Thoughts on Education and Careers
The Need for Smarter People...?
I cannot count the number of times people have asked me if I have been to school, or plan on going to school. They, of course, are not referring to High School, but college. It seems to be the one question to ask a youthful person these days, as I myself have received the question too many times to count, and I have heard many others get this. I almost always reply the same way. "Nah. I don't have enough money, and considering what it is I want to do [preach], there simply aren't many options for me. They are not worth my time and money." This, of course, has drawn many responses out of the person asking me. Working at Best Buy has put me in the position to see many reactions to this response, and they can vary, though they often remain the same. The main response is silence. The person realizes I have no interest in going to college, and quickly moves onto a different topic, if they manage to think of one. I am not trying to accuse them of being rude, but what has struck me through this is the reason so many respond the way they do. One lady in particular sticks in my memory.
She used to be a language professor at Michigan State University, and thus the question was only natural for her to ask. "So, where are you going to school?" And so I told her that I am currently not going to any college, and with the preaching that I want to do, and the schools I have researched, it simply isn't going to be worth the thousands of dollars and years of time. And, almost to my surprise, she was in shock. Of all people, a young man should certainly go into college. Anything else would be a disservice to self, it seemed. Her response seemed to be in both disgust and shock. And it struck a chord in my mind, that has since been ringing whenever someone asks me if I am going to school.
Many today (and I do not believe this is a stretch) believe that college, or some sort of school and/or certification, is a necessity. If you do not have anything more than a High School diploma, you aren't going anywhere. Many bluntly treat it almost as a sin against self, to hold off more education from such institutions. Or at least, some say, it is simply not smart. "You won't get very far in society" they say, essentially. For me, a 19-year-old man who has only worked in retail thus far, it seems that I have yet to do anything important in my life, according to some of these, such as the professor from MSU. She was practically angry with me, treating it as though I were going on a path that only leads to death. And perhaps it makes sense. In a society that practically says "Education is the most important thing in the world", it is only natural that I be condemned, or at least looked down upon, for not going to any extra schooling. I am, as it were, "wasting talent."
And that is what the world wants. Talent. Or at least, our Western society. They believe that, if all young people go to college, we can make the world a better place. This assumes a few things, however, and things that think very few take into acknowledgement.
Firstly, they assume that the teaching within these institutions is, in some way or another, good and beneficial. No matter the trade you look into, you cannot go wrong. As long as you bear some proof that you went through a year or so of schooling, you'll be set. And yet, in today's culture, that takes most people very few places. After all, you may very well find out that what you want is entirely opposite to the degree you worked for for so long.
Secondly, it assumes that people need more education from such places. To say such things automatically then makes them the standard, or at least close to the standard, for truth and reality. Most of these places teach the same general thing, and all encourage the same thing. They teach math, engineering, philosophy, writing, film making and many more areas. They also all have the same goal- individual success. If you can make one successful, you can do some good in society.
The True Problem
In all honesty, I think the vast majority misses the problem that stares us all in the face. Christianity has made too big a deal of success, and too little a matter the glory of God. Though they "sing His praises" in a variety of ways, and though they are clearly zealous for their religion, they bear very little, if any, true education.
You see, education is the problem, and education is also the answer. That is, far too many seek education in general, and yet avoid any Truth. They seek to know why things are, being so absorbed in their purpose in life, but fail to see that life has nothing to do with them when it comes to purpose. "God created you special," they post all over their social media sites, declaring the greatness God has in store for us. Yet they never declare the greatness of God unless it somehow pertains to themselves. This is why schooling is so important in the so-called Christian circles. "If God made you for great things, you ought not to neglect that." And they firmly believe it, making education a moral, not an option. Individualism has seized the church, and so few actually know it. And that is where the difficulty lies. Education is not, in and of itself, evil, nor is it good. Education is entirely subjected to what that education actually is. I can go around telling everyone I meet, "Hi! I have ten years of education!" And perhaps they might see me as a very smart person. Or perhaps they may view me as too prideful. But the issue is, no one actually truly wants to know what that education is. That ten years of education, as it turns out, is in reading. I have been educated to read, ever since I started school. Weird, huh?
The point is, we all have education. In some way or another. Whether it is self-taught, taught by another, taught in experience, or taught in time. We are all educated beings. The issue is that far too many are well-educated in sin and self, and bear little to no education in the things of God.
My reasoning for avoiding college is not that I do not aspire to good things. It is not that I am simply lazy and don't want to work for any success in my life. My objective is found in God. To be successful in His eyes, not overabounding in everything I try, but doing exactly as He says. Mediocrity in the things of God has been the standard for most that is too high. After all, we believe in Jesus, and in the cross, and all the hymns we sing. We are simply too busy learning all the important stuff." This is the problem: people are too well-educated in things that truly pale in comparison to the things they ought to be well-educated in.
The Wrong Sorts of Education
There are a few things I would like to list of to explain this further. They all are what I see as the main issue with people's definition of education, and I believe, these are the core of why they see education as so important, and yet utterly neglect the Education.
1. The reason for education in the first place.
"We need to be well-educated." Well, that's a fine thing. But why? "We need to be educated in the things of God." That is also fine, but what good is it?
These ought to be the questions students are getting asked. Not "Why aren't you going to college?" or "Why don't you learn the Bible better?" Many people go to colleges, both secular and Christian, and many people know plenty of things about the Bible. But so very few know what to do with those things. What good is it to learn all the types of culinary skill if I never actually cook anything? What good is it to learn all the military training their is, and yet never do any fighting? It is all fine if people get their education in whatever area of life it is they are are pursuing, but how are they using it? And likewise, if one such as myself decides not to go to college, how am I using my time and resources? For me, one of the key definers of how I tell that someone is saved is not what deed is being done, as much as it is why it is being done. Sin is sin, and will be judged as such. But motive is the nail in the coffin of sin. For evil motive breeds more sin, and good motive simply cannot result in evil deeds.
Our Lord made it clear many times that a good tree bears good fruit. He was not speaking to farmers on how to care for their trees, but on how we, as Christians, judge whether or not someone is Christian. James clarifies this reality in James 2, stating the faith without [good] works is dead, useless, and of essentially of no worth. We will be judged by every idle word we speak, and one of the scariest things about that judgement is not the words we speak, but the heart from which we speak them, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." (Mat. 12:34). Our motivation- that which fills our heart- truly dictates what we do. A person will not do what they do not want to do. It is basic, common knowledge.
And so, when a person seeks to go to college, or to gain more education, the question to ask them is not "What college are you going to?" or even "What are you majoring in?" but to ask "Why are you going?" Not in an accusative tone, but in genuine care. It is the same reason a father asks a son, "Why do you want to join the military?" If we seek to go to college to get smarter, earn more degrees, prove ourselves to be smarter than everyone thinks, and to have a successful career, than we are already way off track. Those things are all secondary, and some arrogant. What should be sought first is not education, but the will of God, and the only way to learn what the will of God is is to understand what He has already revealed to us in His Word. If we fail to understand the most important thing in all the universe, what good will any other education do us? What more importance can there be than studying and understanding and loving the Word of God, having that as our education and understanding? As opposed to going to secular colleges, and even so-called Christian colleges, which promote self-exaltation and self-discovery, but utterly neglect the deep theological realities found in God's Word? Far too many use ignorance as an excuse for not knowing theology better, and yet they devote their time and understanding to that which is frivolous.
2. Placing the importance of people over the importance of God.
Not much else needs to be said in this regard. I don't think it's news to anyone who has basic understanding that the world today promotes people more than it does anything else. And I'm not just talking about famous people, but the average person. The height of morality seems to be limited to a couple things: Poor, helpless people growing into amazing success, and successful people doing seemingly lowly things. When an orphan becomes the CEO of a company, it puts people in awe, and when a famous movie star, football player or country singer, brings themselves to some form of acknowledgement of God, it brings people to tears. The height of morality and goodness, for the world, and the so-called church, is found somewhere in people. "God is only as good as He appears" is essentially what people believe. That is, God is good because He gives us good things, and therefore, He is good.
Such misuse of the name of God! As though His goodness and mercy somehow depend upon us being there. People treat opportunity to be well-educated, and successful careers and stories, as proof of the goodness of God, and yet they treat death and pain and failure as though God were absent, or somehow at fault for a lack of action. "After all, a loving God could never do bad things to good people." And that statement is right- God will never do anything evil, and because of His love, He will break each and every one of His children to become obedient to Him, out of His love, for out of His love, He chastens His children. But that statement, of course, would not "fly."
3. People place too much importance on education.
This is clearly one of the main points in this post. Too many people put too much focus on education, and little to no importance on application. And I don't mean using schooling to get a better job, but using education, and everything else for that matter, to the glory of God. Using our deeper understanding of Scripture to love God better, and to keep His commandments more, and using our general education in application to our study and understanding of Scripture. Using the culinary skills to cook for those who need it, and using our spelling and writing abilities to document and share the knowledge of the Truth that we discover. Why are not these things the goal of Christian youth? Why are politics, careers, and even history, taking the place of the two greatest commandments? "You shall love the Lord your God" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Education, and our careers, may help us in these two goals, but neither define them. We learn how to love the Lord our God by being educated in His Word, and we learn how to love our neighbors as ourselves by being educated in His Word. There is no other way.
If parents sought to put more Scripture in their children's school work, and if teenagers and young adults saw the need all the more to learn to love God, understand His Word, and apply it in every day life, we would not be on track to impress the world, but to please God. To do what He has commanded, not for self, but for His glory alone. None of us was born for greatness. All of us were born to see and glorify His greatness. And that greatness, magnificence and perfection are all we should ever desire to be most educated in.
I cannot count the number of times people have asked me if I have been to school, or plan on going to school. They, of course, are not referring to High School, but college. It seems to be the one question to ask a youthful person these days, as I myself have received the question too many times to count, and I have heard many others get this. I almost always reply the same way. "Nah. I don't have enough money, and considering what it is I want to do [preach], there simply aren't many options for me. They are not worth my time and money." This, of course, has drawn many responses out of the person asking me. Working at Best Buy has put me in the position to see many reactions to this response, and they can vary, though they often remain the same. The main response is silence. The person realizes I have no interest in going to college, and quickly moves onto a different topic, if they manage to think of one. I am not trying to accuse them of being rude, but what has struck me through this is the reason so many respond the way they do. One lady in particular sticks in my memory.
She used to be a language professor at Michigan State University, and thus the question was only natural for her to ask. "So, where are you going to school?" And so I told her that I am currently not going to any college, and with the preaching that I want to do, and the schools I have researched, it simply isn't going to be worth the thousands of dollars and years of time. And, almost to my surprise, she was in shock. Of all people, a young man should certainly go into college. Anything else would be a disservice to self, it seemed. Her response seemed to be in both disgust and shock. And it struck a chord in my mind, that has since been ringing whenever someone asks me if I am going to school.
Many today (and I do not believe this is a stretch) believe that college, or some sort of school and/or certification, is a necessity. If you do not have anything more than a High School diploma, you aren't going anywhere. Many bluntly treat it almost as a sin against self, to hold off more education from such institutions. Or at least, some say, it is simply not smart. "You won't get very far in society" they say, essentially. For me, a 19-year-old man who has only worked in retail thus far, it seems that I have yet to do anything important in my life, according to some of these, such as the professor from MSU. She was practically angry with me, treating it as though I were going on a path that only leads to death. And perhaps it makes sense. In a society that practically says "Education is the most important thing in the world", it is only natural that I be condemned, or at least looked down upon, for not going to any extra schooling. I am, as it were, "wasting talent."
And that is what the world wants. Talent. Or at least, our Western society. They believe that, if all young people go to college, we can make the world a better place. This assumes a few things, however, and things that think very few take into acknowledgement.
Firstly, they assume that the teaching within these institutions is, in some way or another, good and beneficial. No matter the trade you look into, you cannot go wrong. As long as you bear some proof that you went through a year or so of schooling, you'll be set. And yet, in today's culture, that takes most people very few places. After all, you may very well find out that what you want is entirely opposite to the degree you worked for for so long.
Secondly, it assumes that people need more education from such places. To say such things automatically then makes them the standard, or at least close to the standard, for truth and reality. Most of these places teach the same general thing, and all encourage the same thing. They teach math, engineering, philosophy, writing, film making and many more areas. They also all have the same goal- individual success. If you can make one successful, you can do some good in society.
The True Problem
In all honesty, I think the vast majority misses the problem that stares us all in the face. Christianity has made too big a deal of success, and too little a matter the glory of God. Though they "sing His praises" in a variety of ways, and though they are clearly zealous for their religion, they bear very little, if any, true education.
You see, education is the problem, and education is also the answer. That is, far too many seek education in general, and yet avoid any Truth. They seek to know why things are, being so absorbed in their purpose in life, but fail to see that life has nothing to do with them when it comes to purpose. "God created you special," they post all over their social media sites, declaring the greatness God has in store for us. Yet they never declare the greatness of God unless it somehow pertains to themselves. This is why schooling is so important in the so-called Christian circles. "If God made you for great things, you ought not to neglect that." And they firmly believe it, making education a moral, not an option. Individualism has seized the church, and so few actually know it. And that is where the difficulty lies. Education is not, in and of itself, evil, nor is it good. Education is entirely subjected to what that education actually is. I can go around telling everyone I meet, "Hi! I have ten years of education!" And perhaps they might see me as a very smart person. Or perhaps they may view me as too prideful. But the issue is, no one actually truly wants to know what that education is. That ten years of education, as it turns out, is in reading. I have been educated to read, ever since I started school. Weird, huh?
The point is, we all have education. In some way or another. Whether it is self-taught, taught by another, taught in experience, or taught in time. We are all educated beings. The issue is that far too many are well-educated in sin and self, and bear little to no education in the things of God.
My reasoning for avoiding college is not that I do not aspire to good things. It is not that I am simply lazy and don't want to work for any success in my life. My objective is found in God. To be successful in His eyes, not overabounding in everything I try, but doing exactly as He says. Mediocrity in the things of God has been the standard for most that is too high. After all, we believe in Jesus, and in the cross, and all the hymns we sing. We are simply too busy learning all the important stuff." This is the problem: people are too well-educated in things that truly pale in comparison to the things they ought to be well-educated in.
The Wrong Sorts of Education
There are a few things I would like to list of to explain this further. They all are what I see as the main issue with people's definition of education, and I believe, these are the core of why they see education as so important, and yet utterly neglect the Education.
1. The reason for education in the first place.
"We need to be well-educated." Well, that's a fine thing. But why? "We need to be educated in the things of God." That is also fine, but what good is it?
These ought to be the questions students are getting asked. Not "Why aren't you going to college?" or "Why don't you learn the Bible better?" Many people go to colleges, both secular and Christian, and many people know plenty of things about the Bible. But so very few know what to do with those things. What good is it to learn all the types of culinary skill if I never actually cook anything? What good is it to learn all the military training their is, and yet never do any fighting? It is all fine if people get their education in whatever area of life it is they are are pursuing, but how are they using it? And likewise, if one such as myself decides not to go to college, how am I using my time and resources? For me, one of the key definers of how I tell that someone is saved is not what deed is being done, as much as it is why it is being done. Sin is sin, and will be judged as such. But motive is the nail in the coffin of sin. For evil motive breeds more sin, and good motive simply cannot result in evil deeds.
Our Lord made it clear many times that a good tree bears good fruit. He was not speaking to farmers on how to care for their trees, but on how we, as Christians, judge whether or not someone is Christian. James clarifies this reality in James 2, stating the faith without [good] works is dead, useless, and of essentially of no worth. We will be judged by every idle word we speak, and one of the scariest things about that judgement is not the words we speak, but the heart from which we speak them, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." (Mat. 12:34). Our motivation- that which fills our heart- truly dictates what we do. A person will not do what they do not want to do. It is basic, common knowledge.
And so, when a person seeks to go to college, or to gain more education, the question to ask them is not "What college are you going to?" or even "What are you majoring in?" but to ask "Why are you going?" Not in an accusative tone, but in genuine care. It is the same reason a father asks a son, "Why do you want to join the military?" If we seek to go to college to get smarter, earn more degrees, prove ourselves to be smarter than everyone thinks, and to have a successful career, than we are already way off track. Those things are all secondary, and some arrogant. What should be sought first is not education, but the will of God, and the only way to learn what the will of God is is to understand what He has already revealed to us in His Word. If we fail to understand the most important thing in all the universe, what good will any other education do us? What more importance can there be than studying and understanding and loving the Word of God, having that as our education and understanding? As opposed to going to secular colleges, and even so-called Christian colleges, which promote self-exaltation and self-discovery, but utterly neglect the deep theological realities found in God's Word? Far too many use ignorance as an excuse for not knowing theology better, and yet they devote their time and understanding to that which is frivolous.
2. Placing the importance of people over the importance of God.
Not much else needs to be said in this regard. I don't think it's news to anyone who has basic understanding that the world today promotes people more than it does anything else. And I'm not just talking about famous people, but the average person. The height of morality seems to be limited to a couple things: Poor, helpless people growing into amazing success, and successful people doing seemingly lowly things. When an orphan becomes the CEO of a company, it puts people in awe, and when a famous movie star, football player or country singer, brings themselves to some form of acknowledgement of God, it brings people to tears. The height of morality and goodness, for the world, and the so-called church, is found somewhere in people. "God is only as good as He appears" is essentially what people believe. That is, God is good because He gives us good things, and therefore, He is good.
Such misuse of the name of God! As though His goodness and mercy somehow depend upon us being there. People treat opportunity to be well-educated, and successful careers and stories, as proof of the goodness of God, and yet they treat death and pain and failure as though God were absent, or somehow at fault for a lack of action. "After all, a loving God could never do bad things to good people." And that statement is right- God will never do anything evil, and because of His love, He will break each and every one of His children to become obedient to Him, out of His love, for out of His love, He chastens His children. But that statement, of course, would not "fly."
3. People place too much importance on education.
This is clearly one of the main points in this post. Too many people put too much focus on education, and little to no importance on application. And I don't mean using schooling to get a better job, but using education, and everything else for that matter, to the glory of God. Using our deeper understanding of Scripture to love God better, and to keep His commandments more, and using our general education in application to our study and understanding of Scripture. Using the culinary skills to cook for those who need it, and using our spelling and writing abilities to document and share the knowledge of the Truth that we discover. Why are not these things the goal of Christian youth? Why are politics, careers, and even history, taking the place of the two greatest commandments? "You shall love the Lord your God" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Education, and our careers, may help us in these two goals, but neither define them. We learn how to love the Lord our God by being educated in His Word, and we learn how to love our neighbors as ourselves by being educated in His Word. There is no other way.
If parents sought to put more Scripture in their children's school work, and if teenagers and young adults saw the need all the more to learn to love God, understand His Word, and apply it in every day life, we would not be on track to impress the world, but to please God. To do what He has commanded, not for self, but for His glory alone. None of us was born for greatness. All of us were born to see and glorify His greatness. And that greatness, magnificence and perfection are all we should ever desire to be most educated in.
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. - 1 Corinthians 2 NASB
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