Educational Theories of Cornelius Van Til

Educational Review, 1999

The paper presents the results of a Delphi-research project on the ideal Protestant junior school (15 respondents participated). The group comprised head teachers, teachers, board members of Protestant junior schools and academics. Although consensus could not be achieved on many aspects, it is possible to describe ideals for the Protestant school underwritten by almost all respondents. Knowledge of the Christian faith, and believing and acting in accordance with it are considered the basis for deciding aims, teaching methods and organisationa l structure in these schools. A major distinction is made between the beliefs of the teachers, who must be practising Christians, and those of the parents, who may have different beliefs. In a secular and multicultural society the Protestant school will emphasize the Christian faith, but will also teach children to respect people of other faiths.

Education Sciences , 2019

In the Netherlands, state and religious schools are equally financed by the government. Parents are free to choose a school that optimally fits their moral values as well as their idea of a good education. As a result, there is a huge variety of schools, which include those orthodox Reformed schools that form part of the so-called Bible Belt culture. We elaborate on the complex relation between this religious culture and liberal, secular society by focusing on education. Occasionally, there is severe criticism of schools based on a strong religious identity (so-called strong religious schools), especially when it comes to their allegedly inadequate contribution to citizenship education. In order to add a historical perspective and a reflection on the arguments to the debate, our central research question is: 'How can the founding and existence of orthodox Reformed schools in the Dutch liberal and secular society be explained and justified?' Starting with a historical explanation of why the orthodox Reformed founded their own schools in the 1920s, we elaborate on philosophical arguments that can justify the existence of orthodox Reformed schools in a liberal, secular society.

British Journal of Religious Education, 2017

This article presents the results of a single case study from a cooperation school in the Netherlands. A cooperation school is the result of a merger between a public and a denominational school. Pupils from secular and religious backgrounds meet in the classroom. This religious diversity in this school is explored by an empirical research study. The research question was how key values of the school and of its teachers are exerted in religious education. Content analysis of interviews and videos of the 'moment of contemplation' show that there is a discrepancy between the school values and the practice of this moment. Conclusions concerning a social and a substantive perspective are drawn in the light of theoretical insight concerning diversity in religious education.

2019

Se suponía que las escuelas públicas holandesas eran neutrales. Pero, ¿cómo puedes ser neutral en una sociedad plural religiososa? En la década de 1980 se tomaron dos decisiones importantes. A todos los niños se les debe enseñar sobre las diferentes religiones del mundo y deben ser “pluriformes activos”. Los programas : VOS / ABB quiere llevar esto un paso más allá con el concepto de “el arte de vivir”. Siguiendo esta visión, hay dos conceptos que se están explorando en este momento: “Contar historias y hacer preguntas” y “Escuela de diálogo”.The Dutch public schools were supposed to be neutral. But how can you be neutral in a religiously divers society? In the 1980’s two important decisions were made. All children should be taught about the different world religions and should be “actively pluriform”. VOS/ABB wants to take this a step further with the concept of “the art of living”. Following this vision, there are two concepts that are being explored at this moment: “Telling stori...

Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics …, 2001

The modern public education system has been weighed in many scales and found wanting. Critiques of the system in the form of books, articles, news stories, speeches, sermons, government reports, and test results have catalogued the numerous failings of state schools. Within public education, teachers, administrators, and students offer even more criticisms of the system. Whether one considers the arguments of the right or conservative end of the political spectrum, where the call is for a return to "the basics" and prayer, to the left or liberal wing of the political spectrum, where the call is for more government money, Outcome Based Education, and pluralism, the call is clearly for change.

2012

1 Jan De Groof is a professor at the College of Europe in Bruges and at the University of Tilburg. He is also Government Commissioner for the Universities of Antwerp and Hasselt, and the Associations Universities of Antwerp and Limburg, Wim van de Donk is former president of the Scientific Council for Government Policy and at present Commissioner of the Queen of the Province of Noord-Brabant and Professor of Public Administration at the University of Tilburg; Gracienne Lauwers teaches education law at the University of Antwerp in addition to leading the Flemish Interuniversity fulcrum Law and Education. Peter de Goede is a senior researcher at the Scientific Council for Government Policy in The Hague, Tim B. Verhappen is a former researcher of the Scientific Council for Government Policy. Reflections on eligion & Education in The Netherlands and Flanders

2009

In South Africa, Calvinism has exercised a profound influence on theology and this influence extended to education. Indeed, Calvinism played a major role in shaping a local education system which was adopted as a result of a specific political ideology. In this article, we intend to show how Calvinism was used to justify the superiority of one group of people over another through the education system. This article will look at the ideals of Calvin in South Africa in the context of formal education during the apartheid era, and offer a critique of formal education before 1994. It will be argued that, in his theology, Calvin himself emphasised healthy values such as accountability, communication, obedience, orderliness, lack of oppression, responsibility and the rule of law. However, these values were either ignored in the local version of Calvinist education, or applied from a racist perspective.