One Thing Very Necessary

Prof. George van Groningen. Trowel & Sword, March 1968

Preamble: Prof. van Groningen (and his wife) were passionate about christian education. In this article he backed up his convictions by citing statistics from a report on the beliefs held by young people in the UK, and by extension, also in Australia and New Zealand. Christian education in the primary and secondary sectors has come a long way since this article was written. Unfortunately Christian tertiary/university education via RTC has seen little progress in the past 60+ years; a situation that no doubt would have been a great disappointment for the van Groningens.

One Thing Very Necessary

Do you know that young people between the ages of thirteen and seventeen are open to and ready to receive religious instruction and guidance?

Do you know that most young people by the time they matriculate, that is, by the time they are eighteen – nineteen years old have made their religious decision for life?

Do you know that in England, and it is properly assumed that in Australia it is no different, only one eighteen year old out of one hundred is prepared to say that he/she will accept the teachings of the Scripture in toto?

If you wish to learn more about what sixth form students believe, then order and study the book: SIXTH FORM RELIGION by Edwin Cox. Published SCM Press Ltd. This book is a report sponsored by the Christian Education Movement in the United Kingdom.

I’d like to refer to a few other facts that this report presents. Over 2500 sixth form students were asked to express what they thought and believed. They were not to express what they had been taught or what they thought they were expected to believe. In answer to the question:”Do you believe in the existence of God?” one out of five boys, two out of five girls said they were completely confident that God exists. About three out of ten -boys and girls alike – were fairly sure that God exists. One out of five girls and one out of ten boys were either fairly sure or completely confident that God does not exist.

So, about three out of five are ready to express some or complete certainty that God exists. But, when one reads what the conceptions of God are concerning the God that is believed to exist, only one out of a hundred will accept the Biblical teaching in toto. Many students indicated that they had been thoroughly confused or misled by the teachings in the science class rooms. In other words, they felt they could believe in the existence of God if ideas of God were determined in harmony with modern scientific ideas concerning the origin of the world, the nature of man, the characteristics of natural law and other such ideas.

Incidentally, I might add that one out of five thought of God as some kind of loving friendly Father. Only one out of twenty five thought of God as a guide who personally guides students through life. The reporter writes that very few students would accept many of the orthodox Biblical teachings about the nature of God.

Concerning Jesus Christ we find that the students expressed their opinions along similar lines to that about God. About two out of five boys had some confidence that Jesus was the Son of God who became man. Seven out of ten girls had some degree of confidence. The remainder of the boys and girls were either uncertain with varying degrees or completely confident that Jesus was not the son of God.

Other questions concerning which the students were asked to express their opinion dealt with the religious beliefs in the home, belief in life after death, attitudes to the Bible, religious habits such as church attendance, private prayer and Bible reading, (those who do the latter two are very few) moral judgments on drinking, smoking, sex, race, war, stealing, lying, gambling, suicide, capital punishment and the use of nuclear weapons. The types of answers to these questions were surprisingly similar to the ideas held concerning God, Jesus Christ and the Bible. Beyond a doubt, belief in God, Jesus and the proper attitude to the Bible does influence a young person’s ideas about life here on earth, its character, value, purpose and goal. Another factor that becomes evident is that the education received in home, church and school is in a recognisable proportion to the percentage of students who expressed faith and confidence in Biblical teachings.

There is one more item of information that this report gives that I wish to pass on to the readers. The percentage of young people who believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour is tabulated according to the denominations of which they are a member. Baptists rate highest, three out of ten; Roman Catholic, a few more than one out of ten, Church of England, about one out of twenty. Methodists, one out of twelve; Presbyterians and Congregationalists, ONE out of FIFTY; other denominations, one out of four. – It was quite a shock to me to learn that young people who are members of so-called Reformed Calvinistic churches – our so-called sister churches – are overwhelmingly in the majority among those who reject Jesus Christ as the Saviour from sin!

Well, Australian and New Zealand parents, from this report we can gain quite an accurate picture of the educational environment in which our children live, study and develop. I am reminded now of what a minister in our churches wrote to me in a personal letter; he said he was grieved by the lack of interest and general indifference to religious truth and life on the part of many older young people who were members of his congregation. It seems quite evident that the young people educated in Australia are indeed effected by their environment and education.

What can we learn from the report before us? Quite a number of things. I will list just a few:

1. That young people up to the age of sixteen-seventeen are open to sound Biblical teaching. An all out effort must be made for them before they are twenty years old.

2. That young people must have a Christian education that is thoroughly Biblical and Christ-centred. A general secular education leads to spiritual uncertainty and confusion.

3. That young people must have their education and training in the sciences in a Biblical and Christian setting. Science and the Bible are not opposed to each other. Science must be taught in the light of Scripture.

4. That the home, church and school must unitedly join hands in the instruction of our young people. True, the home is basic, the church is very important, but the school can uproot what the home and church teach.

5. That an all out endeavour be made to assist our young people between the ages of twelve and older who attend state institutions of learning. I would suggest that one hour a week in catechism class and some time in a youth club is not enough for the proper instruction in the truth and refutation of error. A weekly Bible study class on Sunday, led by the minister or a devoted educated leader in the church, in addition to catechism and youth club may be a possible solution.

6. That continued endeavour must be made to develop a Christian education programme that will include all three levels of education: the primary school, the high school and the university. Thank God we have beginnings in two of these levels.

(1) Primary – three schools are operating, another is to open soon, various local Christian education societies and a national union exist. These I say are beginnings; 

(2) University – the Association for Higher Education has a Christian university in mind. Presently the faculty of the Reformed Theological College is endeavouring to help young people who are not studying for the ministry through the correspondence course (B.T.C.), evangelism training course (E.T.C.) and the preparatory year for theological students. However, the crucial area which this report covers, the teenage span of life, the high school level, is to date not receiving hardly any attention at all. It should increasingly receive attention for it covers a critical stage in young people’s lives.

Summing up, a study of a report such as we have before us indicates so forcefully that one thing most necessary for us in Australia and New Zealand is Christian Education – Biblically oriented, Christ-centred, presented unitedly by home, church and school for our youth in all three levels of education. For this let us pray! For this let us work. For this let us give! And all the while let us in faith and obedience follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit who alone leads into all truth.

G. VAN GRONINGEN.

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