"Now what?" to the Image of God in Man

We cannot say we truly know something until we appropriately respond to it. In the last several posts, I've been considering how we should think about education. To this point, I've been arguing that the image of God in man is one idea that can and should shape the way we educate. This idea about anthropology (the study of man) is part of a biblical worldview of education. In this post, I want to take a more practical look at the first implication and brainstorm some ways we can educate differently.

Implication #1: I think education should develop the gifts (i.e. the potential) God has endowed upon our students so that each student can use those gifts in ways God intends.

1) Look at them with different eyes. I know how often I can look at my students self-righteously, thinking of them more like a problem than an image-bearer of God. Instead, when they're working in class quietly, running around the gym during lunch, or walking up and down the hallways, stop yourself and whisper, "These students are more like God than anything else in all creation. They are the pinnacle of all creation. And I get to work with them!" Let's view our students as the most dignified creatures in the universe. Let's see the best in them. With these eyes, don't you think you'll treat them differently?

2) Encourage our students with the potential in them. We should see potential busting out of our students! At the beginning of a class or in a conversation with a discouraged student, we can tell them that they are more like God than anything else in all creation, and that God has given them gifts to use in mighty ways. Because this potential is rooted in God, we don't necessarily "puff them up" or build unbiblical self-esteem. We actually can give them a biblical and accurate self-image that can lead them to serving God and others with these gifts. I think we come alongside of them and nurture them with appropriate respect and affection, as we encourage them in this way. I've seen my influence and trust with the students grow from this practice. I want my students to feel like I'm for them and see the best in them, which can give me an open door for guiding and influencing them.

3) Don't stop teaching until you give them a chance to act like God. As we plan and prepare for class, in particular at the unit level, let's give our students chances to practice the structural aspect of the image of God (e.g. rational gifts, moral sensibility, etc.) on the course content. Let's remember that our students are not simply recepticles for information. Remember, they mirror God not just in form but in function. They cannot know something until they use the capacities that God has given them in ways God intends. The Bible calls this wisdom.