and Senior Prof in CE at DTS writes about teaching for maturity in four areas: maturity in relationships, maturity in morality, maturity in theology, and maturity in service.

Thus he writes:

If the goal of Christian education were only the acquisition of correct content, then Christians should spend a great deal of time making sure they have the right answer. In the New Testament, instruction in content serves the higher goal of love.

The end product of Christian education is a mature life. Mature Christians evidence love and sound judgment by living within the principles and commands laid out by God through the apostles. Over time,s each Christian should move toward maturity. Maturity evidences itself in stable theology, sound moral judgment, healthy relationships, and sacrificial service.
(Lawson 2001 “Education in the Epistles” in Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, ed. Michael Anthony. Baker Academic. p228.)

Another important Christian educator I want to draw from is Robert Pazmino

Bob Pazmino is Valeria Stone Professor of CE at Andover Newton Theological School and he writes about teaching for the development of values which equip for the five tasks of the church. The five tasks and their corresponding values are reflected in the diagram below:

Pazmino, Robert W. 1997. Foundational Issues in Christian Education. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. P45

The idea of developing values which correspond to the five tasks of the church is again surfaced in his book Basics of Teaching for Christians where he writes about teaching and evaluating the development of values which are the goals of Christian education. The difference is that he has modified some of the corresponding values, as seen below:

To be continued...