Saints and Biblical Integration – July 18, 2015
Saints Football and Biblical Integration
High School Division Head Blog, July 18, 2015
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. – Psalm 78:5-6
If you spend more than about 30 minutes with me, you will quickly come to find out that I am a huge New Orleans Saints fan. All the world comes to a halt on Sunday afternoons in the fall when the boys in black and gold take the field. I can remember cheering on the Saints in the hopeful days of Archie Manning and shaking my fist at the conservative play calling of Coach Bum Phillips. One of the greatest days of my life was when the Saints finally brought home a Superbowl victory under the leadership of Coach Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Who Dat!
While I follow the Saints coaches and players closely, one current player has been making headlines as of late, not for his play on the field but for the Godly wisdom he has been sharing off the field. Tight End Benjamin Watson first caught my attention a couple years ago when he gave a monogrammed Bible to each of his Saints teammates for Christmas. I remember thinking what a bold move that was in the politically correct world we live in today. Watson later made national headlines by posting his thoughts on Facebook about the riots and protests occurring in Ferguson, Missouri earlier this year. His post about how we were not dealing with a skin problem but a sin problem quickly went viral. Since that time, he has boldly shared his faith on social media on a regular basis.
This past week, Watson posted some memories from his high school Civics class where he became fascinated with the inner workings of our government. The post entitled “God > Government” goes on to challenge Christians to be aware of what is going on around the world and be involved in our country’s political process. He points to Romans 13 as he explains how the Lord has instructed us to submit to our government authorities because the Lord is ultimately in control and has a purpose for every event we see in the news each day. I encourage you to read the entire post by clicking here.
Watson’s post reminded me of the importance of Biblical integration in every subject we teach at PBS. If you google “Biblical Integration,” here is the first thing you will find:
Biblical integration is a daunting task; but when it is broken into its assimilated parts and digested in moderate amounts, it can be a relatively uncomplicated process. It is unfortunate that some Christian school teachers do not understand the very aspect of teaching that makes Christian instruction unique.
I pray this is never said of our teachers at PBS. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. Our Biblical worldview is what sets us apart from the public school system and even many of the private schools in our area. Even an hour of Bible class a day and an hour of Sunday school on Sundays simply is not enough to train our children to defend Biblical truth.
We cannot separate our Christian beliefs from our secular beliefs and hope they will live in harmony. The Bible does not allow it. Proverbs 9:10 says, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. When we teach even our core subjects of math, science, language, and history from a Biblical perspective, learning takes on a whole new level of purpose and importance. We begin to see the design of a purposeful Creator, the intentional order of the universe, the passion of communication, and the story of God’s plan and purpose for mankind from the beginning of time.
Our God is a personal God who wants us to know Him on an intimate level. He is not a God that wants to be limited to a few hours of study a week in Bible class in comparison to the other 40 hours of study at school, after school activities, and social media we are bombarded with throughout the week. I believe one of Satan’s most effective tactics is to make God seem small and ordinary – just another thing to check off our To-Do list each day. When you study the Bible, you will find that our God is the all-powerful Lord and Savior of all mankind. If we open our eyes, we will see that every aspect of this world has His fingerprints all over it. As Paul says in Philippians 3:10-11, I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Let us look to Him with awe and wonder as we dive into the depths of His great love for us.
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. – Deuteronomy 4:9
For His Glory,
Ben D. Haindel
High School Division Head