Education at home and at school: The views of Horace Bushnell, Charles Hodge, and Robert Dabney.

摘要

The challenge of educating the rising generation is a poignant concern for every parent who seeks to extend his or her beliefs and view of life beyond one's allotted time on this earth. For the Christian, this task may have both a familial and an institutional dimension. In this treatise, the subject of Christian nurture and education during the middle decades of the 19 th Century will be examined. At this time the philosophy and practice of education underwent a cultural shift from that of familial agency to one of political and civic responsibility. This period also marked the beginning of the development of the public educational system in America.; Three prominent Christian theologians sought to address this issue in the middle of the 1800's: Horace Bushnell, Charles Hodge, and Robert Dabney. Despite their differences of cultural background and geographical setting, and even theological method, this treatise will attempt to show that for all three theologians the most important principle of Christian nurture was the influence of the parent on the child. It was not the church, nor the school, although each of these had their role to a lesser degree. Also, it will be shown that the organic or corporate dimension to family life and society at large figured prominently in their thinking. Bushnell was the one who broke the ground in this area, and both Hodge and Dabney responded from the Reformed perspective. Each of them was concerned to address the issue both from the standpoint of the Christian family as well as the broader issue of the interests of society.; Their opinion on such matters as the place of religion in education, the emerging phenomenon of secular education, who are the proper agents of education, and the issue of how the relationship between Church and State affects the entire enterprise, will be unfolded as well. Following this exposition and commentary, an application to the current times will be offered in order to illustrate the legacy of these theologians.