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Impacting The World through Educational
Administration from
Wesley's Point of View
By Dr. Mark Smith
What is the role of administrators
in the education process?
Are people of the Wesleyan persuasion open to the education process?
One might suggest that many holiness people today,
even as we enter the twenty-first century, have little time for
the process called education. Wesleyans may have misinterpreted
the message of Wesley, which was directed toward the sin of pride,
and may have ignored altogether the educational process. This mindset,
or lack thereof, may have promoted a philosophy of "ignorance
as bliss", and caused some to bequeath themselves with theological
musings in an attempt to justify a lack of education.
In this paper I would like to introduce the viewpoints
of Wesley, and point out some of the benefits of education, while
challenging all of us to understand this concept about the administration
of education: "The people who control the ideas of the world,
control the world". In today's society, if we expect to have
a Christian Nation, we must promote the ideas of Christianity in
the education process.
Is education important from the Wesleyan point
of view? Does it matter if we leave the education of our society
to Horace Mann, John Dewey, or even Richard Riley, United States
Secretary of Education? We live in a society that abhors ignorance,
demands degrees, and expects an education. With society so insistent
on education, it is critical that we develop an understanding of
education from Wesley's point of view. We will analyze the past
(Wesley's view) and look toward the future to see how we might,
as Christian education administrators, impact our world for Christ.
First, an examination from an historical perspective.
Education in Wesley's day was not an highly developed concept in
the minds of people. Families were poor, and children were required
to work to support the family unit. Children were not treated with
respect, in fact, according to Herbert Byrne, writer of John
Wesley and Learning "the wealthy looked upon their children
somewhat as a disease and schools were used as boarding schools
to get rid of the little nuisances that abounded" (Byrne125).
But an interesting change occurred, according to Byrne: "toward
the end of the century, a more serious spirit permeated society,
and parents began to feel greater responsibility for their children"
(Byrne 125). Wesley was one of the leaders who helped foster a better
understanding of the value of children. During Wesley's day, the
"children of the eighteenth century suffered immensely as the
cold theological hand of Calvinism lay heavily upon the Church of
England. Children were considered desperately wicked mortals who
could only be saved by incessant punishment and coercion. While
many people of the Wesleyan persuasion looked at children in this
same way, John Wesley did not preach such lurid doctrines. While
he believed that children were born with inherited depravity, he
also emphasized love, not just incessant punishment" (Byrne
127). Wesley was convinced that education could change the woes
of his day when he suggested the following in Volume 3 of his works,
"I preached on the education of children wherein we are extremely
wanting. Many were deeply convinced of this. I hope that they will
not stifle that conviction." (270) Wesley believed deeply that
children should be well-mannered, but also educated according to
God's principles, He understood that children were created by God
for future service to the kingdom.
Much of Wesley's view of education was inherited
from the ideas of his mother who embraced the following concepts:
- Conquer the child's will, but do not break
it
- Create a passion for moral righteousness
- Teach one how to think, judge, and act according
to God's Word
- Demonstrate faith in service and love
- Develop Christian Character in all students
- Emphasize the issues of heart holiness(Overview
of Wesley's Writings by Smith)
In fact, his mother had such a pronounced impact
that Wesley started and served on several school committees for
the instruction of children. Intensely interested in education,
the theories of John Locke, and the musings of Rousseau, Wesley
spent time in Germany studying with the Moravians (Byrne147). It
could be said that Wesley was very much an administrator of Christian
education for the children of his day
As an educational leader of his day, John Wesley
valued not only the education of children, but higher education.
The two most prominent universities of his era were Oxford and Cambridge.
These schools focused on deistic rationalism, causing Wesley to
react by emphasizing that education apart from God was flawed education.
He believed that education, for the sake of education, led to pride.
Yet, he was a university graduate and even utilized the universities
of his day to teach his message of "piety and purity."
During Wesley's lifetime, he served at Lincoln
College, Oxford, for about 25 years in a fellowship role (Byrne
138). He was a Greek lecturer and teacher of the classics (Byrne
138). Wesley also believed strongly in the plight of the poor which
caused him to found schools in Savannah, Georgia and Bristol, London
(Byrne 138).
As Wesley's impact on education was felt in
the southern United States, other great universities were being
established. Many of these early institutions were founded on the
principles of Christianity.
In fact, Fleming (1986), in his study of religious
institutions suggested many of the early institutions were founded
with missions that were built upon religious convictions, and a
purpose to prepare their students to serve God.
In the early eighteenth century, prominent universities
were founded on Christian principles, and education became a dominant
theme. About this time, religious leaders recognized a need for
education, and many colleges were founded. Rudolph suggests "the
busiest agents of all in college-founding were the religious denominations
- some more than others, some later than others, but few were not
involved" (Rudolph 54). This religious influence in the middle
nineteenth century led to an explosion of colleges, and affected
all aspects of society. Initially, the Methodists and Baptists rejected
the idea of college education, however, even these denominations
realized the necessity of education according to Rudolph,
For the Methodists and Baptists, founding colleges
became a part of that apparently endless American process of coming
to terms with an essentially middle-class society. As churches of
the meek and the disinherited, the Methodist and Baptist persuasions
had at first been able to get along without educated clergymen and
educated laymen. But opportunity in the United States being what
it was, no church could establish itself as a permanent refuge for
the permanently meek and disinherited. American life did not work
that way, and Baptists and Methodists discovered that they were
at the very least candidates for rank in the middle reaches of society.
With that discovery went the necessity of erecting colleges, institutions,
which not only catered to some of the requirements of middle-class
life, but which helped to lend an aura of respectability to Methodists
and Baptists as they worked their way from poverty to plenty (Rudolph
57).
Each denomination seemed to understand the importance
of education.
As the idea of Christian education spread among
denominations, so did the idea of humanistic education. A push for
a wider education with less restrictions in regard to religious
curriculum emerged. This movement was led by James Marsh (Rudolph,
1962). According to Rudolph (1962) Marsh gave this discourse after
being elected as the president of the University of Vermont in 1826,
Let us, said Marsh, help those who want to be
helped and not deny our help to those who cannot take the bachelor's
program. Let us free our students who will not be taking Greek and
Latin from the admission requirements in Greek and Latin. Let us
abolish the division of students into four classes through which
they progress year by year. Let us simply have students, subjects
of study, and standards of excellence, and move students toward
their bachelor's degrees or certificates according to their talents
and their application. Let us abandon the stultifying adherence
to textbooks and recitations; let us turn the classroom into an
arena of wide-ranging discussion and inquiry (p.121).
The speech inspired many colleges to look at changing
their mission.
The Yale report of 1823 was also an important
document which according to Rudolph (1962), "was a magnificent
assertion of the humanist tradition and therefore eventually of
unquestionable importance in liberating the American college from
excessive religious orientation." (p.134). This report opened
the door to the secularization of American education; however, the
impact of the denominational or religious college will not soon
be forgotten. This might be best described by Wicke (1964) when
he says,
Actually the churches deserve gratitude for many
generous contributions to American higher education. A few of these
follow:
- Founding of higher education in the New World
upon a basis which has proved itself fruitful and which has
led to the extraordinary flexibility of American higher education.
- Spreading of educational opportunity to every
corner of the nation.
- Efforts to relate intelligence to high religious
aspiration and to the urgent demand for social reform in a nation
in travail.
- Building of many institutions of exceptional
power which, while no longer bearing any legal relationship
with a church still seek to maintain a religious orientation
to their work.
- Development and maintenance today of a substantial
group of colleges acknowledging affiliation with the church
and supported by the churches.
- Development of a spirit of individual and
group support for independent higher education which has become
a pattern for American giving to all types of educational institutions.
Countless contributions from church sources- large and small-were
made by men and women who had not themselves enjoyed the benefits
of even a secondary education.
- A steady stream of young men and women educated
in church-related colleges and universities, who by their lives
have enriched the nation and world (p. 9-10).
This tremendous contribution by religious schools
is widely recognized by
many historians.
As one can see, the whole idea of Christian
education has evolved from the church leaders of the past. Why was
education important? Where will the next century of Wesleyan educators
be developed?Some trends within the church are disturbing. In our
church circles, it seems there has been a tendency to de-emphasize
the whole process of education, thus creating the following:
- Lack of educated people to impact society
- Lack of educational leaders for our Christian
schools and universities
- Lack of responsiveness to societal issues
- Lack of Christian political leaders for our
democratic nation
- Lack of well prepared Biblically based expositors
- Lack of Critical thinkers(acceptance of anyone's
ideas)
- Lack of visionary denominational church leaders
What must be understood in the twenty-first century
is this fact:
Religious leaders will have less impact upon society
if uneducated. I personally agree with a typical Wesleyan viewpoint
that education , for the sake of education) does promote pride,
but even Wesley, himself, did not forsake education because of this
concern. He only emphasized the loftiness of God rather than the
loftiness of man.
As I have reflected upon educational administration,
it is increasingly clear to me that our circles need educational
leaders. Patricia Carrow-Muffet (1993) says, for the next century
"we will need leaders who are change agents, who have vision
and purpose, and who understand the big picture. We will need leaders
who are able to set direction and facilitate those involved in working
cooperatively to meet the challenges of a diverse world" (pg.
58). If Wesley lived in our day, I believe he would challenge his
ministers to become educated, establish Christian schools, and impact
the world through Christ-centered leadership.
With regard to educational leadership, I believe
there are ways that we can carry forth our Wesleyan message, the
message of purity to the world.
- Emphasize the value of Christian education
- Promote Christian education from every pulpit
- Educate young men and women for replacement
positions in our Wesleyan Higher Education Institutions
- Create new passion for calling to Christian
education
- Develop and mentor young men and women in understanding
Wesley's message of heart purity
- Lift up the Word of God as the source for all
education
- Reckon with the society we live in and be responsive
to the needs around us-that will take education.
- Develop THINKERS
We will not be true leaders and administrators
of the education process
until we understand the importance of Christian
education.
Education, as a process, may very well be
vanity. As Solomon, the wise king once said "Vanity of Vanities
all is Vanity". But Christian education, the principles of
right living, and the messages of Christian character and heart
purity, are not vain messages. These messages, "Wesley's message,"
must be proclaimed, and what better place than in training institutions
around the world. I challenge you to become leaders in the educational
front by exposing the view that Christian education can change the
world. As Paul wrote:
That their hearts may be comforted being knit
together in love and unto all riches of full assurance of understanding,
to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father,
and of Christ, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge(Col.
2:2-3)
Indeed, Christians must be educated to find the
wisdom not of this world, but of the Kingdom. John Wesley blazed
the trail for us. Let us now go forth as Christian Educational Administrators
and prepare a way for a new generation of world changers.
REFERENCES
Byrne, Herbert (1997). John Wesley and Learning.
Schmul Publishing, Salem, Ohio.
Fleming,R. S. (1987. The relative importance
of selected college presidential roles as perceived by the chairperson
of the board of trustees, presidents, and academic deans, in Christian
colleges (Doctoral dissertation, Temple University, 1986). Dissertation
Abstracts International, 47,2821A.
Rudolph,F. (1962). The American College and
University: A History
:New York: Vantage Books.
Thompson, F. C. (1982). THE BIBLE. Indianapolis,
IN. B.B Kirkbride Bible Co., Inc.
Wesley, John, (1978) Wesley Works. Volume
3. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Baker Book House.
Wicke, M.F. (1964). The Church Related College.
Washington, D.C.: the Center For Applied Research in Education,
Inc.
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