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A Christian Pedagogy
Written in 1930, A Christian Pedagogy by Edward W. A. Koehler has influenced generations of Lutheran teachers in the United States. Educators teaching today can benefit from this book's timeless truths about education and artifacts of the Lutheran education heritage.
- GenresEducation
274 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1930
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Did Not Finish
May 6, 2026Read in its entirety until page 114.
Finished the rest by skimming.
I don't tend to officially rate books when I finish by skimming. But I would say this was gearing up to be 3 stars at 50% in.
This book came up during an online discussion as we were searching for resources on this topic that might be associated with our church. This was the only comparable book I found and saw that it was published by CPH in 1930. I attempted the read mainly for comparison with other books that I am contemplating. So my reason going into it already might have affected my opinion and started out a bit more critical than necessary.
I do believe there are some really good things in here to contemplate. I am feeling a little burn out on the subject and after trying to binge this too quickly, I need to set it aside.
It starts off with a sincerely humble foreword that I appreciated. It highlighted that education at that time was starting to push toward a utilitarian mindset, that we need to reject this idea. He goes on: each child is unique, needs individual attention and care, training in virtue, and a truly Christian school atmosphere. He says that he only wrote this book because he needed an English language text to use in his teacher's class, so he pulls often from other quotes and sources from German. He really does seem like he's coming from such a good place.
He puts a lot of emphasis on the teacher and the special role they are blessed with in "molding the child's character". There is much, much instruction on what the teacher should and shouldn't do. Lots of emphasis on the character, attitude, qualifications, and attributes. Being a book to instruct teachers, I can understand this. But the amount of emphasis on the teacher was not something I am used to reading. Pros and cons with this.. I am not nearly smart enough to give a deep explanation of this, except only that I feel something off in the presentation. But it was written for a specific time and a specific group of people as well. I was waiting for a more clear explanation on the "how" side of things. It often referred to handling the student's character in a sort of vague way, but in a very urgent style at the same time.
There is emphasis on maintaining good habits and warning against parents being too lenient with kids getting their own way. Don't let bad habits take hold in childhood, thinking they will grow out of it or they are just too young. He says that childhood is the easiest time to instill good habits and morals. Don't waste that gift by letting bad habits take hold. (This section was very similar to how I find Charlotte Mason speaks of habits as well.)
Emphasis on the home and the parents being the chief place for education. School is secondary but he warns that it is such a lot of time for the child at school that you want to be on guard that he's surrounded with a truly Christian environment. Christianity should affect every area of life, not be separate from it.
He says that education should "exercise the mind" and that "the Christian educator is to develop in them a still greater nobility of character".
That was just some of my notes.. wanted to share them in case someone else may stumble onto the book.
Now, again. That was my takeaways from this book only halfway through. I believe it deserves a fuller read and contemplation by someone. But I am not willing to at this point in time.
(Also: right now in 2026, you can read this book on Archive.org)
Finished the rest by skimming.
I don't tend to officially rate books when I finish by skimming. But I would say this was gearing up to be 3 stars at 50% in.
This book came up during an online discussion as we were searching for resources on this topic that might be associated with our church. This was the only comparable book I found and saw that it was published by CPH in 1930. I attempted the read mainly for comparison with other books that I am contemplating. So my reason going into it already might have affected my opinion and started out a bit more critical than necessary.
I do believe there are some really good things in here to contemplate. I am feeling a little burn out on the subject and after trying to binge this too quickly, I need to set it aside.
It starts off with a sincerely humble foreword that I appreciated. It highlighted that education at that time was starting to push toward a utilitarian mindset, that we need to reject this idea. He goes on: each child is unique, needs individual attention and care, training in virtue, and a truly Christian school atmosphere. He says that he only wrote this book because he needed an English language text to use in his teacher's class, so he pulls often from other quotes and sources from German. He really does seem like he's coming from such a good place.
He puts a lot of emphasis on the teacher and the special role they are blessed with in "molding the child's character". There is much, much instruction on what the teacher should and shouldn't do. Lots of emphasis on the character, attitude, qualifications, and attributes. Being a book to instruct teachers, I can understand this. But the amount of emphasis on the teacher was not something I am used to reading. Pros and cons with this.. I am not nearly smart enough to give a deep explanation of this, except only that I feel something off in the presentation. But it was written for a specific time and a specific group of people as well. I was waiting for a more clear explanation on the "how" side of things. It often referred to handling the student's character in a sort of vague way, but in a very urgent style at the same time.
There is emphasis on maintaining good habits and warning against parents being too lenient with kids getting their own way. Don't let bad habits take hold in childhood, thinking they will grow out of it or they are just too young. He says that childhood is the easiest time to instill good habits and morals. Don't waste that gift by letting bad habits take hold. (This section was very similar to how I find Charlotte Mason speaks of habits as well.)
Emphasis on the home and the parents being the chief place for education. School is secondary but he warns that it is such a lot of time for the child at school that you want to be on guard that he's surrounded with a truly Christian environment. Christianity should affect every area of life, not be separate from it.
He says that education should "exercise the mind" and that "the Christian educator is to develop in them a still greater nobility of character".
That was just some of my notes.. wanted to share them in case someone else may stumble onto the book.
Now, again. That was my takeaways from this book only halfway through. I believe it deserves a fuller read and contemplation by someone. But I am not willing to at this point in time.
(Also: right now in 2026, you can read this book on Archive.org)
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