| Board of Education |
Mr. Peter Ndiangui, Chairman
Dr. Ethel Shanklin
Dr. Theresa Saunders
E-mail acwmissions@aol.com
EDUCATION WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST
By Peter Ndiang’ui
One of the central themes in the teaching of our Lord was one on the adults having a moral and collective
responsibility in the teaching of their young ones. In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus reminds us that we
should “Let the children come to Me”.
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they
rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them;
for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter it." (Luke 18:15-17)
Human beings are born with an intrinsic desire to acquire knowledge. This is a natural human characteristic
that we were endowed with by our creator. As adults, we singly and collectively have a responsibility to fulfill
this natural desire. Socrates once stated that “there is only one good, knowledge and there is only one evil,
ignorance”. If we do not harness this intrinsic desire to learn at an early age, we are hence encouraging
ignorance and the danger with ignorance is that it gains confidence with time. It is a grave sin.
The church of Christ has a moral responsibility of following His footsteps and provide guidance to the
children. We too have a responsibility of saying the same words of our Lord “Let the children come to me”.
This should be a cardinal responsibility of each and every Christian Church. It is a responsibility we cannot
shy off in spite of the odds against us. As Disciples of Jesus we must strive to remove all hindrances that
keep children from coming to Jesus. Be it financial, be it moral guidance, or be it just the actual acquisition of
the right knowledge – anything that is a hindrance.
Today more than ever before, moral education is in serious competition with the mostly immoral education
provided by the popular culture. Providers of moral education are actually in the minority. Our children are
constantly being fed with false impressions of the “wonders” of immorality. The children are bombarded with
immoral education from all corners – TV, video games, porn magazines, peers etc. In most TV programs, the
message is loud and clear – immorality creates news.
In one of letters, Pope John Paul II stated that: "Truth enlightens our understanding and shapes our freedom,
leading us to know and love the Lord". As educators, our own concern for young people needs to be inspired
by this "mind of Christ", so that we see both ourselves and young people as created by God and precious to
him. Thus, adults, especially parents, are responsible for the well being of children, who are amongst the most
vulnerable members of our society. Christ's warnings to those who damaged children or led them astray were
severe.
Concepts such as truth, beauty and goodness have become so vague today that young people do not know
where to turn to find help; even when they are able to hold on to certain values, they do not yet have the
capacity to develop these values into a way of life; all too often, they are more inclined to go their own way,
accepting what is popular at the moment.
Faced with the moral confusion of contemporary society, anyone might be tempted to concentrate on the
negative aspects of today's world and to forget how many young and old people alike enhance the glory of
creation and reveal the human capacity to live by gospel values.
At the heart of the Church's moral teaching lies the understanding that we love because we are first loved by
God. We are called to reflect God's love for us in our lives and in our relationships with others and, since his
love is unconditional and freely given, we also have been given the freedom to respond to his love, or to reject
him. Young people also need to learn that there is sometimes no simple answer to questions of moral
judgment and choice. Moral choices must sometimes be made in circumstances over which one has little or no
control, though responsibility is still to be recognized.
The "agents of education for love" include parents, classroom teachers, educational administrators, church
leaders including bishops, priests, deacons, deaconesses, chaplains, etc, all of whom have an important and
distinctive role to play in the moral education of the young. Indeed, if parents fail in their responsibilities
towards their children, other educators will have to take their place. But adults who contribute to this
education must also be well informed; lest they pass on the wrong education to the more vulnerable children.
Our society is lacking in role models. We seem to be in competition of the education provided by the so-called
popular culture. For example, regardless of what they see on TV and read in their popular culture magazines,
children need to know that sharing drug-injecting equipment or having sexual intercourse with someone who
may have had sex with anyone else exposes them to the risk of acquiring HIV and other dangerous viruses.
Too many children are falling prey to these modern society evils. Immorality is almost being institutionalized.
Some of it if not all is to some extent almost protected by the freedoms provided by the constitution. The
church has a difficult task but we cannot give up.
We, as educators, must follow the example of the father of the prodigal son. We are called to love everyone,
but also to show particular care for those who have been hurt, neglected, exploited or abused, as did the Lord
himself. We must run with outstretched arms to help back those who have fallen, those who have strayed from
the narrow road and, in our joyful welcome, reflect God's limitless and healing love for us all.
Dr. Ethel Shanklin
Dr. Theresa Saunders
E-mail acwmissions@aol.com
EDUCATION WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST
By Peter Ndiang’ui
One of the central themes in the teaching of our Lord was one on the adults having a moral and collective
responsibility in the teaching of their young ones. In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus reminds us that we
should “Let the children come to Me”.
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they
rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them;
for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter it." (Luke 18:15-17)
Human beings are born with an intrinsic desire to acquire knowledge. This is a natural human characteristic
that we were endowed with by our creator. As adults, we singly and collectively have a responsibility to fulfill
this natural desire. Socrates once stated that “there is only one good, knowledge and there is only one evil,
ignorance”. If we do not harness this intrinsic desire to learn at an early age, we are hence encouraging
ignorance and the danger with ignorance is that it gains confidence with time. It is a grave sin.
The church of Christ has a moral responsibility of following His footsteps and provide guidance to the
children. We too have a responsibility of saying the same words of our Lord “Let the children come to me”.
This should be a cardinal responsibility of each and every Christian Church. It is a responsibility we cannot
shy off in spite of the odds against us. As Disciples of Jesus we must strive to remove all hindrances that
keep children from coming to Jesus. Be it financial, be it moral guidance, or be it just the actual acquisition of
the right knowledge – anything that is a hindrance.
Today more than ever before, moral education is in serious competition with the mostly immoral education
provided by the popular culture. Providers of moral education are actually in the minority. Our children are
constantly being fed with false impressions of the “wonders” of immorality. The children are bombarded with
immoral education from all corners – TV, video games, porn magazines, peers etc. In most TV programs, the
message is loud and clear – immorality creates news.
In one of letters, Pope John Paul II stated that: "Truth enlightens our understanding and shapes our freedom,
leading us to know and love the Lord". As educators, our own concern for young people needs to be inspired
by this "mind of Christ", so that we see both ourselves and young people as created by God and precious to
him. Thus, adults, especially parents, are responsible for the well being of children, who are amongst the most
vulnerable members of our society. Christ's warnings to those who damaged children or led them astray were
severe.
Concepts such as truth, beauty and goodness have become so vague today that young people do not know
where to turn to find help; even when they are able to hold on to certain values, they do not yet have the
capacity to develop these values into a way of life; all too often, they are more inclined to go their own way,
accepting what is popular at the moment.
Faced with the moral confusion of contemporary society, anyone might be tempted to concentrate on the
negative aspects of today's world and to forget how many young and old people alike enhance the glory of
creation and reveal the human capacity to live by gospel values.
At the heart of the Church's moral teaching lies the understanding that we love because we are first loved by
God. We are called to reflect God's love for us in our lives and in our relationships with others and, since his
love is unconditional and freely given, we also have been given the freedom to respond to his love, or to reject
him. Young people also need to learn that there is sometimes no simple answer to questions of moral
judgment and choice. Moral choices must sometimes be made in circumstances over which one has little or no
control, though responsibility is still to be recognized.
The "agents of education for love" include parents, classroom teachers, educational administrators, church
leaders including bishops, priests, deacons, deaconesses, chaplains, etc, all of whom have an important and
distinctive role to play in the moral education of the young. Indeed, if parents fail in their responsibilities
towards their children, other educators will have to take their place. But adults who contribute to this
education must also be well informed; lest they pass on the wrong education to the more vulnerable children.
Our society is lacking in role models. We seem to be in competition of the education provided by the so-called
popular culture. For example, regardless of what they see on TV and read in their popular culture magazines,
children need to know that sharing drug-injecting equipment or having sexual intercourse with someone who
may have had sex with anyone else exposes them to the risk of acquiring HIV and other dangerous viruses.
Too many children are falling prey to these modern society evils. Immorality is almost being institutionalized.
Some of it if not all is to some extent almost protected by the freedoms provided by the constitution. The
church has a difficult task but we cannot give up.
We, as educators, must follow the example of the father of the prodigal son. We are called to love everyone,
but also to show particular care for those who have been hurt, neglected, exploited or abused, as did the Lord
himself. We must run with outstretched arms to help back those who have fallen, those who have strayed from
the narrow road and, in our joyful welcome, reflect God's limitless and healing love for us all.
