Education's Kingdom Purpose

In 1925, John Scopes, a high school science teacher, was held on trial for teaching evolution.  It was a national spectacle as the whole country witnessed a trial not focused on the laws of Tennessee, but rather the center stage was set for a vociferous debate between evolution and creationism.  And while Scopes was convicted, the trial having been won by the creationists, the war has been decisively won by evolutionists.  In truth, this battle had been fought and continually won for several decades before Scopes' historic trial as the modernists made headways at the academies and universities, and Christians continually retreated into fundamentalist anti-intellectualism.

Fast-forward to today when more of the population than ever is educated beyond high school and yet we live in a society that is wholly morally bankrupt.  The fear of the anti-intellectual fundamentalists was based on protecting the believing community from "giving in" to the pride and idolatry of modernism.  And while we fight a similar battle today, our enemy is of a different slightly different kind.  We fight against the pride, conceit, self-exaltation, and self-reliance that is espoused by the pursuit of education.

Because education instills a sense of personal confidence and self-reliance, an entire generation of educated peoples have come to feel that they have no need of God and no reason to depend on Him.  Needless to say, this is beyond disappointing, it is thoroughly sad.  In truth, what has occurred is a widespread misconception of the value and usefulness of education.  Education and the pursuit thereof are neither a substitute for reliance on God, nor an outlet for rampant self-exaltation.

Instead, education is meant to serve His purposes.  We become educated and we pursue education for the purposes of growing in our usefulness in His will.  The goal of education, from a Christian perspective, is to equip us to best serve the Lord and His will in our lives.  We should thus not fear formal education and the growth of intellectualism.  Instead, we should be on guard against pride instilled by the educational institution.  Additionally, higher education is not to ever be favored over sincere reliance on the Lord, but is to compliment our faith by equipping us for service in the Kingdom.  Let us praise God at all times and remember Him in all thankfulness!