Recovering an Older Way of Learning: Narration, Conscience, and the Formation of Christian Conviction
Reflections on narration, historical narrative, and the formation of conviction through Mary E. Bamford’s The Bible Makes Us Baptists. by Heather A. Ross, Christian educator & curriculum writer About the Author Before modern education became dominated by tests, worksheets, and information delivery, many Christian schools followed a very different pattern of learning. Students read stories, narrated what they had read in their own words, and were gradually guided to see the ideas shaping the events before them. This older approach did more than convey knowledge—it often also quietly formed conviction. Sometimes, modern Christian education can be reduced to the accumulation of information. In some settings, students read in order to answer questions. They memorize in order to pass tests. Knowledge is gathered, but it does not always settle deeply enough to shape belief or character. Earlier generations of Christian educators understood learning very differently. They saw educati...