Your Classroom as a Sacred Space

Martin Luther famously said, “When schools flourish, all flourishes.”[1] Like many of the church fathers, Luther became a major advocate for Christian education, believing that schools must have a key role in “engraving [Scriptures] in the hearts of youth.”[2] Transformational education, an approach to learning that cultivates the whole person to become all that God intends, has built upon this conviction, emphasizing that the classroom is a sacred space.

Our understanding of how transformation (becoming all that God intends) occurs in one’ s life is central to viewing the classroom as sacred space. At one point, TeachBeyond had a statement on our website that read, “Transformational education is changing the world.” Although well-intentioned, we were rightfully challenged for the theological implication of this claim. Is transformational education changing the world? If we believe the Holy Spirit is the one responsible for transformation, then we must reframe the statement: “God is changing the world through transformational education.” What a relief it is to recognize the Holy Spirit as the true agent of change, which is the important first step in seeing our classrooms through God’ s eyes. This “frees” us to see our role in transformation for what it is: a prayer for God to work. As the late Tim Keller wrote, “Everywhere God is, prayer is. Since God is everywhere and infinitely great, prayer must be all-pervasive in our lives.”[3] Do we actively and passionately pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence and activity in our classrooms and students?

The term Christian originates from the word Christianos, which means “follower of Christ.” In other words, we are followers of Christ called to teach others what it means to follow Him. This can feel like a sobering and overwhelming reality, one that we are admonished about in Scripture. As someone who is always looking to recruit more teachers, I used to joke that my least favorite verse in the Bible was James’ warning to teachers: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1[4]). The Message translation puts it this way: “Don’ t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.”[5] Because of the weight of this work, we must be constantly reminded of our reliance on the Holy Spirit to do the needed renovation and equipping in our hearts to prepare and guide us in the sacred calling of teaching others. Earl Creps, in his challenging book for missional leaders, puts it this way: “The kind of spiritual renovation that forms a missionary’ s heart defies every attempt at reduction to a formula, or franchising as a ‘model.’  But there is a common confession, along with Paul: ‘I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.’ ”[6] Perhaps, then, after prayer for the Holy Spirit’s work in our classrooms and the lives of our students comes a second prayer—that we ourselves might reflect the transformation we pray for in others. This transformation goes far deeper than surface-level changes. It is a call to see the deepest parts of our mind, soul, and body renewed, for the glory and purpose of the Lord.

If we see the Holy Spirit as the transformer, and ourselves as living examples of Christ-following, we can begin to consider what it looks like to be a teacher in the sacred space God has given us: the classroom. I do not recall the first time I heard the term teaching beyond but to me, teaching beyond framed a new way of thinking about what could happen in the classroom. The word beyond calls us to consider every moment of every day as an opportunity to uncover the story that God has and is writing. This stands apart from merely teaching a Christian worldview. Rather, by teaching beyond, we view the classroom as a sacred space, holy ground, where students are instilled with wonder and awe in their Creator who created them in His image, and who desires to have a dynamic, life-long relationship with them. Teaching beyond is, therefore, a calling to frame our classrooms as spaces where not only is truth being taught, but the source of truth is revealed, celebrated, and passed on. A foundational question to ask is this: How does my classroom point students to tap “a deep and ancient river of wisdom, inspired by God Himself and revealed in His authoritative Word”[7]? Scripture reminds us that all the world belongs to Him (Psalm 24). This includes the sacred spaces of our classrooms, and any space that learning takes place. We must first ask God to do the deep renovation in our hearts and minds necessary to be “little Christs” in our classrooms. We must purposefully pray for our students, over the spaces they will be, the materials they will use, over the conversations that will take place, over the relationships that will emerge. Finally, we must begin to consider teaching beyond as a lifelong journey that continually points students, in all things and in all moments, to the unshakable Source of biblical truth.

I love astrophotography. This is a frustratingly difficult process, but a rewarding endeavor. When I finally had success, the results were shocking. A little piece of sky that I had viewed hundreds of times suddenly came to life. Nothing had changed about the sky other than my own perspective. I had finally figured out how to tune my camera to the “see” the beautiful galaxies, in all their complexities and colors, that had been in front of me all along. When I flipped between the two pictures (right), I was shocked. How could I have NOT seen this? God’s handiwork was there the whole time, but I was blind! As we embrace the classroom as sacred space, our paradigm shifts. We begin to see every moment of every day for what it is: Holy Ground to experience, know, and love more deeply the Creator of all things.

David Durance
David currently serves as the president of TeachBeyond. David and his wife Nancy joined TeachBeyond in 2011 and moved to Asia, where he worked in a number of capacities, including National Director and Regional Director. During his time there, David led the work to establish what is now a network of educational institutions serving students through various initiatives. In April 2019, he was appointed as TeachBeyond’s second president. David enjoys reading, singing, listening to music, playing soccer with his kids, and running with his wife.