Myths of Christian Education

Adventist Education

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

Adventist EducationMyth #1

Education given in Adventist schools is very poor

Today in the North American Division:– 879 Schools– 8,582 Teachers– 80,541 Students

Worldwide:– 6,709 Schools

Adventist Education is the second largest denominational educational system in the world, second only to Catholic schools.

Adventist EducationMyth #1

Adventist EducationMyth #1

Challenges:•Small Size•Multi-grade Classrooms•Low Budgets•Lack of Adequate Facilities•Cost

Adventist EducationMyth #1

“True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.”

Education p.13

Adventist EducationMyth #2

Adventist Schools Need Better Teachers

Adventist EducationMyth #2

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Adventist EducationMyth #2

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Job 22:21 (KJV)

Adventist EducationMyth #3

Better Facilities Mean a Better Education

Adventist EducationMyth #3

If education is to prepare youngsters just for this life, then we are among all men most miserable.

1 Cor 15:19 (adapted from)

Adventist EducationMyth #3

God does NOT want God does wantTheir Success

Their AchievementTheir Talent

Their PossessionsTheir BeautyTheir Brain

Their KnowledgeThem for a Time

Them in Hell

Their SincerityTheir Obedience

Their CommitmentTheir Passion

Their BehaviorTheir Heart

Their LoyaltyThem for EternityThem in Heaven

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Public Schools Prepare Children Better for the Real World

Adventist EducationMyth #4

…separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Ephesians 2:12 (NIV)

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Joseph: How can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God?

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Esther: If I perish, I perish

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Daniel: Purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Moses: Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Joshua: As for me and My house we will serve the Lord

Adventist EducationMyth #4

Ruth: Thy God is my God

Adventist EducationMyth #5

Religion Should Only be Taught in the Home and in the Church

Adventist EducationMyth #5

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

“Amid all the buzz on education reform, the Seventh-day Adventist school system might seem an unexpected place to look for models in improving student achievement. But by educating mind, body, and spirit, Adventist schools outperform the national average across all demographics.”

For real education reform, take a cue from the AdventistsBy Elissa Kido, Ed.D., professor of education at La Sierra University

Posted on www.csmonitor.com on November 15, 2010.

The Cognitive Genesis Study

The Cognitive Genesis Study

“Even we were surprised by the results. Our four-year, independently financed study showed that students at Adventist schools outperformed their peers at the national average in every subject area.”

“One of our most dramatic findings is that students who transferred to Adventist schools saw a marked improvement in academic achievement. The more years a student attended an Adventist school, the more his or her performance improved.”