There is a bridge in Choluteca, Honduras that spans nearly 500 metres.  It is not known for its size or the fact that it is a replica of the Golden Gate bridge.  The new Choluteca bridge became famous as the Bridge to Nowhere.  An addition to the original 1930’s bridge, it was an engineering feat of the 1990’s.  It was built to withstand powerful hurricanes and winds common to the area and completed in 1998. In the same year, Honduras was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, a deadly category 5 hurricane.  Miraculously, amid the devastation, the Choluteca bridge stood intact, in near perfect condition.  However, a new challenge emerged – the Choluteca River which flowed underneath it, had carved itself a new path.  Only dry land was in its original bed. The bridge could no longer provide crossing over the river.

Though built on a firm foundation, it was no longer able to serve its original purpose.  Our cultural river has moved, and this has implications for our Christian schools. Things once thought of as solid realities such as institutions, including the family, have now been liquefied.  “They are now malleable…….. unimaginable for past generations.  Shaping them is easier than keeping them in shape.  Solids are cast once and for all.  Keeping fluids in shape requires a lot of attention, constant vigilance and perpetual effort …..”[1]

The institutions of government, the law and education no longer affirm a Judeo – Christian view of the world that was foundational to our western civilisation. As G. K. Chesterton said, “He (humanity)has always lost his way; but now he has lost his address”[2].

Harry Styles, a popular singer and celebrity in his song Sign of the Times, says,” Just Stop your crying, have the time of your life … things look pretty good from here.” [3]

This rival gospel is powerful and imaginative.  The Gospel of Christ has never been proclaimed in a vacuum, but rather in confrontation with rival visions of the good life and the idolatries they promote for human flourishing. Current rival alternatives have global scope and power to shape hearts and minds. “We live in a space between relationships and communities that are physically close and a hyper connected world of distant yet present influences.” [4]  These influences are powerfully present through technology and affect our students mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

When the culture war is on our school doorstep, how do we reimagine a Gospel-centred education in order to demonstrate the Kingdom of God in this strange new context?

If we have neglected to allow the Scripture to be foundational to our educational task, then it may be easier to surrender to the hostile culture and follow the path of least resistance.  But as Christian teachers, we do not despair, for when the cultural war is on our doorstep, the Lord raises us up to unfold a better story centred in the person and work of Jesus, whose generous sacrificial love is extended to every person we teach.  Jesus did predict that we would be the bad guys, hated by the world (John 15: 21), but our response is to demonstrate the love of Jesus for that world.

If we are to equip our students to embrace an intelligent and courageous faith for the long haul and form them into those who will serve the world compelled by the love of Christ, then our schools and our classes need to embody our story in the school culture and curriculum. For the Gospel of Christ when lived out through His people is always culturally renewing. The following need to be built into the fabric of school life so that our children and young people are invited to live the way of Jesus and embrace their God-ordained life purpose:

  • A Community that lives the way of Jesus (in being and doing)
  • A Creed that is anchored in the Word of God and engages with life and learning
  • A Context that discerns the cultural narratives and educational influences that de-form our students
  • A Calling where students are given opportunities to serve to learn and learn to serve, using their gifts to bless the school and wider community and globally.

In these ways we help our students make sense of the world and find ultimate meaning and purpose in it.  For in Christ is our true humanity.  “Jesus is the true Man, the Image, the King – and His followers, the branches of the true vine, those who share His body and blood and are indwelt and empowered by His Spirit, are themselves the truly human ones.” [5]

 

Grace and peace
TEC team

 

 

 

[1]  Zygmunt Bauman, Liquid Modernity, (Cambridge: Blackwell, 2000), 8.

[2] Gilbert Keith Chesterton, What’s Wrong With the World, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994), np.

[3] https://genius.com/Harry-Styles-sign-of-the-times lyrics.

[4]  Mark Sayers, Reappearing Church, (USA: Moody Press, 2019), 184.

[5]  Nicholas Thomas Wright, Broken Signposts-How Christianity Makes Sense of the World, ((New York: HarperCollins, 2020), 185.