Lesson 11 The sustaining power of education

Photo above by author taken in Wittenberg museum 
 (Text below part of presentation to musicians, artists and worship leaders in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 2017)

Lesson 11.  Without education, our work will not have sustaining power.  
It is amazing to think that we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Many of these lessons underscore the reality that many people and factors have contributed to the worldwide impact of the Reformation. 
In this lesson we want to briefly explore the educational project of the Reformation based on Bible reading to enlighten the believers and strengthen them in their faith. Without education no religiousness and without religiousness no education! Its leading principle was the priesthood of all believers. According to the Protestant understanding of biblical clarity everyone is able to find out God´s will on their own. The Reformation’s basic assumption was that every man had the right to education. This was also true for girls. As early as 1530, a girls’ school was opened in Wittenberg. 

In Geneva too, education was of paramount importance. As soon as the Reformation was adopted, the city of Geneva made public school compulsory. Children, boys and girls, benefited from free public elementary education. Without education no religiousness and without religiousness no education!

Luther rated the schoolmaster’s calling as high as the priest’s ministry: 
“As for me, if God chose to keep me away from pastoral functions, there is no other occupation I would more gladly take up than schoolmaster, for next to the pastor’s work, no other is more beautiful or significant than his.”

It is worth repeating the fact that Philipp Melanchthon designed a comprehensive educational system for people of all ages. Melanchton was particularly interested in modernizing the school system in Germany which is why he was called “professor of Germany” in his lifetime. He believed education was a requirement for every man to live in society and to understand the gospel. His aim was to make school compulsory for everyone.    

Jean Calvin was also interested in religious education. He wrote a catechism in use in Geneva and in France for more than a century. In 1559 Calvin founded the Geneva Academy where many French pastors were trained in the 16th and 17th centuries. The practice of reading and writing gave the calvinists a cultural lead that lasted over the following centuries, even more so as it was done in French everywhere.

For the Reformers, compulsory education depended first and foremost on the family. Luther, Melanchton, Zwingli, Calvin, and Farel insisted on the paramount aspect of family education for the future of the Church and of society in general. It was the parents’ responsibility to bring up their children to become well-read Christians. Domestic education was completed by schooling. In his sermons, Luther reminded the parents that they should send their children to school.

In our context, it is also worth mentioning that Luther regarded music as an essential component of education. For example, Luther wrote hymns to illustrate the Catechism which he drew up for the new church, knowing that the church's teaching would be best implanted in young minds if it was reinforced with hymns.

He also believed that education was into only integral to a child’s education, but to the education of teachers and ministers as well. As mentioned in the previous lesson, he was so committed to the high place of music in the life of the Church that men had to demonstrate competency in music before they could be accepted for ministerial training. 

If we want our ministry to have long term impact, then we need to ensure that we encourage, support and participate in effective education, where ever and whenever, formal or informal, church and family.

(Important source for a lot of the above information -  https://www.museeprotestant.org/en/notice/the-protestant-education-in-the-xvith-century/)