Education and change
Hello,
Perhaps like me you have been following the showdown between Harvard University and the present US administration. In an effort to change university policy the US government is withholding government grants and has taken the step of banning foreign students from studying at the prestigious US institution.
Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Interestingly, the higher educational system is one of the ways in which Christianity has changed the world, with the roots of Western universities being found in Christianity. Early institutions such as Paris, Oxford and Cambridge were deeply influenced by Christian theology and served as centres for theological, legal, and medical studies, with the expectation that those who studied there would serve the church.
The significance of this should not be understated. While education can provide so many answers to the questions we have about this world, the greater questions can only be answered by theology. If we want to know why we exist, what our purpose is, sooner or later we need to turn to the question of God. And if we want to know God, we need to turn to Jesus, who reveals him to us.
Nelson Mandela was right – education can change the world. But if we want to change it for good, we need more than just education. We need Christ.
Warm regards,
Gavin
About the writer:
Gavin Henderson is the National Ministry Leader of Grace Communion International in the UK and Ireland.