Academic Discipleship: A Perspectival Clarification of “Christian Education” for Teacher Leaders and Administrators

Christian education is distinct, but school leaders are not always aware of, or may not agree on, what makes it so. The term, Christian education, is ubiquitous, but is not precise. Christian educators require clear, rich language that can be used to effectively communicate the specific norms, operations, and aims of their work. Through the use of John Frame’s triperspectival methodology, this article provides a focused epistemological, metaphysical, and axiological analysis of the unique nature of Christian education with the aim of producing clarifying terminology. Observing Christian education’s distinctives from multiple, specific perspectives allows educators to better define and describe those distinctives. In turn, these instructors will be better equipped to put them into practice. Educators can be well served by meaning-rich, portable terms that have been intentionally formulated from other commonly employed, but more narrowly understood, terms. To that end, this analysis presents Christian educators with precise, concise language that can assist in focusing vision, clarifying communication, and invigorating passion in the vocation of academic disciple-makers