Christian Education in American Schools

Introduction

Education in many parts of the world, including the United States, began in Christian centers. However, today, Christian education in America is in crisis. In more than three centuries of the existence of Christian education in America, the sector is experiencing difficult circumstances that threaten to end it. ¹The rise of Christian religion in American schools can be traced back to the Puritan era.² This was mainly informed by the Calvinism and the Christianity and the Bible formed the primary sources of instructions in schools. Religious instruction was still the mainstay in schools even after the American Revolution. However, the instructions were delivered within an Evangelical Protestantism that was less rigid as compared to the Puritan era.

The Reasons of Changes

Before the start of the Civil War, radical changes took place when most schools began to abandon the teaching of the Christian religion. This run through to the late 19^th century and was characterized by an increase in the number of nondenominational schools in the country³. In this era, the reading of the Bible in schools was not given much concern as it was before. Nonetheless, schools in the South kept to their evangelical Protestant doctrines teachings through the use of the Bible.⁴ This continued up to the end of the Second World War and involved both white and black schools. The Bible and all its corresponding religious inclinations would later disappear from the American schools in the 20^th century. It was only left in courses touching on literature survey and history.

The changing role of Christian education and the bible from the American classrooms can be attributed to several reasons, some of them being very complex. However, the primary reason for this is argued by many scholars to be the growth of the American society from homogenous to extra cultural pluralism.⁵ This has been a gradual and steady process that can be traced back to the 16^th century when the Massachusetts culture was the only predominant one in the whole of the U.S. The American public education has its roots in the Europe’s Reformation. In addition, John Calvin contributed significantly in creating free schools that allowed children to learn the Scripture as well as read and write.

The Concept of the Reformation

Before Calvin, only the nobility and high-ranking men of the church were allowed to learn how to read and write and even study the Scripture. Calvin argued that a common man who knows how to read the Bible required no prelates from the church to strengthen his relations with God.⁶ This was the birth of the Reformation message whose central idea was to allow ordinary people to access knowledge. It was from this concept that public schools were born. The ideas advanced by Calvin were popularly embraced by the Puritan America.

Adoption of the Act

In the year 1647, the Olde Deluder Act was passed by Massachusetts mandating all townships that had more than 50 households to start a common school. Parents had to ensure that children attend the schools and study the Bible⁷. It was initially understood that Satan was working hard to stop people from knowing the Scripture. Thus, the Olde Deluder Act was meant to avert it. In these schools, religious instruction was done in conjunction with the church. Children in these schools were taught the concept of their place on earth and how God reigns sovereignty over them.

Consequences of the Revolution

One of the aftermaths of the American Revolution was the diversification of the American culture. This meant that the Calvinism as a concept lost its value and popularity among the American society. In addition, the zeal previously portrayed by the Christian missionaries in schools began to wane. Nonetheless, the Evangelical Protestant that played a key role in clamoring for Christian education in American schools from the colonial period through to the middle of 19^th century did not abandon their mission yet.⁸ Due to them, Bible instruction and Bible reading remained crucial components of public education in American schools. According to them, one of the solemn objectives of the Bible was to nurture humans and give them hope of an eternal future. However, it also played a key role in offering a moral context that taught learners to positively take part in the societal good through worldly accomplishments⁹. This implied that the emphasis that Protestant had on the spiritual growth of children remained strong in local schools.

Roman Catholicism

In the early 1800s, America witnessed massive immigration that led to Roman Catholicism taking over as the single most dominant religious faith in America. As a result, the strict adherence to religious instruction in schools advanced by the Protestants began to wane. ¹⁰Instead, nondenominational trends began taking shape in many American schools. After the year 1840, the will of heaven was not accorded serious consideration in classroom. In place of the matters of the soul, more modest training emerged.¹¹ This involved teaching learners on how to be good and do justice to their neighbors and how they can be of benefit to the society. The Bible, was, thus, relegated as a guiding principle book of how to support ethical and moral understanding in schools.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be noted that the abolition of Christian education in America has deep roots. The heyday of the Christian religion in American schools can be traced back to the Puritan era. In particular, many significant events like the Civil War, the American Revolution, or mass immigration in 1800 influenced this event. Unfortunately, Christian education in US schools is threatened with complete disappearance due to a shift in emphasis towards Roman Catholicism.

Bibliography

Barnes, L Philip. Education, Religion and Diversity: Developing a new model of religious education. New York: Routledge, 2017.

Burdelski, Matthew J, and Kathryn M Howard. Language Socialization in Classrooms: Culture, Interaction, and Language Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Global perspectives on catholic religious education in schools. Singapore: Springer Verlag, 2019.

Imbarack, Patricia, and Cristobal Madero. Catholic education in Latin America: An ongoing project. Cham: Springer, 2021.

Kemmis, Stephen, and Christine Edwards-Groves. Understanding Education: History, Politics and Practice. Singapore: Springer, 2018.

Luetz, Johannes M, Tony Dowden, and Beverley Norsworthy. Reimagining Christian education: Cultivating transformative approaches. Singapore: Springer, 2018.

Luetz, Johannes M, and Beth Green. Innovating Christian education research: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Singapore: Springer, 2021.

Pardue, Brad, and Andrew T Bolger. Restoring the Vocation of a Christian College: A Framework for Holistic Christian Education in a Post-Christian World. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2022.

Slater, Robert Glenn. A Christian America restored: The rise of the evangelical Christian school movement in America, 1920-1952. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2019.

Smith, Gary Scott. American religious history: Belief and society through time. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2021.

Footnotes

1. Luetz, Johannes M, and Beth Green. Innovating Christian education research: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Singapore: Springer, 2021.
2. Burdelski, Matthew J, and Kathryn M Howard. Language Socialization in Classrooms: Culture, Interaction, and Language Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
3. Kemmis, Stephen, and Christine Edwards-Groves. Understanding Education: History, Politics and Practice. Singapore: Springer, 2018.
4. Pardue, Brad, and Andrew T Bolger. Restoring the Vocation of a Christian College: A Framework for Holistic Christian Education in a Post-Christian World. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2022.
5. Barnes, L Philip. Education, Religion and Diversity: Developing a new model of religious education. New York: Routledge, 2017.
6. Slater, Robert Glenn. A Christian America restored: The rise of the evangelical Christian school movement in America, 1920-1952. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2019.
7. Luetz, Johannes M, and Beth Green. Innovating Christian education research: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Singapore: Springer, 2021.
8. Luetz, Johannes M, and Beth Green. Innovating Christian education research: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Singapore: Springer, 2021.
9. Imbarack, Patricia, and Cristobal Madero. Catholic education in Latin America: An ongoing project. Cham: Springer, 2021.
10. Smith, Gary Scott. American religious history: Belief and society through time. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2021.
11. Global perspectives on catholic religious education in schools. Singapore: Springer Verlag, 2019.