Let Freedom Ring

This past weekend we celebrated Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July. The day commemorates freedom of the original American thirteen colonies from Great Britain. The weekend provides an opportunity to identify education and leadership perspectives on freedom that are embraced by Church Leadership Center. The following quotes are foundational to the ways in which CLC approaches teaching and learning. The quotes meet no particular criteria for selection other than being favorites of this writer. They are from John Calvin, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Martin Luther King, Jr. John Calvin (French Reformer, 1509-1564) There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence. The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart. Therefore, in reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them should remind us, that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. John Dewey (American Educator, 1859-1952) Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. We always live at the time we live and not at some other time, and only by extracting at each present time the full meaning of each present experience are we prepared for doing the same thing in the future. Paulo Freire (Brazilian Educator, 1921-1997) Liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information. One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people. Such a program constitutes cultural invasion, good intentions notwithstanding. The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves. Reading is not walking on the words; it's grasping the soul of them. Teachers and students (leadership and people) co-intent on reality are both Subjects, not only in the task of unveiling that reality, and thereby coming to know it critically, but in the task of re-creating that knowledge. As they attain this knowledge of reality through common reflection and action, they discover themselves as its permanent re-creators. If I am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change the world without a certain dream or vision for it, I must make use of every possibility there is not only to speak about my utopia, but also to engage in practices consistent with it. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Civil Rights Leader, 1929-1968) The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the Good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.