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Our Philosophy
A variety of reasons for religious instruction exist:
- control–People are taught the commands of God by which others manipulate their behavior and rob them of individual freedom.
- conformity–People are taught religious rules that bring uniformity to a group.
- code–People are taught religious principles as a morality by which to live, even though they do not have the power to keep such a burdensome code.
- contrast–People are taught the distinctives of their faith heritage as a uniform standard of behavior that differentiates and separates them from others.
We find all of those reasons insufficient. Our name and Christian educational philosophy comes from the experience of Moses and the promises to all Christians who encounter God:
“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
“Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
. . . We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:7, 8, 18).
We believe that the goal of Christian education is not the implantation of morality, but the nurturing of relationship with God. Moses encountered God as a friend, not a tyrant. Here are some differences between a tyrant and a friend:
- A tyrant tries to control. A friend engages in a time of dialogue and free expression of ideas.
- A tyrant manipulates to create uniformity. A friend sees and encourages the unique abilities of a person.
- A tyrant gives simplistic answers. A friend offers real help.
- A tyrant sows seeds of fear of those outside of the group. A friend offers to serve as a go-between and character witness to help someone reconcile with others.
When teaching teens, it is far too easy to create a picture of God as a tyrant. ENCOUNTER curriculum, on the other hand, seeks to create an environment in which our teens can come to God with expectation rather than run from Him in fear. Times of Christian education should not be seen as times of forced indoctrination. Rather, can they become appointments to meet with the One mighty enough to create the world, but loving enough to desire the friendship of His creation?
Implications for instructional methodology
Moses encouraged parents to train their children to encounter God as a friend and live for Him. From Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 6, we see clear implications for instructional methodology:
- “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts” (v. 6).
You can’t give what you do not have. Adult leaders cannot impart a relationship with God unless His words live in their own hearts. Therefore ENCOUNTER curriculum sees it vital to provide tools to equip the teacher. A clear Scripture Commentary that explains with informed passion the meaning of the texts studied each week as well as application of those texts is included. Unless Christian education material is centered in the exposition of Scripture, the venture of learning can never rise beyond social indoctrination. - “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (v. 7).
God is too big to be placed in a box. Christian education must escape the style and comfortable box of Christian culture and confront the real world, walking along the challenging and uncertain roads teens face in life. ENCOUNTER curriculum includes a weekly current events lesson introduction (The Scene™) that is written and uploaded to our web site the week the lesson is taught. Our resource packet includes video clips from classic TV and Hollywood movies. Hard-hitting case studies and articles from ENCOUNTER magazine lead students to understand how daily living with their Creator is both possible and rewarding. - “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (v. 8).
Indoctrination is passive. Truly encountering God is active. Moses recognized that instruction included activity (”your hands”) as well as deliberation (”your foreheads”). ENCOUNTER curriculum provides a complete, four-step lesson plan. Each step of this lesson plan contains two options, allowing the teacher to choose from activities best suited to his or her teens. Options include “hands-on” activities such as drama, art, and games as well as intellectually engaging research, reporting, and discussion. Student pages from the student books and video, audio, and posters from the resource packet equip teachers to easily lead activities while allowing students to participate fully. (EASY TO TEACH) - “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (v. 9).
Christian education does not create individual pietists-or those who have been described as “too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly good.” Our goal is to create a community of believers as united to each other as they are to God, a nation as well as a priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). The Word of God must be used to form the flash-and-blood framework of that “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). Each lesson of ENCOUNTER curriculum leads to a challenge for individual change in the atmosphere of mutual nurture and support. - “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?’ . . .” (v. 20).
Education is much more than telling. Moses told parents to anticipate questions and even challenges as children matured. ENCOUNTER curriculum recognizes that teens need to examine, question, and even critique and challenge the faith of their parents, their teachers, and their congregations. We help the teacher step out of the role of information dispenser and into the role of coach and encourager.
Any curriculum (or none at all) can indoctrinate. But only a Bible-based, culturally relevant, easy-to-teach, personally challenging, age-appropriate curriculum can lead teens to meet God face-to-face.
