George Swinnock, a Puritan pastor (1627-1673) declared, "The pious tradesman will know that his shop as well as his chapel is holy ground." How? Why? When? |
Revolutionary approaches to education were developed in the 17th century on the heels of the Reformation, through such early "Noah Websters" as John Comenius (the "Father of Modern Education"), John Alstead, William Ames and Alexander Richardson, who stood on the shoulders of Luther and Calvin. These 17th century schoolmasters wedded the reformational idea of "calling" (or "vocation") with schooling, and changed the course of history. But their revolutionary ideas have now fallen on hard times.
The wedding of calling with schooling can be seen in the Puritan Circle of Knowledge, as summarized here:
Step #1: God, the Prime Creator, initiates through His creation of all things. |
Step #2: Humans discover what God has initiated. This discovery is a big part of what education is about. |
Step #4: God is glorified through the imitation of Him in occupations of all kinds, from shoe-making to carpentry. |
Imagine employees at The Boeing Company viewing their work as "imitators of God," making beautiful and functional “secondary creations” [airplanes] out of God’s
primary creations [metals, carbon, electricity, etc.], for the purpose of engaging with God's laws of "lift," so people may be transported safely from point A to point B. The
secondary creations [airplanes] serve the needs of people, and glorify the
Prime Creator, bringing glory full circle from God
back to God. And in the process, these biblically-minded employees are professing their faith by their work, in "imitating God" through the making of airplanes. It is their profession.
Have I lost my mind? No. I think I've found it!
Have I lost my mind? No. I think I've found it!
Imagine a banker, a lawyer and a businessman all glorifying God by "imitating Him" through
serving the financial needs of people, maintaining justice in the world, and
providing needed goods and services for the community. The legitimate needs of
people are met, God is glorified, and these biblically-minded workers go to the office each
day fulfilling the First Commission (Gen. 1:26-28) in professing their faith by their work. They are professionals, in the best sense of the word professional.
If this
isn't culture-transforming, I don't know what is. And if this doesn't bring meaning to
education, nothing will. The Circle of Knowledge begs to be be revived.
Dr. David
Scott notes: “The
emphasis on use [in the Circle of Knowledge] fit in nicely with the
practicality of the Puritan mind, providing a philosophical foundation for the
working vocations…The human being as an artisan can follow in the footsteps of
the Divine Artist. Through this circular pattern of the created order, humanity
can fulfill its cultural mandate (Gen. 1:26-28) and returns glory back to God.”
Read David Scott's full essay, "A Vision of Veritas: What Christian Scholarship Can Learn from the Puritan's 'Technology' of Integrating Truth" here.
Read David Scott's full essay, "A Vision of Veritas: What Christian Scholarship Can Learn from the Puritan's 'Technology' of Integrating Truth" here.