Teaching Redemptively

I am reading a great book right now, called "Teaching Redemptively: Bringing Grace and Truth into Your Classroom". I think it brings up some great points that I don't want to forget, particularly when working with the youth group at church. If anyone reading this works with the youth or is an educator, this may be relevant to you. I think it's interesting, anyway.

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We need to realize that true Christian educating immerses students in the grace of the gospel. In attempting to provide a Christian education, we tend to think that if we can keep the law well enough (living up to moral standards), we are doing things the way God wants them done. We simply ignore what may or may not be happening to students internally. (Been guilty of this in the past, unfortunately!)

We assume, by virtue of students' outward conformity to our expectations, that internally they have an identity rooted in Christ, and that their good works arise from true spiritual maturity and strength. However, unhealthy persons can act in a positive way if the payoff looks good enough.

Unfortunately, we may not really concern ourselves with the fact that the fall has left everyone internally empty and suffering a sense of loss and lack of value. We readily focus on the outward effects of the fall and believe our duty is to do all we can to control and eliminate sinful outward behaviors. But if we are continually focusing on the outward behaviors by affirming the positive and punishing the negative, we may never attend to the internal emptiness of the fallen, broken sinner.

We may never introduce our students to what living the gospel is all about. Instead, we teach them to talk about the gospel while living under the curse of the law.

Whoa.

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Any thoughts? This just really hit me for some reason.