Economic Utility or Discipleship in

the Way of Justice: Which GodWill Your Christian School

Serve? Michael Goheen

Trinity Western UniversityLangley, B.C.

Conference Theme

• ‘Educating for Global Discipleship’• Assumes two things:

– Purpose of education: discipleship– Context of education: globalised

world

• Opening story as entry into theme

Story illustrates . . .

• Most powerful religious currents at work in global world are economic

• Currents are pervasive, shaping all aspects of Western culture including education

• Resistance to this very powerful global story and implementation of Christian education is exceedingly difficult

Two Part Structure of Talk

• Understand global context of Christian education – Briefly narrate the story shaping our

global world– Attend to the powerful presence of

economic idolatry in global world– Observe impact on education

• Issue call to Christian educators – To education for discipleship– Sketch Matthew’s notion of discipleship– Especially Matthew’s concern for justice

What time is it—in the Western story?

• Enlightenment humanism shaping Western culture for over 200 years: Deep faith in human ability to progress toward a better world through science and technology

• Today–three powerful spiritual forces:– Globalization: Global spread of this humanist

faith (in an economic form) around world– Postmodernity: Loss of confidence in the

Enlightenment humanist faith– Growth of consumer culture

A new faith at the Enlightenment (18th c.)

The West had ‘lost its faith’—and found a new one, in science and in man.

- Richard Tarnas

Enlightenment Faith: Seeds of Economic Globalization

• Humanist: Confidence in human ability to save world

• Secular or naturalistic: No need for God• Story of progress toward paradise• Reached by scientific reason• Discern natural laws• Translate into technology to control non-human

world• Discern laws shaping human society• Translate into rational societal and cultural

structures

One important Enlightenment figure—Adam Smith (1723-1790)

• His economic vision will eventually dominate Western culture

• Moral philosopher in context of economic deprivation and poverty

• Noble concern: Increase goods to improve living conditions of poor

Adam Smith’s vision

• Progress toward material prosperity

• Scientific and technological organisation of production and economic life

• Free market to coordinate all forces

• Economic growth: end of society

Idolatry of Economics

• Idolises one societal end– economic growth and prosperity

• Idolises certain social means – free market and innovative

technology

• Organise and unify society around vision of life

Industrial Revolution

• Adam Smith’s economic vision implemented in Industrial Revolution (19th c.)

• Begins to reshape all society

Capitalism “has reorganized the social structure for the purposes of manufacturing, production, and consumption . . . It has changed the shape of our world. . . ”

- David Wells

Reshaping education

•Economic vision reshapes all of society including education

•More treatises written on education in 18th century than all previous centuries combined

•Education play big role in progress toward material prosperity

20th Century

• Confidence in optimistic Enlightenment vision of progress reaches pinnacle at end of 19th c.

• Series of body blows to optimism of progress: wars, depression, failure to deliver Enlightenment dream

• Yet progress as economic growth toward material prosperity survived and flourished

• Dominant worldview in West

“. . . it is to Adam Smith . . . that we should look for the inner meaning of progressive ideology [today].”

- Christopher Lasch, 1991

The concept of progress can be defended against intelligent criticism only by postulating an indefinite expansion of desires, a steady rise in the general standard of comfort, and the incorporation of the masses into the culture of abundance. It is only in this form that the idea of progress has survived the rigors of the twentieth century. More extravagant versions of the progressive faith . . . collapsed a long time ago . . .

- Christopher Lasch

Enlightenment Vision of Progress in the 20th

Century• Confidence in Enlightenment vision

of progress reaches pinnacle at end of 19th c.

• Series of body blows to optimism of progress: wars, depression, failure to deliver Enlightenment dream

• Yet progress as economic growth toward material prosperity survived and flourished

• Dominant worldview in West• Growth of consumer society in

West

The Religion of Our Day?

Consumerism is . . . arguably the religion of the late twentieth century.

- Steven Miles

Making consumption as way of life

Our enormously productive economy . . . demands that we make consumption a way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption.

-Victor Lebow, economist, 1955

Papal critique of consumerism

• There is excessive consumption by some while others suffer want

• Excessive consumption threatens the environment

• Creates ungodly character • For many consumption has become

the primary goal to the detriment of their own well-being

Enlightenment Vision of Progress in the 20th

Century• Confidence in Enlightenment vision of

progress reaches pinnacle at end of 19th c.

• Series of body blows to optimism of progress: wars, depression, failure to deliver Enlightenment dream

• Yet progress as economic growth toward material prosperity survived and flourished

• Dominant worldview in West• Growth of consumer society in West• Globalising of economic worldview

Economic Globalization

• Economic modern worldview is primary unifying power in global world

• Global economic system and market• ‘Asymmetric globalisation’: Inequity

and injustice• Increasing gap between rich and poor• Created wealth to support consumer

society in West• Unequal share in fruits: 1/5 population

accounts for ½ of consumption

What god will your school serve?

•New ‘gods’ that shape education: economic utility, consumerism

Table of Contents

Part One1. The Necessity of Gods2. Some Gods That Fail3.Some New Gods That Fail4. Gods That May Serve

God of Economic Utility

If you pay attention in school, and do your homework, and score well on tests, and behave yourself, you will be rewarded with a well-paying job when you are done. Its driving idea is that the purpose of schooling is to prepare children for competent entry into the economic life of a community.

- Neil Postman

God of Consumership

One may wonder, then, why this god [economic utility] has so much strength . . . I believe the reason is that the god of Economic Utility is coupled with another god, one with a smiling face and one that provides an answer to the question, If I get a good job, then what?

- Neil Postman

School Act, 1996

. . . the purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable all learners to become literate, to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy;

Ontario Ministry of Education

announcementFull-day kindergartens is all about building the skills and education of tomorrow’s work force. We’re doing this because it will make Ontario’s economy stronger. . . . This is absolutely critical for the social and economic progress of our province.

Impact of Economic Idolatry on Christian

Schools• We are often blind to economic

and consumer powers at work in culture

• We often underestimate power of entrenched educational practices and structures (testing, curriculum) that unwittingly support an economic and consumer worldview

Impact of Economic Idolatry on Christian Schools

• We face parental expectations arising from consumer society that bring economic pressure

• We are sometimes hostage to state funding and testing along with a corresponding vision of academic excellence that is deeply indebted to consumer society

• We sometimes measure our success almost exclusively by state testing and the universities our kids get into

Impact of economic idolatry

on Christian Schools• Consumer society can often marginalise

continuing education for teachers (lack of time, priority, and funding that arise from economic pressure; disinterest and pragmatism of teachers)

• We marginalise subjects in the curriculum that don’t raise test scores and academic profile of school

• We devote disproportionate energy and space to economic issues in planning, meetings and literature

Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matt. 28.18-20)

New Starting Point

‘Great Commission’ in context of Matthew’s

gospel• “. . . entire gospel written from

the perspective of this [passage] . . .” (Michel)

• “a summary of the entire gospel of Matthew” (Bornkamm)

• “all the threads woven into the fabric of Matthew . . . draw together here” (Bosch)

Discipleship

• Main command: ‘Make disciples’

• What is a disciple?

A disciple:

• . . . is invited to join Jesus and his community in a mission to make known kingdom of God in life, word, deed

• . . . is to centre their whole life in Jesus (not the Torah) and become like him

• . . . is to obey Jesus as Lord and not simply respect him as teacher

A central theme in Matthew

A disciple . . . . . . must learn to

obey everything Jesus commands

. . . make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Key discipleship concepts in Matthew: “Cluster of obedience

images”

• Doing God’s will• Justice-righteousness• Commandments• Be perfect• Surpassing, excelling• Observe, keep• Bear fruit• Teach

Two Characteristics of a Disciple in Matthew

• Disciples of Jesus will challenge unjust social and economic structures of day

Challenging oppressive structures

• German jurist, Arnold Ehrhardt: Authority of Roman and Greek law 5th c. BC - 6th c. AD

• Jesus of gospels (life and teaching):– Radically revolutionary, even outright

seditious: Challenged unjust social, economic, political structures of day

– No longer experience this because of cultural distance

Two characteristic of a disciple in Matthew

•Disciples of Jesus will challenge unjust social and economic structures of day

• Disciples of Jesus will hunger and thirst for justice

Justice in Matthew

• Dikaiosūne—central word in Matthew to characterise disciples

• What does it mean?• Often translated righteousness in

Matthew (5.6; 5.20; 6.33 etc.)• Setting all things right—justice• Jesus taught justice with words (5-

7) and life (solidarity with marginalised)

Particularly in our contemporary world of violence and counter-violence, of oppression from the right and the left, of the rich getting richer and the poor poorer, it is imperative for the church-in-mission to include the “superior justice” of the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt 5:20) in its missionary agenda. Its mission cannot concern itself exclusively with the personal, inward, spiritual, and “vertical” aspects of people’s lives.

- David Bosch

What is needed for education for discipleship?

• Visionary, direction-setting leaders who understand how to live at the crossroads of biblical and western story

• Bold leaders and teachers who are willing to set out their own aims, goals, and learning outcomes, and resist temptation to conform to state pressure—who care more about faithfulness than academic ‘success’

• Attention given to what subjects are necessary to train students to be disciples and not simply participants in economy

What is needed for education for discipleship?

• Teachers who read, think, plan, pursue professional development so they are increasingly shaped by the gospel and are able to be critical of curriculum, texts, and tests of government

• Schools who give time, space, motivation, funding for teachers to pursue worldview issues

• Communal solidarity, deep spirituality, willingness to suffer

What is needed for education for discipleship in

the way of justice?• Discerning educators who understand:

– God’s call for justice– global roots of injustice

• Courageous educators who are willing to take a stand with the marginalised and oppressed

• Imaginative educators who will ask how their curriculum and extra-classroom service learning experiences can foster recognition of injustice, a desire to rectify injustice, and solidarity with victims of injustice

Challenge from Draft Document

Inviting and equipping young people to engage in the unspeakable privilege of participating in God’s redemptive work by living and spreading kingdom practices should be the ultimate goal of all we do in Christian education. If this is so, we need to grapple with . . .

- Elaine Brouwer

Further information1. Email: mike.goheen@twu.ca2. Website with some free resources:

www.biblicaltheology.ca 3. Upcoming Geneva Society public

lectures at Trinity Western University on Tuesday nights on globalisation, postmodernity, and consumerism. To be on email list to know more about these and future lectures, email Mike Goheen.

4. Slides for this talk and more information on Geneva lectures can be found on www.genevasociety.org (Public Lectures Geneva Lecture.doc)