Middle East Union

PART 1: PHILOSOPHY AND PURPOSE OF ACCREDITATION

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

As extracted from the Philosophy statement approved by consensus of the First International Conference of the Philosophy of Seventh-day Adventist Education (2001) and incorporated into the Working Policy of the General Conference.

Aim and Mission

Adventist education prepares students for a useful and joy-filled life, fostering friendship with God, whole-person development, Bible-based values, and selfless service in accordance with the Seventh-day Adventist mission to the world.

Philosophy

The Seventh-day Adventist philosophy of education is Christ-centered.  Adventists believe that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s character and purposes can be understood as revealed in the Bible, in Jesus Christ and in nature.  The distinctive characteristics of Adventist education—derived from the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White—point to the redemptive aim of true education: to restore human beings into the image of their Maker.

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God is infinitely loving, wise, and powerful.  He relates to human beings on a personal level, presenting His character as the ultimate norm for human conduct and His grace as the means of restoration.

Adventists recognize, however, that human motives, thinking, and behavior have fallen short of God’s ideal.  Education in its broadest sense is a means of restoring human beings to their original relationship with God.  Working together, homes, schools and churches cooperate with divine agencies in preparing learners for responsible citizenship in this world and in the world to come.

Adventist education imparts more than academic knowledge.  It fosters a balanced development of the whole person—spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially.  Its time dimensions span eternity.  It seeks to develop a life of faith in God and respect for the dignity of all human beings; to build character akin to that of the Creator; to nurture thinkers rather than mere reflectors of others’ thoughts; to promote loving service rather than selfish ambition; to ensure maximum development of each individual’s potential; and to embrace all that is true, good, and beautiful.

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The idea for this article probably began some 25 years ago.  As both a communication professor at Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU) and general manager of the institution’s radio station (both in Keene, Texas), I enjoyed as much as the students did the weekly “pools” that appeared on the station’s old blackboard.  But the one I will never forget was the question that asked simply, “What is your philosophy of life in one word?”

The teacher in me grabbed the chalk and wrote, “Learn,” and I smugly thought my answer was at least semi-brilliant- that is, until I passed the board a couple of days later and was captivated by another answer a student had written: Relationships.”  Immediately, I realized the significance of that response, and over the years that idea and all it implies has become my philosophy of life.

Nothing in life is more important than relationships.  Whether it’s your spouse, your children, your best friend, the books you read, the food you eat, the way you relate to your environment, or any other aspect of your daily life, relationships are essential.  Attention to all our relationships is critical – especially our relationship with God.  Cultivating relationships takes time, but relationships with former students often grow to be lifelong friendships and are among the greatest joys a teacher can know.

About the same time I was relishing my new one-word philosophy of life, my wife, Bev, was asked to join SWAU’s Advancement Office team, where one of her duties was to assist with alumni relations.  It didn’t take us long to recognize the affinity of our assignments – hers with all the university’s alumni and mine with current students, as well as our communication graduates around the world.  No doubt about it, we realized, interpersonal relations and communication are inextricably interwoven.

Nearly 10 years had elapsed since SWAU graduated its first communication major, but I quickly set to work collecting their names from my own files and from university records.  With Bev’s help, I found current addresses for everyone.  Recent graduates tend to move more often than those who have “settled down,” and while it’s sometimes a challenge to keep alumni addresses current, it’s not impossible.

Shaping Peacemakers: Practical How-To’s For Teachers

Zaid Jilani was an 8^th grader in Georgia the day terrorists struck the World Trade Center.  He remembers the “bomb them back” mentality that spread thereafter as American might struck the Taliban supporters of al-Qaeda.  Today Zaid, the son of Pakistani immigrants, promotes peace and challenges violence as a solution to human problems.  A 12^th –grade finalist in the 2006 Nation Student Writing Contest, his essay “A Generation of Peace” decries the breeding of hatred between peoples, the blood-letting of war, and the disproportionate expenditure on the military versus that on poverty, health, and education in America and elsewhere:

“The peace movement has changed my consciousness … I dream one day our children … will turn the pages (of history books) and look to my generation, who ended the horror and chose non-violence over nonexistence.  They will be awed by my generation, the Generation of Peace.  It is up to us to create such a future.”¹

Service Learning and Community Service:

An Essential part of True Education

Sociologist Rodney Stark, in his book, The Rise of Christianity, argued that the triumph of Christianity in the Roman Empire was the result of how Christians lived and served in their communities. He notes that Christ’s example of how to treat the sick and the poor resulted in Christians assisting the victims of the many epidemics that swept the empire as well as providing aid to the poor. Christians cared for the sick by providing shelter, food, and water while pagans fled the community. As Stark noted, “Christian values of love and charity had from the beginning been translated into norms of social service and community solidarity.”¹ Over the decades, Stark argues, this example changed the very culture of the empire and affects our views to this day on how to treat the sick and aid the poor.