The Law of God and Public Policy
The Word of God gives us the basis for understanding His works.
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORDour God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt.’” Deuteronomy 6.20, 21
Grounding the education of children in the Word and Law of God will beg the question of the nature of God – Who He is and why we should love and serve Him – and will open the door for teaching all the various works of the Lord as further illustration of His glory and means by which to love Him and our neighbors.
The works of God include everything that falls within the categories of creation, providence, and redemption. Thus, all arts and sciences, history and humanities, study of institutions and culture, all languages and technologies, and much, much more come under the heading of the works of God.
The entire school curriculum can thus be presented as but one or another expression of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, a resource for loving God and neighbors as the divine economy requires. This was the approach that guided the efforts of the founders of the modern universities, as well as of early American educators throughout the colonies.
By His works – manifestations of His steadfast love and faithfulness – God enables human beings to know more of His goodness and to express His glory. It makes sense that, the more children are equipped for understanding and engaging the works of God, the more they will both enjoy and glorify Him in every aspect of their lives.
T. M. Moore
Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and the compilation, The Law of God,and study the question for yourself.
