Making is Part of Learning (A Very Small Biblical Theology of Active Learning)

-

In his book, Art + Faith, Makoto Fujimura describes the Garden of Eden as a “discovery zone” God prepared for Adam and Eve. God filled the garden with every kind of tree (Gen. 2:8-9). He brought to the garden all the beasts and birds (Gen. 2:19-20).

God introduced the materials of the earth to humans, and then He expected them to make something of those materials by naming and cultivating them (Gen. 2:15; 2:19).

And we get hints in Gen. 2 of fabulous and exotic materials God placed beneath the soil for Adam and Eve and their children to eventually explore, excavate, discover, refine and employ (Gen. 2:11-12).

Fujimura wonders, “are we to assume that they would have begun the work of building the city of God in some way, to use the materials, even if the Fall had not occurred?”


Consider God’s actions in Eden as an analogy for education. God…

  1. Introduces unfamiliar material and
  2. Provides opportunities for creative, meaningful work (naming, cultivating) that results in
  3. Growth in knowledge and skills (Gen. 4:20-22).

If education is missing the second element (opportunities to make something of the raw material of reality)—

that is, if a teacher brings new things before their students

but does not call their students to name those things,

to create something with them,

to respond to them

—that education might be missing out on applying some of the wisdom of the Creator.

Students, like teachers, are created for good works in fellowship with God, and it seems like contingency is part of His framework for those good works.

He places before His students opportunities for authentic, open-ended good work whose ultimate shape is determined not by His decree but by the grace-enabled efforts of image-bearers.

This invitation into authentic involvement in His Kingdom marks us as His friends (John 15:15).

Comments

Post a Comment

Most viewed

How do we integrate grief into worship?

-
Image
Integrating grief into worship is hard, but there are times when it's important for a Christian community to figure out how. 1. I've seen grief verbally acknowledged from a pulpit, then someone leading the service asked the participants to set it aside to enter into worship. This seems better than not acknowledging the grief, but I think it conveys the impression that grief is insignificant, or that the show must go on—that the participants are less important than the ceremony of worship. 2. I've seen someone invite participants to enter into triumphant worship with their grief, to express their faith in the middle of the circumstances. This seems like a better response because it invites participants to meditate on how their worship relates to their grief. It opens up opportunities to recognize Jesus as the resurrection and the life (John 11:23-27). The drawback of 2 is that it can tend toward papering-over grief rather than integrating it. We are often so uncomfortable
Read more

The Fruit of the Spirit & the Spirit-Filled Life

-
Image
The Fruit of the Spirit has kind of a VBS-theme vibe going on. That might be why it doesn't come up a lot in adult discipleship. Maybe it's just typecast—"Oh, that's mostly in the Bible so there's safe imagery for children's church. It's not really important for adults. Too cute." But the Fruit's position in Galatians 5 is actually really theologically significant. The Fruit is significant because Paul contrasts it with the acts of the flesh. They're opposites. Gal. 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are obvious: ... Gal. 5:23  But the fruit of the Spirit is: ... It almost sounds like Paul is contrasting two ways of living. In fact, that's exactly what he's doing! Gal. 5:16  But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. This is one of the big themes in Paul's depiction of the Christian life. You either carry out the desires of the Spirit or you carry out the desires of the flesh. Those desires are
Read more