This was my doctoral of ministry work at Oral Roberts University. In those days (early 2000’s) academic institutions were being swept by John Dewey concepts.
I didn’t
like this, but since then we have seen the kind of fruit coming from these
concepts.
Dewey
taught more about subjectivity in learning. He didn’t like traditional
Christian faith or the objectivity of Christian learning.
His idea
was that since we are all different, we all have our own learning styles and
therefore we all learn truth in a personal or subjective manner. That is,
truth, it is said, is in the eye of the student, not the teacher.
Our job in
education, it is said, is to help a student discover their own truth, not to
teach truth.
While this
method of education correctly noticed the personality of each child, and each
child’s special gifts, it also sought to change the nature of knowledge, what
we call epistemology (how we know something as true.)
My
contention in my work was that truth comes from God: “Your word is truth.”
(John17:17) While there is a subjectivity in learning (which stems from a
personal relationship with the Holy Spirit) this doesn’t change the objective
nature of truth itself. God determines truth in himself.
Dewey’s
concepts are more in line with Post Modernism than with Christianity. Post
Modernism was the cultural current in American education through the last part
of the twentieth century. It holds that there is no objective truth, but truth
is entirely what the person believes it to be. Truth, it is said, is determined
by personal experience and perspective.
It is
correct that personal experience does colour our perspective, but these
perspectives still are guided by one God and his word.
To deny the
objectivity of God’s word gives way to human fallenness and this reality is
missing in Dewey’s theory. The fallenness of humanity distorts “personal
truth.” This is why we need the word of God.
Dewey’s
concepts have severely damaged American education. While America has one of the
biggest educational budgets in the world, it has poor results in student
proficiency.
Education
in recent years in America has become more about political and corporate
agendas than about real knowledge. “Science” has become more about adopting a
political dogma than investigating objective reality.
The theme
in education in recent decades has strongly supported the political agenda of
“deconstructionism.” It is said that truth is merely an imperial concept, and
for humans to be free they must be set free from any concepts of truth, to be
solely self-oriented.
This has
coincided with the rise of offence: any person that doesn’t endorse another
person’s subjective “truth” is said to be highly offensive. Thus, we have no
cohesion in our societies. And totalitarianism is increasing, enforcing
submission to this new concept of “reality.”
If we are
secure in truth from God, we don’t need endorsement from others. Even if we
suffer for God’s truth, Christ said we are blessed. This is freedom.
Concepts
about the deconstruction of truth are promoted to enable corruption, money
laundering, lust, lawlessness and even paedophilia, all of which are growing
massively today. Children pay the highest price.
This shift
in education in America has been sponsored by “philanthropic” organisations
like the Gates Foundation, Carnegie, Rockefeller and Soros. It’s more about
compliance to globalist ideas than free thinking. American education, like
education in many other nations, needs serious correction.
John
Dewey’s background and philosophy comes from evolutionary godless models, and
authors like Matt Ehret trace Dewey’s occultic associations. Dewey’s mission
was certainly an attack against Christian truth in modern nations. As soon as
we recover from it, the better for our futures.
The bottom
line is love for the child. This means we support each child’s uniqueness,
while guiding them through their fallenness. We deny neither side. When we love
the child, we desire him or her to come to a knowledge of God's truth, not
beguiled and hurt.
“You shall
know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) Free from what?
Free from our fallen deceptions. If we are lost, we are found in God’s truth,
not in our self. We must deny ourselves and take his yoke upon us and be his
disciples, students. This sets us free.
Subjective
truth has taken many nations into an identity crisis. People have lost what it
means to be human, made in the image of God. They are told they must “discover”
their own sexual and gender identity, even become transhuman (part human, part
machine.)
This is the
fruit of trying to discover “truth” in ourselves and not in the true God. It
doesn’t lead to freedom, but to destruction of countless lives, families,
societies, and traditional values.
Today,
America has the highest level of personal depression, drug addiction, moral
lostness, suicide and family breakdown than any time in her past. The failure
of education is directly responsible for this. We don’t want our nation to be
like this. We need a change. We pray also America is heading for change and
will bounce-back.
Blessings.
May God bless all our children in his love, truth and care.
Kent Hodge
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