Adaobi Duru
My philosophy of Christian Liberal Arts Education
Broadly speaking, a liberal arts education is concerned with the pursuit of knowledge as an end in itself, rather than for the sake of acquiring skills targeted at a career. The liberal arts philosophy is traced to the Greek philosopher Socrates, who famously proclaimed that the “unexamined life is not worth living”. To that end, traditional liberal arts education emphasizes the scholarly, the gentlemanly and the liberating. However, contemporary liberal arts education is marked by the integration of liberal and practical education. Consequently, a Christian liberal arts education should provide knowledge and intellectual skills to help students become functional and capable of
…show more content…
According to Littlejohn and Evans (2006), “The purpose of Christian education is always twofold, we want our students to grow spiritually, intellectually, and socially, and we want them to foster similar growth in society” (p. 18). This sums up the Christian liberal arts philosophy. Therefore, a Christian liberal education should be useful and practical. The goal of every Christian is to be like Christ and to serve others just like Christ did. While a traditional liberal arts scholar serves others out of duty to community, a Christian liberal arts scholar serves out of love for the Lord. So, the Christian liberal arts education should build the human person by fundamentally changing who they are and what they, preparing and equipping them for the good work.
Through integrative scholarship, a Christian liberal arts education provides a well rounded and holistic education. Such education equips Christians for a life of service to Jesus Christ and the society. It provides a broad understanding of the world, cultivated within the context of the Christian faith and best enables students develop into successful and effective men and
Before coming to Eastern, I attended a Christian School for a majority of my life. When I entered high school the first thing we learned about was a Biblical Worldview. We were taught using the same main points: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration (one added by my school). After understanding what that worldview was we were challenged with the “Now What”. We were taught that our purpose was to Glorify God which was possible by Seeking Truth, Stewarding Creation, and Serving Others. This has become the foundation of my faith and what I see as my life purpose. Since these beliefs are so important to me, I wanted to further my education somewhere where these ideas were accepted, but could also be grown upon. When Ostrander talked about unity throughout the entirety of a school that related to why I wanted to go to a Christian college.
In the Article “Only Connect” by William Cronon, he defines what he considers to be a liberally educated person, as well particular standard of being a liberally educated person. Cronon discusses the values that a liberal education is built on. Cronon goes on to describe the origin of the word liberal which derives from the Latin word liberalis, meaning “of or relating to the liberal arts”. Cronon also states that freedom and growth are one of the two main principles in a liberal education. One of the most intriguing questions he brought up is when he asked whether schools should require certain courses such as History, Writing, etc. He questioned whether some of these courses truly help people who are enrolled in colleges
In reading Bill Davis’ book, In All Things Christ Preeminent, it is evident that receiving an education at Covenant College will be a unique spiritual and intellectual experience. With Christ present in all areas of the school, the structure of the college and what it as an institution aspires to accomplish varies greatly from that of the high school I attended. Based on the Christ-like goals, instruction, and student body of Covenant College depicted in In All Things Christ Preeminent, receiving an education from Covenant seems vastly different from my secular experience at LaFayette High School.
A Liberal Arts education has helped people to lead a life of great circumstances. The message established in “The New Liberal Arts” by Sanford J. Ungar is clear. Throughout the article it talks about the misperceptions of going to a liberal arts school and how it affects the outcome of ones future. Throughout the passage Ungar states misperceptions of a liberal arts education and then after he gives his response on why he disagrees. When addressing “The New Liberal Arts” I agree with Ungar when he states the misperceptions throughout the article. The misperceptions are what society has developed about people who graduated from Liberal
Philosophers of education have been pursuing the ideal curriculum for as long as formal education has been implemented. In that span, it has likely been captured many times; however, given current dropout rates, it can be reasonably stated that the United States has yet to do so. While it is easy to discern where education is lacking, defining what it is to successfully educate is a complex endeavor encumbered by the many conflicting notions of what personal success is. In my experience, these many arguments can be divided into two parties: those who believe the primary contributor to success is economic, and those who believe success is dependent on an individual sense of happiness. The first party often argues that happiness is too intangible
One of the key core values of the Christian Liberal Arts Curriculum is faith. It is incorporated into every aspect of the experience, yet it is not forced upon me. I am allowed to believe and explore the different religious denominations without getting the cold shoulder. I am
To identify two of the Colorado Christian University's strategic objectives, which are one of the essential foundations of their strategic plan, is to know and understand their vision and mission. CCU's vision was received and written to accomplish God's purpose and goal at an appointed time when recorded because it certainly came without delay (Habakkuk 2:3). CCU’s vision, as an evangelical Christian, has awareness for their graduates to have a transformed mind so that they can be able to believe in themselves so that they can think critically and the process to be able to utilize the ability of creativity. Furthermore, graduates should have the quality of a leader that can lead an exceptional way with ethics and professional standards; as results, will demonstrate the manifestation of Christ’s character and His compassion of being prepared to impact the world (Vision and Mission at Colorado Christian University, n.d.).
Millions of children are waiting to be adopted by a family from the ages of 2 months old until they are released at the age of eighteen. Many of these children have little to no known affiliation or influence of religion. Christ Community Church had interacted with more than sixty outside organizations to help raise financial aid and encourage religious influence in adoptive and pre adoptive families of orphans. The Christ Community Church builds its credibility with the information it provides and the organizations that are affiliated, using a strong appeal to emotion by showing helpless orphans, the ad also provides a logical appeal by giving background information about the organization providing a website for further information.
From the moment you start kindergarten you are being prepared for what comes next, every year without fail you are asked the same question, “What do you want to do when you are older?” in reality you have no idea what is in store for you. Nobody warned me about all of the choices you had to make when it came to picking the right school, technical schooling, a state school or Christian Liberal Arts. I was fully confident about picking USF, but then I constantly got the question of “Why?”, the easiest response was to just say “I like purple!” and move past the question. I never really stopped to think about the amazing opportunities a Christian Liberal Arts school would have, I just took it as a plus that I was allowed to openly worship God and know that other students were here to do the same. A Christian Liberal Arts education is beneficial in every aspect of life, from vocational to avocational, to purposes and values remain constant.
The education of children has existed since the beginning of time as parents have taught and molded their children into the young adults they desired them to be. Initial training of children was not in a formal setting, although history would see numerous settings, purposes, and methodological changes. Philosophies of education have also changed through the years as various voices have seemed to grasp the purpose of educating the next generation, thus laying out objectives to reach those goals of teaching children.
In a world where information can be found at our finger tips, there is still a large deficit in understanding when it comes to literacy. Although possessing the ability to read and write is valuable, it is simply not enough. The truth of the matter is that having the ability to read and write is worth nothing if one does not understand what he or she is reading and writing. As a result of my childhood experiences, religious literacy is possessing a basic understanding of one’s individual religion, and having the capacity to internalize what certain teachings and beliefs means to them. In a narrative of my literary experiences, these moments regarding religion shaped my capacity to read, write, and comprehend. I simply want to share my Catholic faith. Not to convince you or to convert you, but simply to share what the Catholic traditions and beliefs mean to me.
This set includes the skills and knowledge taught, but it also includes character traits that must be developed. The knowledge taught is the resources drawn upon for everything else a liberally educated person needs. This knowledge includes a general intelligence of broad subjects, such as science, math, English, history, philosophy, psychology, etc. This wide girth of knowledge allows individuals to connect and communicate with others, make informed decisions, and free themselves from manipulation. The second part of liberal knowledge is a specific depth of knowledge that applied to one’s area of interest. The need for this area of knowledge is obvious but no less important. By having a specific dedication, one is able to develop a craft and have a specific purpose in one’s community. The next criterion for a liberally educated person is a specific set of skills. This set starts with logical thinking, which applies to almost every task in life. With logical thinking, one can apply knowledge, solve problems, communicate influentially, and understand others. The next crucial skill is communication. Most major changes are brought about by groups, and to work well in a group, one must be able to communicate. Another facet of communications usefulness is the ability to influence those around one’s self in order to bring about a common goal or inform one’s community. In a programmer’s life, there is almost always teams of programmers working on one massive project. Lastly, any liberally educated individual must be able to understand their social responsibility. Liberal Education should teach students what they need to do in order to contribute to their community through their craft. The last criterion of any liberally educated student are skills that are gained more than taught. Empathy is the ability to understand others, and is the most important skill for any individual in the world. One
Finally, I would like to share my philosophy of Christian higher education. I believe any philosophy of Christian higher education must start with the affirmation that all wisdom and knowledge come from God (Proverbs 2:6), and all academic disciplines owe their existence to the wisdom and knowledge that precede from Him and His Word. Following the pattern of Colossians 3:17, students, faculty, administrators, and staff should be encouraged to view their studies and work as an act of devotion and worship. Viewing our studies and work as worship should compel us to strive for excellence in all we do, so that we give our best to God. At the end of their career at a Christian institution, students should have a stronger, more mature faith and
The liberal arts tradition was born in the philosophy of ancient Greece. It originates in response to certain questions born from human nature, and queried by the unique philosophy born in Grecian culture: What is “being?” What is “wisdom?” What is “virtue?” What is “good?” This pioneering search for truth accessible to reason about the whole world led necessarily to the search for truth about the place of humanity within this world. This unprecedented venture of the human mind, today associated above all with the likes of Epicurus, Socrates, Euclid, and Aristotle, gave rise to a structured and formulaic body of reflection. After Greek philosophy had fully flowered in the fourth century B.C.E., scholars, teachers, and teachers sought to establish a curriculum to prepare students for higher and more hard and strenuous studies. From these efforts came what was called the enkyklios paideia, the learning circle, from which we get our word encyclopedia (Encyclopedia).
Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.