Benalla Christian School

“No icing on the cake” is a term familiar to Christian educators. It is the title of a book (No Icing on the Cake - Christian Foundations of Education), edited by Jack Mechielsen (1980), and a rich metaphor to talk about Christian education.

An effective teaching strategy is to discuss what a concept is NOT, so that people don’t get the wrong idea. That’s what we have here. Christian Education is NOT “icing on the cake”.

One way of “doing” Christian Education is to take the VELS (Victorian Essential Learning Standards) curriculum documents, ensure that there are assemblies, prayers, bible studies and other sprinklings (lavish or otherwise) of Christian activities, and call it Christian Education. This is the “icing on the cake” metaphor. It’s often used to describe something wonderful or special that has been “added” to a situation. It’s a common, positive metaphor, and when used to talk about Christian schooling, seems to be attractive and desirable.

However……… another way of thinking about Christian Education is one that starts with God. If we, in our thinking, begin with God, then all the things that are part of being a school – curriculum, policies, learning activities, staff, etc, - become flavoured with the essence, the aroma, the zest of our Creator.

God is IN and THROUGH and INTEGRAL to all that happens in a school. He is reflected in the school’s “lifestyle”, from School Board policies to parent meetings and newsletters.

We must not be complacent, as parents or educators, about Christian education. Do our cultural comforts and expectations anaesthetise our passion to have our entire being IN and THROUGH Jesus Christ? Do we put Him first, in our schools and in our homes? Why Christian education? At what cost? How important is this for our children?

Christian Education is a way for schools to partner with parents, together nurturing a young child into the person that God wants them to be.