Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century

by Michael J. Anthony

Building on the success of his 1992 collection Foundations of Ministry (over 17,000 sold), Michael Anthony offers Introducing Christian Education to fill the need in the C.E. curriculum for an introductory foundations textbook--one that provides an overview and understanding of the broad range of subjects included in C.E.--for college and seminary use.Thirty-one chapters are offered under the following 1) Foundations of C.E.; 2) Developmental Perspectives of C.E.; 3) Educational Implications of C.E.; 4) Organization, Administration, and Leadership; 5) C.E. Applied to the Family; and 6) Specialized Ministries. Contributors include Robert Pazmiño, Jim Wilhoit, Julie Gorman, Klaus Issler, and Ted Ward.FROM THE FOREWORD BY LESTER C. BLANK JR.Introducing Christian Education will become a major resource text for church leaders and Christian education leaders who are professors of Christian education. It will be a valuable resource in my personal library. The desired outcome will be Psalm 78:72: "He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands."

Genres: Education, Church, Christianity, Religion, Church Ministry, Theology

647 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Ashley Bogner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is a bit dry, but Introducing Christian Education has some interesting information!

[Joshua Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative primer on the use of philosophy and psychology in Christian education while maintaining a firm footing on the Bible. It tends to be dry in some areas, but also very clear, illuminating, and practical overall. The book seems to be quite free of unfounded bias against psychology and philosophy, which is quite refreshing. It does disagree with major philosophies, but where it does, it provides strong arguments for the Christian position while stating other major positions in a way those who adhere to those positions would most likely endorse. However, when reading, it does seem a tad bit like an ordered mess. Every chapter is written by a different author, which wasn't expected. While organizing the book in this way has its weaknesses, it does present certain strengths. Each chapter itself is thoroughly researched, organized, and well communicated. However, this book does seem more like an academic journal than a textbook.

[Robert Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but a bit dated. It is a real hodge-podge, with the main editor contributing one section and each author being very distinct. There is no over-arching agenda, other than to introduce the reader to all the topics. All the authors are broadly evangelical, and non-seems distinctly Calvinist or Presbyterian (i.e. no Covenant Succession). I would recommend this to be read by any pastor, church educator, teacher, elder or parent.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read most of the chapters. Because they are written by different authors, some are okay and some are great. My favorite was probably Chapter 17 about small churches.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really mixed. Some chapters were excellent and some were just tedious. A real curate's egg.

[Krista Dominguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book full of useful information, but dreadfully boring. I know that some textbooks are not meant to be entertaining, but as a teacher I should hope it at least be encouraging or motivating to my ministry. Still a necessary part of my training, covering everything from the history of Christian education, to approaches to developmental psychology, to different teaching methods.

[Tj Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful resource but painful to read. In fact, I wouldn't recommend trying to read straight through it. Instead use it to look up basic info on various people and approaches to education and christian ed.

[Jay Miklovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a painful read, but informative for someone who is not conversant with various theories regarding the philosophies of education and their relationship to education within the church. I imagine I will consult with this book again in the future.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talbot Course: Educational Ministry in the Church

Anything and everything about Christian Education. It reads like a textbook- all the information you need along with all its staleness.

[Danny Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some useful information, a couple boring chapters.

[Alicia]

Awesome Book that goes deep into the history of Christian Education.

[Minani]

the book deepens the faith of the biliever