Consider Discipline Before Disciplining

Posted: May 26, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Classical Education, Discipline, Education | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

For those who teach pre-K through 12, the act of discipline is something teachers deal with weekly, if not at times daily in a classroom. In today’s culture, the role of the parent has either been nearly lost in public education or at times overly control by parents in private education. I recently listened to a helpful lecture,”The Heart of Covenant Discipline” by Matt Whitling at Wordmp3.com.  

Understanding of the Content
Matt Whitling begins his lecture on “The Heart of Covenant Discipline” by asking his listener’s “what is their paradigm for parenting?” From there he establishes his premise that God’s covenantal relationship with mankind is how a parent might understand their role as a father and mother parenting a child. As Christian parents, we are called to imitate God, Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” This covenantal structure and imitating God is passed on to the teacher when a father and or mother places their child in the classroom of a teacher. This paradigm of God and his children gives parents and teachers the example in how they are to follow God in disciplining his children in love.

Reflection of the Content
Since discipline is an expression of love (Proverbs 13:24) and parents have entrusted us, as teachers, with their precious children, it is fully necessary that we follow through with discipline in the classroom. Discipline, as that specific portion of discipleship wherein a negative consequence is brought to bear against a specific sinful action, should be meted out in such a way that it helps the child to expose the idol that he is allowing to rule his heart at that time. By assisting the child to see what he was viewing as most important at the time he was in sin he can be directed through scripture to repent of a particular sin and begin the process of reconciling with God and the sinned against party(ies). If that discipline is met with rebellion the principal and ultimately the child’s parents will need to be notified so that that discipline can continue to be followed through with at home. The teacher should be in prayer for the child’s repentance and restoration throughout this process.

A Practical Application
The most practical application in Whitling’s lecture is the role of the teacher with the student’s parent(s). At times, I find myself on the defense when I receive emails or phone calls from a parent regarding a student in my class. Whitling’s argument is that if teachers were to understand their role in discipline, they would see such emails and phone calls as an opportunity to work with parents in training their children. When parents faithfully train their child, it should be seen as an act of love. Likewise, the teacher having been given a parent’s student should consider in every act of discipline how love is displayed like that of God dealing with his people. Here lies where the teacher looks forward to working with mom and dad in properly, in love, disciplining a child/student so they might see Christ greater afterwards than they did before.

Why Downplay Jihad for the Sake of Tolerance?

Posted: May 2, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Just for Fun | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Popular writers in Western societies frequently argue that the term jihad does not mean “holy war” but, rather, a spiritual struggle. Attractive as this argument may be, there is little backing for it in either the traditional Muslim texts or in the work of more recent writers whose influence shapes modern Islam. Sunni and Shiite Muslims share a similar perspective that both jihad and the establishment of Sharia law are means of bringing freedom to all people so that they are free to choose to serve God. Jihad provides Muslims with a practical way of imposing God’s law (Sharia) on society to free people from their own evil inclinations and the evils encouraged by rulers who do not acknowledge the true law of God.  Jihad thus brings freedom through creating the conditions for the imposition of Islamic law on all people.

Despite popular Western interpretations that seek to dismiss anyone who holds such views as “extremist,” today’s perspectives are misleading. Jihad is indeed primarily a form of warfare waged in defense of Islam so that it is highly misleading to dismiss someone like Osama bin Laden as “extremist” or claim that he “didn’t understand Islam.” The truth is, those like bin Laden and their followers are convinced that Islam is under threat from the West and that Western values are undermining Muslim societies. In their own eyes, therefore, they are fighting a legitimate war (jihad) in defense of Islam. No matter what the intent of those who minimize the military aspects of jihad may be, it is misguided in light of both traditional interpretations and current Muslim understandings of jihad.

Islam, for Muslims, is a religion of peace in the sense that the imposition of Islamic rule brings areas under Muslim control to peace and order in accordance with Islamic teachings about the will of God. It is, therefore, a Pax Islamica which imposes peace by dominating all opponents by force. Areas remaining free from control by Muslim rulers are viewed as the “realm of war,” awaiting subjection to Islamic rule and the administration of Sharia law.

This is why Muslims throughout history have regarded “the Conquests” of the first century of the Muslim era as the second greatest miracle of Islam, after the reception of the Qur’an. To say “Islam is a religion of peace” is not at all the same thing as saying “Islam is a peaceful religion.” Nowhere in Islamic teachings will you find statements such as those made by Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself” or “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” For the majority of Muslims worldwide, the primary meaning of jihad is a war on behalf of Islam. That being said, there are indeed small pockets of Muslims who prefer the notion of jihad as “spiritual struggle” rather than its traditional meaning of literal, physical warfare, but they are few and in-between.