Hello fellow educators. 

Welcome to podcast number four. Today I want explore two very important concepts central to discipleship; context and curriculum. I have dubbed in an excerpt from the audio version of my book, “Discipling this Generation for a Digital World.” At the end of the podcast I will tell you how you can obtain your free copy. 

In these first podcasts I want to lay a foundation for all the other aspects of Christian education. In our first podcast we talked how discipleship is the primary responsibility of a child’s parents. Then we contrasted our goals of education to those of the public school system. Last week we spoke about the unique challenges of inspiring an allegiance and devotion in our children as citizens of the kingdom of God while they are also citizens of their perspective countries. So far, though, we have only really talked around the concept of discipleship instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of what it really is. Keep in mind that I am taking an expert from my book that wasn’t exclusively directed to Christian education. Nevertheless I think it will be very helpful in giving you these two main concepts of discipleship. You will hear me mention Bruce Olson’s story of how he reached the remote Amazon tribe of the Motilones. He single handedly reached this tribe by entering into the Motilone world. The story is told in the book Bruchco and is an invaluable example of cross cultural discipleship. I use this story to illustrate the unique position we find ourselves in this present time of history as our world becomes digital. We are the last of the industrials who are now called to reach, educate and dispel the digitals. I am sure I don’t have to convince you that this is dramatically affecting education. We are a transition generation who are straddling the transformation of an industrial society to that of a digital society. Anyone born before 1980 can be thought of as a digital immigrant in this new culture. We have had to relearn the new language and methods of a digital culture. It is still very awkward and unnatural for us to navigate through this new world. Anyone born after 1980 is more of a digital native. They have grown up with the language of computers, ATMs, Cell phones and the internet. Digital technology is defining and remapping everything about our culture. This is the context of discipleship-based Christian education in the year 2008. Here is the expert from my book: 

The Context of Discipleship

         In the Great Commission Jesus used a word translated “nations” in most versions that loses some of its meaning in translation. The word in the Greek is “ethnos” which has a broader meaning than the way we think of nations today. It means people groups such as tribes, ethnic groupings and sub-cultures. Certainly Bruce Olson’s Motilones would be considered an “ethnos,” being of a different language and possessing their own set of customs. But “ethnos” cannot be thought of as exclusive to such obvious differences. Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 shows that he saw the need to identify with the “ethnos” going beyond mere borders and language into the various sub-cultures of his day. He speaks of economic, religious and moral distinctions: “to the weak I became weak,” “to the Jews I became like a Jew,” and “to those not having the law I became like one not having the law.”(NIV)

             We are undergoing an “ethnos” transformation in our culture from one generation to the next. Our cultural landscape is changing so fast that our grandchildren will live in a world that has almost no resemblance to the world in which our parents grew up. If the Church is to stay relevant and follow the command of Jesus to “make disciples of all nations,”  then we must retool, so to speak, in order to both identify with and communicate to the new emerging culture.

             The “ethnos” we are specially called to reach determines the context of discipleship. The context determines the methods, language and interactions of the discipleship relationship with that particular “ethnos.” Bruce Olson had to employ a very different means to reach the Motilone than we would employ to reach a digital culture. As the Motilone people continued in their path toward discipleship, they sought ways to serve their people and the ethnic groups around them. They sought further means of education and growth for their young people in the medical and engineering sciences. The Gospel so transformed their lives that they saw themselves as agents of the Kingdom of God. They have answered the call to reach those in their “ethnos” group and similar groups in their region.

             Because the context of our culture is changing so dramatically we must also consider that the context of our discipleship is changing just as dramatically. In the same way Bruce Olson has given wise and steadfast leadership within his context of discipleship, the Church of the new millennium must provide wise and steadfast leadership to this new digital generation. Bruce Olson inspired the young people of the Motilones to pursue outside education in order to serve in a professional and relevant capacity to their culture and region. We must also inspire and train our young people to find the places of professional and relevant service to our people and region.

             Evangelical Christianity continues to be distracted with a shortsighted view of the future. Discipleship has often taken a back seat to eschatology. This has, and continues to keep our vision heavenward rather than on the souls of people suffering in the blight of spiritual darkness in this world. We tend to de-emphasize education and de-value careers that take a lifetime to accomplish a significant impact upon our culture. Dare I say it? We proclaim the imminent return of Christ to the exclusion of developing a long-term strategic plan to reach our culture.

            We need to develop these long-term generational plans with the patience and vision of the architects in the Middle Ages. They knew their cathedrals would take so many years to build that they had no hope of seeing them completed in their lifetime. Often these enormous structures would take centuries to complete. If the Church of the Middle Ages can invest so much planning and time to build physical monoliths, could not the Church of our era, the digital age, invest in our youth to reach far into the future of this godless, secular culture? 

            The context of our “Great Commission” means that we have to invest in and inspire this generation to become digital missionaries. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every-thing we do will involve gazing into a computer monitor. What it does mean is that our efforts, training and focus has to move to the relevant fields of growth and change in our culture. We must raise up communication specialists, digital data miners, biotechnical scientists, robotic engineers, and postmodern digital philosophers. We must discern the gargantuan shifts in our world moving us away from nationalism toward a globalized economy and a different form of governance. We need to call forth our prophets to peer into the future and give us practical and distinct direction.

The Curriculum of Discipleship

            Unlike the context of discipleship the curriculum always stays the same. The curriculum passed down from age to age remains steadfast. No matter where we find ourselves as Christians in the fallen world we have the same mandate. The Motilones must learn the same thing as the digital generation. Simply stated in Jesus’ last words: “…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” 

            This unchanging message from the past gives us the necessary anchor that connects us to Christian orthodoxy. It connects us with every Christian of all time in every place and culture. We are all equally commanded to follow the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. I include His apostles because everything Jesus commanded us to live and do comes to us through the writings of these eleven apostles, plus one (that one being Paul).

             We are not looking for a new message or a new theology. In fact, most of our work is trying to find out what the original message was all about. Jude put it this way in his letter to the saints: “…I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Any movement or message that may seem new in our age is really a re-introduction of the faith that was already delivered to the saints, unless of course it is heretical.

             I remember a conversation with an airplane service mechanic as he was training a young apprentice. He was emphatic about how their company had absolutely no interest in innovative thinking when it came to airplane maintenance. He instructed the lad to do everything exactly as he was taught. He was to follow the engineering instructions to the letter. He said, “There is no room for original thought in this line of work; people’s lives are at stake.”

            When it comes to the Gospel message there is no room for original thought; people’s lives are at stake! We must labor, with all our effort, to get as close to the original curriculum as possible.

             I am not advocating strict legalism here. In fact the curriculum is explicitly against such a position. We are agents of love, not of the law.  Love is the prevailing motivation of all we do in the Kingdom of God and love is defined by the personal attributes of God. It is this curriculum of love for God first, and our fellow man second, that causes us to leave our comfortable traditions and etiquette and venture out into strange territory to reach the “ethnos.” Here is where Paul’s instruction to “become all things to all men” finds its connection to the unchanging curriculum. If we are motivated by a sincere love for God and our fellow man then we can adapt without losing our conscience.

         When I first came to Christ in the 70s, the big cultural controversy raging among the North American church was the issue of Christian music and rock and roll. I heard several sermons about the evils of contemporary Christian music identifying with the world in their wild pulsating style. It didn’t matter that their message was full of gospel truth. We were told that the beat itself was evil and no good thing could come from such a rotten tree.

         This whole controversy was settled for me when I was driving with a fellow sailor friend. I had been sharing Christ with this guy and he was very interested in learning more about the gospel. He was a musician and the one thing that held him back was his disdain for church music. Being a drummer, he saw no future for his rock and roll style of play. After several late night discussions, answering a myriad of questions, I finally convinced my buddy to come to church with me. While on the way, I suggested that we listen to some Christian music and he reluctantly consented. I had the latest album on tape from the popular Christian rock group called the “2^nd Chapter of Acts.” Their opening song started with a hymn-like introduction where their two female singers sounded like angels. I admitted that I too didn’t like “churchie” sounding music and apologized. The intro to the song lasted twenty seconds and transitioned abruptly into a rocking guitar solo by Phil Keaggy that rivaled Jimmy Hendricks. The rest of the cassette was filled with excellent rock music exalting Christ. I will never forget the look on my buddy’s face when Keaggy amped up the music. He stopped and wondered what was happening. In the next couple of minutes he realized that, not only had I tricked him, but more importantly, his love for a cultural style of music did not create the barrier he imagined. He became a Christian that evening in the church service. The curriculum remained the same. The words in most of their songs were directly from scripture but the method of bringing the message changed with the culture they were called to reach. We must find every possible means to communicate to and identify with this emerging culture in order to fulfill the Great Commission.

             The curriculum has always been about the great narrative of the scriptures. It begins with creation and the fall of man into sin. The centerpiece of the story is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh to identify with mankind and lead him back to God. The revelation of the finished work of Christ through His death, burial and resurrection gives us the foundation of our forgiveness and relationship with God. The understanding of who we are in Christ and all we have in Christ establishes us in our new creation identity. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and His infilling gives us the power and spiritual strength to live as overcomers in this fallen world and demonstrate the risen majesty of our Lord Jesus.

             It is these and other Biblical truths that we are commissioned by Jesus to bring and demonstrate to every culture and sub-culture of our world. 

Ok back to me, actually that was me reading from my book: “Discipling this Generation for a Digital World.” If you would like us to mail you a free copy of this book simply send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and let us know what type of an educator you are, home schooler, classroom teacher, school administrator, or interested parent. Please let us know how you heard about the podcast and, of course, please include your mailing address. 

Thank you for listening and your commitment to discipleship-based Christian education.