The Christian Education Advisory Committee regularly reviews educational material for use in the Presbyterian Church, based on whether or not the material is considered to be Presbyterian. Recently, the committee found several materials to be unacceptable, with the great distinction being whether or not it reflects a Reformed theology or an evangelical/dispensationalist view.
Dorothy Henderson, associate secretary for Christian Education, said there is no problem in using some evangelical materials, but cautioned their exclusive use. “It’s like ice cream,” she said. “If someone asked you, ‘What is the right kind of ice cream?’ there would be no correct answer. It is a matter of preference. It is possible for me to be a chocolate (Presbyterian) person and use a dab of vanilla (Roman Catholic or Orthodox or evangelical/dispensationalist), but when we start to use whole bunches of another flavour, we lose what we’re about.”
A program from Focus on the Family, a conservative church organization, was recently rejected. “While colourful and connected to life, the materials express views that are black and white or more narrow than how most Presbyterians would think,” states the committee’s review. Pentecostal materials generally don’t have the same understanding of infant baptism as reformed traditions, and are often turned down. Materials from Pioneer Clubs, an evangelizing ministry, and Gather Round, by the Brethren Press, were also deemed unacceptable.
The committee meets twice a year, and uses several criteria in determining whether or not materials are acceptable. An emphasis on community, social justice and living in gratitude, the idea of God as grace as opposed to judge, and an awareness of God being sovereign are important criteria to be met. The committee also watches for characteristics of children and how they’re presented. A curriculum from the Christian Reformed Church, for example, noted at the beginning of its package that children are sinful. “That may be theologically correct,” said Henderson, “but I don’t want teachers to see that first.”
The committee’s work is guided by ideas adapted from Children’s Ministry: Nurturing Faith Within the Family of God by Lawrence Richards. “Does the curriculum support, encourage and facilitate learning within a growing faith community? … If it does not foster a sense of Christian community, wherein a child may safely explore and test his or her faith, it will only teach facts, not nurture faith.”
Clues to look for include:
- children are encouraged to interact with each other
- teachers are given direction for using open-ended activities, rather than controlled activities seeking only right and wrong answers
- teachers and children are encouraged to share experiences from their own lives
- teachers are encouraged to be faith models and participants in the learning process rather than the ones who “know it all”
Other criteria include educational value, price, producer, inclusive content and language (regarding gender, race and culture), availability, and the use of all intelligences, including reading, writing, talking, movement, arts, music and logic.
Despite differences in theologies, Henderson stressed her ice cream idea. “Who’s to say who is right and who is wrong? No single flavour is right or wrong. They’re just different.” –AM
