What's the "Hedgehog" for Christian Education (part 5)

So, I've tried to answer the three questions Collins recommends in Good to Great in order to determine the "Hedgehog Concept" for Christian education. Now, where do these answers intersect? In other words, what's our understanding about our vocation as Christian educators? In this last post of this series, I want to attempt to describe the single organizing idea that unifies and guides everything in Christian educational institutions. So...

What's the hedgehog?

In a phrase I think it's Reformational Leaders. Sounds nice, but what does it mean?

Leaders takes us back to the presuppositional idea of man made in the image of God. As image bearers of the sovereign Creator, God has given us authority to rule over his creation in his stead (Genesis 1:28). We are leaders by creation, and we want our students to fulfill this responsibility.

Reformational has two senses. First, reformational means our students experiencing the reformational power of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they live the way God made them to live, namely for his glory. Herman Bavinck has stated: "The gospel...always works reformationally. It creates the greatest reformation by setting people from from guilt, renewing the heart, and thus in principle restoring the right relationship with God" (Essays on Religion, Science, and Society, 132). These words speak of regeneration and santification. Here's what another theological giant, John Murray, says about this idea: "Christian order is order brought into existence by the deliverance from sin and evil wrought by redemption and regeneration. The principles and forces that must be at the basis and cetre of Christian order in any of its forms must be the principles and forces of God's regenarative and sanctifying grace."

Second, reformational mean establishing the divine sovereignty of Christ in the whole range of life. That speaks of leadership and influence, and I think harkens back to the Divine Order and the Creation Mandate given in the Garden to man to rule the earth. Here's another quote by Bavinck about this idea: "The intent of grace, which entered immediately after the fall, always and everywhere has been to maintain and restore these original relationships" (141). And again Murray: "The rule and standard for us are the irreducible claims and demands of the divine sovereignty, and these irreducible claims are that the sovereignty of God and of his Christ be recognized and applied in the whole range of life, of interest, of vocation, and of activity."

So, in summary what is a Reformational Leader? They are people who have experienced the reforming power of the gospel in their own lives and have joined Christ in influencing and reforming all other earthly relationships to restore them back to what they ought to be like. These relationships range from man and God to man and the various walks of life like society, science, and sports. I say in my definition of education that education prepares students for the call of God on their lives. I think "reformational leader" is an aspect of that call on their lives, and the aspect which we Christian educators might be the best at in the world (I need to qualify this statement more, because I don't want to be misunderstood...I'm not taking anything away from parents or pastors.) This understanding about our vocation should unify and guide everything we do.

Another way we may think of the hedgehog is in terms of Transformational People. God brings us into his kingdom which is revolutionary. Jeff Purswell has said, "God has brought us into his kingdom, and now calls us to live all of life to testify to the reality of God's kingdom in our words and actions, and to work for the advance of His kingdom in every corner of creation." So we pray with our Savior, "Father...let your kingdom come."

So, if we have settled on developing "reformational leaders" what steps should we now take? In other words, what does this mean for Christian education now? I think what this means is that we should develop strategies from this "hedgehog concept" that would move us forward from a good organization to a great one - one that is set apart by the grace of God for the glory of God. But what's next? What strategies should we pursue?