I think God in his love and righteousness gave humans curious and creative minds to learn joy, not fear. That should affect how we teach young humans. Here's the column ... 

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Spirituality Column #873

August 8, 2023

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Teaching Joy

By Bob Walters

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go … be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy all you upright in heart!” Psalm 32:8 and 11

As the season presents another school year’s beginning, it seemed appropriate to talk about teaching and joy and … righteousness.  Righteousness?

Wait … I thought “no one is righteous, no not one.” Two different psalmists say it, (Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:10), Paul quotes the line in Romans 3:10, and don’t we all recall God “raining down burning sulfur” after the failed search for “one righteous man” in Sodom (Genesis 19:24)?  The wickedness of Sodom would make today’s most ardent, progressive modern Wokesters blush.  For sure … they were not – are not – righteous.

Christians all know who the righteous one is: Jesus Christ. And though we are often reluctant to say it, in our hearts we know we can claim the righteousness of Christ through our faith in Him (Romans 3:22); it just seems wrong since we know we are sinners.  But justification by faith and our righteousness in Christ are among God’s miraculous, loving, gracious, free gifts to us through Jesus on the cross.

That fact makes many people think they should feel guilt, shame, and fear: to suffer punishment and that God exacts some kind of payment.  What a mistake!  We should “shout for joy all you upright in heart!”  Let’s learn about Jesus with joy, not guilt.

This is on my mind as school starts and our children will be taught … something.  I say let it be joy.  Here are some thoughts I picked up from an inspiring article by First Things writer Mark Bauerlein.  The magazine article link is HERE comparing Catholic school priorities with public school dynamics. I mentally swapped the word “Christian” for “Catholic” in this delightful piece. It works. Bauerlein writes:

“Catholic (Christian) liberal education has a positive vision of the past and present, inquiry and tradition, man and God. The 1619 Project, which has spread widely in the public schools, trades in accusation; it doesn’t like patriotism and it suspects the churches; nothing about it is entertaining or witty (identity politicians don’t like jokes).”

Bauerlein recently attended a Catholic educators conference, noting the joy of attendees in comparison with more sour, secular, humanities confabs he has witnessed. I teach high school history and government at Mission Christian Academy in Fishers, Ind., and our faculty is a bunch of joyous education warriors, not lefty complainers endeavoring to re-write truth, ignore God, and denigrate moral authority.

“Liberal” education should communicate not the freedom-robbing political “liberal” leftism of our age, but the classical notions of joy in the mental acuities God gave us for learning, investigating, seeking Him, building fellowship, and growing faithful confidence in Jesus.

If you have a minute, read Bauerlein’s piece at the link provided above.  I’m personally a little new to the Christian education orbit but immediately understood his message.

With joy, with beloved students and fellow staff, there’s no way I’d rather go.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com), at his blog CommonChristianity, last spring wrote about his new life teaching (see columns IS857 and IS858) and has read Bauerlein’s articles in First Things for many years.