Those who study the dynamic nature of the Church consistently give us exciting, yet concerning news. Huge changes are taking place. Entire regions of the world, once known for spiritual darkness, are now increasingly the beacons of spiritual light. And, (should this surprise us?) Christian education is a significant part of the dynamic!
Christian Overman shares in his blog:
“As I travel around the world,” writes Dan Egeler, Vice President of International Ministries for the Association of Christian Schools International, “it’s clear that the center of Christianity is shifting or has already shifted. There has been explosive growth in the Christian faith in what is termed the global South—Africa, Asia, and Latin America—and this growth is now beginning to dwarf the bloc of Christians in Europe and North America.”
Let these words sink in.
Dan Egeler further reports that “churches [in the global South] are becoming movers and shapers in society rather than declining.” This is encouraging, indeed. And then he adds: “the church in the global South wants to train up their children in ‘the way they should go’ and to ‘teach the nations’ through Christian schooling. This secondary (and unplanned) movement will also surpass the movement of the global North.”
While in Africa a couple of years ago, I became aware of the extraordinary surge of Christian schools there, and more recently I came into contact with the burgeoning Christian school movement in Central America. I was invited by Eduardo Steele to do a two-day training conference in biblical worldview integration for Christian school teachers, administrators and pastors in Panama last April.
I will never forget this experience. It was abundantly evident to me that “Aslan is on the move” in Panama, in a special way. I sensed this in the Sunday church service I attended, and I sensed it in the Monday-Tuesday gathering of Christian educators from across the country. Actually, I sensed it before I arrived, as more hours than I want to know were spent translating scores of PowerPoint slides and numerous handouts into Spanish. These people are hungry for the purposes of God to be fulfilled in their generation through Christian education.
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