Be The Fruit

Idolatry Thursday – The idol of Education.

by Bill Blair on 08/05/08 at 4:30 am

Education is yet another thing that in its essence is not bad, but in many cases grows to be more important than God.  Education becomes a god in your life when it becomes your central focus, the driving force in your life.  If getting a degree or getting good grades becomes more important than obeying God, then it has become an idol.

One way education becomes an idol is when it keeps us from obeying the commands of God in the Bible.  As a seminary student who works full-time, this is an area that could be troublesome for me.  The work level in classes are very high and the stress level increases as semesters come to a close.  It would be very easy for me to get consumed with getting an “A” in a class and neglect my family or my work.  The Bible teaches us that anyone who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5:8).  If I were to put school in front of providing for my family, whether it be financial or spiritual, I would be breaking this command and thus making education the god of my life.

The biggest place I see education becoming an idol for people is not within themselves but for their kids.  Many parents worry and worry about whether their child will get a good education.  Wanting your kids to get a good education is a good thing, but often parents place education as the ultimate goal for their kids lives.  There is often a sense among parents that if their child does not have the best education possible that their life will be ruined.  In these cases, parents place education in the role that Christ should have.  Education becomes a means of salvation, but we know that salvation is only through Christ.  When this happens, education has become a god.

What is the primary issue with placing all our hope in education?  It is ultimately that getting an education is often just about obtaining financial security and acquiring stuff.  A good education prepares you for a good job.  A good job give you money so you can live the “good life” with nice homes and plenty of vacations and leisure time.  The notion of parents pushing their kids to a good education in pursuit of such a “good life” is nothing new.  Augustine wrote in The Confessions (written around 400 A. D.) about the hypocrisy of being punished for playing and not studying when his elders merely wished that he would study so that he could afford to play later in life.  He wrote the following:

“But whereas the frivolous pursuits of grown-up people are called ‘business,’ children are punished for behaving in the same fashion, and no one is sorry for either the children or the adults; so are we to assume that any sound judge of the matter would think it right for me to be beaten because I played ball as a boy, and was hindered by my game from more rapid progress in studies which would only equip me to play an uglier game later?”  The Confessions, Augustine (p 49)

When education becomes an idol, we put our hope in self-achievement, self-sufficiency, and acquiring things instead of God.  Our focus becomes what we learning can do for ME instead of what learning can do for God through me.  Learning, however, is a good thing when it is done for the right reasons.  Learn all you can, but learn for the glory of God.  Use all you know and learn for his glory and not your own. 

Until next time, put God first and “be the fruit.”