Lutheran Teacher Worldview

1. Marisa Hahn
Philosophy of Lutheran Education
The role of educationis verypowerful insocietytoday,andthe LutheranChurch Missouri Synod
school systemhas not onlythe ability to nurture and supports students and families, but is included in
the Great Commission to“goand make disciplesof all nations,baptizingtheminthe name of the Father
and of the Sonand of the HolySpirit, andteachingthemtoobeyeverythingIhave commandedyou”(Mt
28:19-20a). Because Lutheran schools are able to be open and intentional about teaching the faith,
“Lutheranteachersmustthinkin terms of the future in order to prepare those they serve to cope with
whatever events and issues may develop to affect them” (Rietschel 15).
Working in a Lutheran school, who are we supposed to teach?
As a Lutheraneducator,the mainforce that guidesme bothinside and outside the classroom is
JesusChrist.My personal missionstatementcomesfrom1John 4:10-11, “This is love:not that we loved
God, butthat he lovedus andsenthisSon as an atoningsacrifice foroursins. Dear friends, since God so
loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Developing relationships with students, parents, and
fellow teachers, and being able to build one another up in Christ is how I view ministry of education.
Because of this,I intend totreatall individualswith kindness and respect and find a way to incorporate
the faith into my classes every day.
Withthat beingsaid,if I am working in an environment where some school faculty or students
are non-Christian,Iwouldview itas a differenttype of opportunitytoserve the Lordand be a witnessto
those unfamiliar with or even resistant to Christ. Lutherans use the educative process to unfold to
humankind the truth of God…We need to know who we are and how we are in our finiteness and sin.
We need to know who other people are and how we are to be related to them. We need to what the
purpose of life is,where we are goingineternity, and what we are and may become by reason of Jesus

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Christ (Rietchel 65). However, in every situation, I strive to treat each person as a loved child of God,
beingsensitive toeachperson’sbackgroundandbeliefs. It’simportantto treat everyone with love and
respectandas St. Paul advises: “Walkinwisdomtoward outsiders,makingthe bestuse of the time. Let
your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer
each person” (Col 4:5-6).
What are Lutheran educators supposed to teach?
At the endof the day,“Lutheransrecognize thatGod’spurpose in everything that He does is his
glory and this glory is fully accomplished through eternal salvation. Thus, it might be said ‘that the
ultimate endof Lutheraneducationisthe gloryof God and the eternal salvation of men’” (Rietchel 61).
Therefore, in every class it is the responsibility of Christian educators must keep their teaching in
alignment to God’s Word in order to nurture the students. It is only through the Word of God that the
Holy Spirit operates, so the job of “the Lutheran teacher is to confront the students with the biblical
truth of the Law and Gospel,”usingproperdiscernmentforwhentoemphasizeone over the other (63).
Because the increasing number of unchurched families are sending their children to Lutheran
school, Lutheranteachers hadan amazingopportunityto evangelize, sharing “the Gospel with children
of unchurchedfamiliesonadaily basis”andbuilding“meaningful,lovingrelationships with unchurched
parents over time” (Larson 8). This is why it is crucial that “the Gospel forms the base for Lutheran
schools” and “is based on a scriptural view of God, the human being, the world, life, faith, reason,
character, personality, experience and death” (Rietchel 65).
When is it appropriate to teach the faith?
An amazingaspectaboutthe Christianfaithisthatit appliestoeverypartof life.Godis “over all
and throughall and inall”(Eph 4:6). There is noneedto compartmentalize yourfaithtoreligion class in
5th
period or going to church on Sunday morning. The Christian faith can be incorporated into any

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content area, and since I will be a teaching in either a middle school or high school, I have included
several ways that I could integrate the faith into mathematics.
In a high school calculus class, students will compare the life of St. Paul to the graph of the sin
curve,usingScripture torelate at leastthree eventsof hislife tospecific points on the graph. This gives
them a visual of how Paul’s earthly life was “rollercoaster” ride, yet he remained faithful to the Lord.
Duringtheirlives,studentsmayface hard times and experience good times, but remember that God is
with them through it all. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever
situationIam to be content. I knowhowto be broughtlow,and I know how to abound.Inany and every
circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all
things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:11-13).
In a middle school algebraclass,studentscould read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 found
in Matthew 14 or John 6. Students could collaborate to figure out the total number of people were
actuallythere,because the accountonlygivesthe numberof men.Theycouldthencalculate about how
much food each person would need and find the total number of fish and loaves of bread needed to
feedthe crowd.ThiswouldemphasizeChrist’sgloryandshow how incrediblehismiracle wasusing only
twofishand five loavesof bread. “Withmanthisis impossible,butwithGodall thingsare possible" (Mt
19:26).
Another middle school mathematics example is that the class could study the cubit, a
measurementusedinthe Bible.Theycouldcalculate how bigacubit is (because it is approximately the
lengthof a person’sarmfrom hiselbowtothe tipof hismiddle finger). Then, they could then calculate
the dimensions of the classroom and gymnasium in cubits and compare this to the size of Noah ark in
cubits. “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with
pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its
height 30 cubits” (Gen 6:14-15).

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An activity that could be used for either middle school or high school geometry class takes place
while students are studying the different types of triangles. As a result, a class discussion or a “Think-
Pair-Share” could be conducted as we focus on the Trinity. Probing questions could be asked such as:
“What type of triangle wouldthe Trinitybestbe describedas?” “Which types of triangles are definitely
not fitting to represent the Trinity?” In order to be will study verses that focus on the Trinity such as
“AndwhenJesuswasbaptized,immediatelyhe wentupfromthe water,and behold, the heavens were
opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and
behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:16-
17).
In a highschool,at the beginningof unit of infinite limits in an AP Calculus class, the teacher could
discussthe conceptof infinity.Doesitmake sense thatnumberscanbe infiniteif God is infinite? “Great
is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Ps147:5). “For by him all
things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col 1:16).
Where can one teach the faith?
As a Christian, we are called to serve the Lord in our vocation, whatever that may be. Because
faith if so central to our lives as Lutheran educators, it is important that the Lutheran teacher lives out
his or her Christian faith beyond the walls of the classroom. Teenagers need to see that his or her
teacher means what they say and holds their faith near to them because “teenagers can spot a phony
smile from a mile away” and can tell when adults are not being authentic about their beliefs (Peters
141). Therefore Lutheran educators must“not conform to the pattern of this world,” but “if we walk in
the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son
cleanses us from all sin” (Rm 12:2, 1 Jn 1:7).
How can I teach the faith?

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How I teachthe faithto studentswouldbe indirectalignmenttomypersonal philosophyof life,
whichisshapedbythe toolsof reason,experience,andthe HolyScriptures. As the most important, the
Bible is the ultimate authority as it sits at the top of the triangle. Taking Scripture away from the
pyramid, reason would suggest that something other than the natural world exists. From experience,
everypersonknowsyoucannotphysicallytouch,see,smell,hear,ortaste a person’sthoughts,feelings,
or ideas, so where do they come from? There is no logical explanation without the existence of
something beyond the natural world.
The use of reason, experience, and greatest of all, Scripture, has shaped my philosophy of life
and mymissionasa Lutheranmathematicsteacher. While I may have come to a similar conclusion left
to reason and experience, I am thankful that I have “heard the word of truth, the gospel of [my]
salvation, and believed in him, [am] sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of
our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:13).
When teaching middle school students, it is important to remember that they are struggling
withself-esteemandare tryingto fit in and become independent. Therefore, as a teacher I need to be
sensitive to their emotions and offer opportunities for them to own their faith and grow in the Word.
Because these students will be going through physical changes and have a hard time sitting still, this
couldbe through hands-on activities to serve others in the school, church, or community (Peters 140).
Most importantly,these pre-teensneedtoknow thattheirteacherloves,trusts,andsupportsthem,and
as theirteacher,itisimportantto be openwithyourstudents,challengethem, askthemquestions, and
letthemknow how God is working in each one of their lives because they may not have the analytical
skills to see it themselves at this age (140).
While middle school and high school students do have similarities, highs school students are
generallyputintoErikson’sstage of Identityvs.Role confusionbecause they are trying to discover their
ownunique identityandreevaluatingthe moralsand identity whichthey developed from their parents

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and other people (Peters 149). Because high school students are almost to adulthood, but not quite
there yet, they are able to use formal thought and think logically about situations, but they do not
alwaysdoso in everysituation (151). Guidance and reaffirmation from a teacher would allow them to
build their own identity and secure their sense of self-worth that is unsteady at this stage of
development. As with middle school learners, it is crucial to be open and honest with high school
students. This can be done by simply listening to your students and allow them to reflect on their
experiences with the use of Scripture and respecting their opinions and points of view (154).
Why is it important to teach the faith?
In additiontothe use of reason,experience,andthe Bible,my personal educational philosophy
isalso rootedinPerenialismandNeo-Thomism.Ibelieve it is important that my classroom is guided by
truthsas well asnatural law.Studentare encouragedtoandshoulduse reason and logic when studying
ideas, but understand that God gives meaning and purpose to the universe and the natural,
mathematical laws that guide it. Although the methods of teaching may change throughout the years,
such as the technology, instructional strategies and structure of the class period, the truths from the
Bible should never be altered. This is to ensure that the purpose of schools of the Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod do not change, and that education is still a “vehicle of ministry” to children that
emphasizes “traditional Christian teaching and nurture” (Rietschel 39).
In conclusion,Lutheranschools offer a near-ideal environment to share the Good News of the
forgiveness, life and peace offered by our Savior for this life and eternal” (Larson 22). This is because
teachershave nolimits to how they can incorporate faith into their curriculum, and at the heart of any
subjectmatterthe message fromChristremainsthe universal:thatwe are to“ love one another:justas I
have lovedyou,youalsoare to love one another.Bythisall people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).

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Works Cited
ESV:Study Bible : English Standard Version.Wheaton,Ill:CrosswayBibles,2007.Print.
Larson,Mark. "OutreachinLutheranSchools:SignificantWork,GreatPotential"TheLutheran
Layman Jan-Feb (2015): 8-9,22. Print.
Rietschel,WilliamC. Foundationsof Luheran Education.St.Louis:ConcordiaPubHouse,2000. Print.
SchurichtPeters,Becky. Building FaithOneChild at a Time. St. Louis:ConcordiaPubHouse, 1997. Print.