Christian Education: Seeking to Become Like Jesus Christ

The staff at Word of Life books went far beyond what their agreemnet was. They did this for the purpose of getting one single book into my hands. What a work ethic. Do you think this review might get me a free book? Alan from Michigan

In this book Dr. Richards defines the goals of Christian education. The primary goal, reasons Mr. Richards, is to produce faith as life. He bases this belief on John 10:10 when Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." Furthermore, another goal, believes Richards, is transformation. Thus, Christian education is not a medium that simply offers religious information, but to the contrary, it is to produce transformation. Transformation, then, becomes the fundamental nature of Christian education. After Mr. Richards establishes these two goals, he then offers other goals that CE is to achieve. Definitely a must read for pastors and laymen alike. A true CE classic!

In college, I majored in Christian education. Shortly after I graduated, I discovered Larry Richards and began relearning about 90% of what I'd learned in college. My college Christian education classes consisted of how to run traditional Christian education programs--Sunday school and youth groups. Richards doesn't talk much about how to run programs; he focuses on how to make disciples.The goal of discipleship is not to fill the learner's head with cognitive knowledge, but rather life transformation. "The disciple when he is fully trained," says Jesus, "will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40, NIV). It does not say the disciple will know what his/her teacher knows. It says the disciple will be like his/her teacher. This is the starting point for discipling, both in goal and in method. The goal is Christlikeness. The method is teaching by example in the context of an intimate, trusting relationship, in real life settings. There is a world of difference between training Bible scholars and making disciples, and by the time you have digested this book, Richards will have helped you to think in terms of making disciples rather than pouring knowledge into the minds of Sunday school students.Yes, this book is a classic. I first read it in the mid-70s (the first edition was published in 1975), and it began the process of redefining how I understood Christian education and the whole question of how the church makes disciples. Today, as a full-time church consultant, Richards' mentoring continues to shape the way I work with every church I consult with. Richards' books on CHURCH LEADERSHIP and CHILDREN'S MINISTRY, which I read after this one, continued to remold my thinking about Christian education. If you have a passion for making disciples, and if you're not married to the way we've always done Christian education, you need to discover Larry Richards.

Five stars isn't enough for this book on Christian education! Richards' primary contention is that there is a huge need for informal, relationship-driven, experiental education in the church today. Instead of putting all of our energy into the formal curriculum, we need to spend more effort in charging the lay people to experience God and relationship. This book sparked a revolution in Chritian thought about education. This foundational treatise is a must-read of ALL Christian educators. It offers graphs, probes, and other useful tools for content attainment.