Historical Christian Purpose of Education
The historical Christian purpose of education was to enhance spreading the gospel through academics. Institutions of learning were based on the Christian faith since the founders dreaded leaving an illiterate ministry behind (Harvard First Convenes Classes, 1636). The Christian founders had evangelical convictions that the young scholars would advance their knowledge in spiritual matters. Additionally, the historical Christian purpose was to advance Christianity by training young scholars. It focused also on instilling skills necessary for the new world. For example, Harvard College was established with the purpose of educating clergy (Harvard First Convenes Classes, 1636). Statistics indicate that out of 108 schools in ancient America 106 of the educational institutions were formed by Christians founded on Christian principles (Harvard First Convenes Classes, 1636). The rules and precepts of Harvard are a clear example that the historical Christian purpose was to advance Christin faith through education.
I believe the purpose of education is to train young scholars to face the realities of the new world including its challenges. Education also helps people from different backgrounds to be homogenized for the purpose of creating a national identity. Learning helps people to think in a uniform manner thus making it easier for the government in place to exercise their mandate (Rush, 1786). Individuals benefit from education by learning how to think critically about their situations. For example, it is the basis of various inventions since scholars tend to generate solutions for the problems in the world. I believe the purpose of learning is to remind young scholars that they have a duty to play in society such as taking care of the environment (Smith, 2008). I believe education triggers scholars to take action to address the ills in society.
References
Harvard First Convenes Classes. (1636). The Christian founding of Harvard. Retrieved from https://christianheritagefellowship.com/the-christian-founding-of-harvard/
Rush, B., (1786). Thoughts upon the mode of education proper in a republic. Retrieved from https://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=1-4-218
Smith, J., S. (2008). McGuffey Readers; Liberty University. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1118&context=educ_fac_pubs
