A Gospel-Centered Classroom

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

– John Newton

The notion of building a Gospel-centered classroom is relevant for a Gospel-transformed teacher in any school regardless of the school’s classification.

Sometimes a “Christian school” can, may I dare say, be so institutionally Christian – banners, expressions, scheduled blocks, etc. – that students can grow insensitive to the Gospel underpinnings of the school. What these students need is an authentic picture of the greatness of the Gospel through the intimacy of a classroom and its interrelationships.

The staunchly secular school needs a subversive and countercultural Gospel-centered classroom to “covertly” open a bridge to demonstrations of the hope of the Gospel that is within that classroom’s believing leader. Such demonstrations, although at times necessarily covert, can lead to a student posing critical questions that build in her a seeking heart. Beyond this an openness to more overt explanations of the reasons for such hope might be requested. The classroom in a creative access country/context is largely the same, albeit the stakes for your position might be higher.

Let’s use Newton’s song as a guide to us in nurturing a Gospel-centered classroom.

“Amazing…”
As a teacher of math, sciences, or even many of the arts, it is incumbent upon the Gospel-centered teacher to provoke wonder from an examination of the elegance of math, the physics of even simple machines, the intricacies of biological diversity and precision, or the beauties in music of both harmony and dissonance. God has given us an amazing creation. Your encouragement of students to learn and discover more and more of creation will certainly invoke the “what” question. “How” would likely be next. Perhaps the door will open in appropriate contextual ways to the “why” and “who” questions that expose not only an amazing creation but an amazing Creator.

“…Grace…”
Grace, too, is amazing. Saving grace is something only God does for you at His expense. Grace in the classroom is something you can do – and model – that is ultimately at your expense. Give up the “right” to be angry or short with your students or with any current controversies wafting through the school. Seek their best. Share examples of grace in appropriate levels of openness and always try to point back to the ultimate Giver of Grace.

“…how sweet the sound…”
Stories of grace are beautiful and oh so needed. Stories of grace, both fictional and factual, can evoke wonder. How can anyone give up their prerogatives and give to another person – one who may even have wronged them? How is it possible to see mercy extended when none is deserved? Such stories may lead a student to ask bigger questions, and bigger questions quite often lead to seeking something bigger than self. Researchers have concluded that wonder can help make a person feel smaller in a positive sense, can cultivate humility, and can cause one to seek connectedness with something bigger. Wonder then, can be a gateway to appreciating the deep truths of the Gospel.[1]

“…that saved…”
And then there are the stories of redemption. The redemptive arc is at the core of so many of our distant and recent cultural creations. From Jean Valjean’s “conversion” through the goodness of the Bishop of Digne in Hugo’s Les Misérables to Hassan’s declaration to Amir in The Kite Runner that, “there is a way to be good again,” redemption is celebrated in literature. What is the potential of a human being redeemed by God? Looking at true examples of real human greatness give a glimpse of a possible life trajectory, but these must be contrasted to the ever-present wretchedness of our reality.

“…a wretch…”
As a former pastor of my church said, “You’ve gotta get a man lost before he can be found.” Depending on the subject matter of your classroom, you can help your students realize their “lostness.” Even if your students are believers, this realization is still relevant because it can increase appreciation for God’s work in their lives already and grow empathy and compassion for classmates. For those outside of faith it is basic. Why seek God if you’re OK? A study of the humanities and social sciences at any level opens the door to ask, “What is wrong with the world, with us, with me?” and “Why is nothing working to truly remedy the wrongs?” Depending on your context, you might not be able to label the root cause of wrongness as “sin,” but the critical thinking you encourage in a Gospel-centered history or literature class can help to “get them lost” so that they might be found. Studying cultural products that critique the dominant culture are useful for this. Find a song, a short story, a novel, an op-ed piece and look for what is being critiqued and ask, really digging down deep, whether the critique is well founded and if any solution it offers would really work to fully remedy the problem.

“…like me.”
You are, or should be, the most credible evidence for the value of the Gospel in your classroom. But any evidence needs examination to be of value. For that to happen with you, there is a need for a certain level of transparency and vulnerability. You may need to reference personal weaknesses and failings that have in turn been touched by the Gospel. You must grow the skill and practice (which is challenging and probably never perfect) of balancing grace and mercy with just classroom practices. You need to be ready to welcome your kids to an appropriate relationship with you by offering friendliness undergirded with firmness. You need to present educational requirements as part of a bigger vision. You have a story of redemption in many small things and one ultimate thing. Find ways to point to those stories. Don’t be afraid to admit that you are, in and of yourself, less good than the students may think and point towards God’s goodness as why you have any claim at all to personal goodness.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. God’s grace is amazing. It offers hope and health and salvation in any context. The lost can be found, the slave freed. May this be visible in the context of your classroom and through your life as the classroom’s leader.

Russ Kraines
Russ is a 30+ year veteran of teaching in middle and high schools both in the US (public) and in Germany (private, Black Forest Academy, BFA). Most recently, he taught the senior level class Worldviews course at BFA for 11 years. Russ and his wife Diane began their service with TeachBeyond in 2001 and currently work from home in the U.S. supporting TeachBeyond’s Informal Education efforts.