The Pattern of God's Truth: the Integration of Faith and Learning

by Frank E. Gaebelein

At the heart of all thinking about education, whether Christian or secular, lies the problem of integration. To adopt a philosophy of education is not the same as integrating that philosophy into all the parts–curriculum, student activities, administration, and more. This book is written by an evangelical Christian, committed to high doctrine and a worldview based on biblical truth, whose primary consideration is Christian education. Its pages seek to help educators who are Christian achieve a living union between Christianity and education.

Genres: Education, Christian, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Christian Living, Teaching

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[David Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regarding integration of faith and learning, Frank Gaebelein noted both the pitfalls of lack of primacy of place for God's word in many Christian colleges and the pitfall of trying to determine the truth from the point of revelation alone. There are three approaches to determining the truth - from the point of view of revelation alone, from the point of view of revelation plus reason, and from the point of view of reason only. He commends only the approach of revelation plus reason.

Gaebelein's works seems to me to be an early effort to address the anti-intellectualism and lack of excellence in Christian intellectual level and works especially among Protestants that was later addressed in works such as The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll and Fit Bodies, Fat Minds by Os Guinness. Gaebelein seems to share a similar concern to Alcuin in the Middle Ages. Both exerted their life's labor, it seems, to forwarding the gospel through advancing a robust Christian pedagogy.

One thing I appreciate about Gaebelein's writing is his appreciative culling of and employment of fine quotes from his obviously extensive, life long reading and study practices. His quotation of Justin Martyr then is fitting given his practice: "All that has been well said belongs to us Christians."

I read Gaebelein's book The Christian, the Arts, and Truth: Regaining the Vision of Greatness in my youth, not long after college, and have revisited the book a number of time through out the years. It is due to a fondness for this book that I obtained and read the book under review as well. Through Gaebelein, I came to read many novels by Shusaku Endo and Francois Mauriac and to explore certain works of classical music. He affected the formation of my thoughts about Christianity and the arts, and his words still resonate when I read them.

This book in some ways is more thin than The Christian, the Arts, and Truth. There are some practical considerations for administering a Christian school and maintaining and growing a Christian identity. It depends mainly on attracting and gathering together truly Christian faculty and urging their integration of faith into every college subject.

In chapter three, Gaebelein has some interesting reflections on mathematics and music in relation to the Christian faith. He especially draws on Pascal and ends with a fine quote from Chateaubriand about Pascal's accomplishments, both in science and mathematics and in philosophy and religion. Gaebelein consistently and urgently calls for Christian education to lead the way to higher things.
He notes how an analogy can be drawn between how geometry, despite its precise definition of 'self-evident' truths, can never of itself verify these truths for the simple reason that it is based on things that are at bottom unverifiable. "All these truths…cannot be proved. However, since the quality which makes them incapable of proof is not their obscurity, but rather their extreme obviousness, that lack of proof is not a defect but rather a mark of excellence. From this we see that geometry cannot define objects nor prove principles, but the one and very weighty reason is that both possess an extreme inherent clarity which convinces reason more strongly than does argumentation," wrote Pascal. The heart, not merely reason, senses God, and "Any proof of the existence of God presupposes faith in God."

One point that I want to delve more deeply is the ancient idea of the influence of music for good or evil. Gaebelein seems to me to cite these sources but not to really provide a compelling argument other than invocation of ancient authorities for why we should view music this way. Critics like Stanley Fish have pointed out Nazi commandants carrying out genocide during the day and listening to Brahms at night. Some music obviously appeals to low impulses with lyrics and beats meant to encourage lust. There is an obvious complexity and greater range and sensitivity in many forms of classical music that Rock 'n Roll can never attain to due to the limitations of its form. Listening to fine music is no guarantor of nobility of soul. The Apostle Paul urged the contemplation of the noble, praise-worthy, lovely, excellent and good. Such should take the place of filling our minds with what is low and base and unworthy, with just whatever our culture presents up for us to "consume" (as if we are "blind mouths", without the ability to discern when it is best to go without, and when it is best to select from a given selection the best to engage), provided those are calibrated by devotion to Christ, but it is easy to compartmentalize an excellence, to divorce the beautiful from the good and true. "A beautiful woman without discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout." Rather than relativizing excellence in music, it should be integrated with the good and the true, not forever left fractured.

[Shannon Daigle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are some interesting quotes and insights for a faith-integrated approach to education, overall the book feels dated. As a home educator who once had the goal of accomplishing an academically rigorous, faith-integrated education for my children, I see the appeal of the call put forth in the text. As a former evangelical who has become critical of harmful indoctrination in the evangelical movement, it also seems clear that some of the ideas Gaebelein puts forth were instrumental in extending this kind of indoctrination into primary/secondary educational models of Christian education. Several times the call is made to study all fields within the context of "God's truth" or "Truth" - without any acknowledgement that, even within Christian church, those "truths" are up to a fair amount of interpretation. Despite the author's endorsement of scientific developments like carbon dating to modify our understanding of science and warnings against anti-intellectual movements in the name of faith, it's not hard to see how the same call to align education with "God's Truth" became foundational in rejection of science, endorsement of selective and alternative views of history, omission of certain courses of study, etc. in many Christian educational movements.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

All at once, this book is both timeless and dated. Timeless in the sense that the Christian educator must, at the forefront of his or her practice, be rooted in scriptural truths to be effective at the integration of . The need for strong, Christian education is no less today that when the book was originally written 50 years ago. Dated in the sense that the collective worldview of society, and of parents who elect to send their children to Christian schools today is far more varied, and thus may require a broader understanding of worldview in general. Further, some of the considerations in the book may be dated and impractical. This is not a book for the Christian educator in public schools, but the Christian educator in the private Christian school. While I would not say it is a "must-read", I will say for the Christian educator who wishes to be well-versed in the literature surrounded our practice, it should be on your bookshelf.

[Lee Button · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have quoted from this book many times but never read it. Gaebelein presents an organized, plain sense argument that all truth is God's truth. His audience is Christian teachers and students but his argument applies to all of Christendom. It is well worth the read for any church leader or Bible student. He did not hold to a six-day creation but clearly expounds the supernatural attributes of God in creation. I should have read this sooner but will have many illustrations in the future.

[Scott Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

All truth is God's truth, whether found in the Bible or nature. Although the Bible holds "the seat of truth," Christian educators have a duty to uphold truth wherever it is found.

Author Frank Gaebelein outlines questions any Christian school must answer to move forward with integration of faith and learning.

[Lydia Shearin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a struggle to get through. What I had hoped would be a helpful handbook on how to practically integrate biblical concepts into teaching, what I found was an unnecessarily verbose and yet incredibly vague admonishment that biblical integration is good and you should do it, whatever that looks like for you. Not super helpful.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best on developing a Christian Worldview in Christian education at home, school, or Christ centered community life.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was the shortest book of the required reading options, so it did not disappoint in that respect. Otherwise, it is noticeably 50+ years old.

[sch]

Apr 2025. Would be a good followup to Hicks's NORMS AND NOBILITY, but I am too busy right now.

[Adam T. Calvert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic work on Christian education by one of its foremost proponents from the 20th century, Frank Gaebelein (also co-editor of Christianity Today with Carl F. H. Henry, as well as style editor for the New International Version of the Bible). It is in this book (actually in the lectures from which this book was adapted) that the phrase "All truth is God's truth" was so aptly coined . And in this book consists some foundational understanding of a Biblical philosophy of Christian education.

It would be nice to have a revised and updated edition (maybe by a student of Gaebelein), but even as it stands it's still a great text. The order of the book is great! It has four manageable chapters, each filled with much to think about.

1. Integration and the Truth
2. The Teacher and the Truth
3. The Subject and the Truth
4. The Truth Beyond the Classroom

It's unfortunate that for some reason in this book Dr. Gaebelein tries to explain carbon dating and its precise capabilities without taking into account the assumptions involved in using it [see - http://www.answersingenesis.org/artic...]. Of course he may not have had this information; and in the context of his book, it seems he didn't. But from this position he then tries to explain that this proves that the age of the earth (and the age of human beings) are much older than what we've thought so far as Christians.

Aside from this random dabble in evolutionistic thinking, the book is still a tremendous value to the work of Christian education, and should still be read by Christian educators today.*

*Although, again, it'd be nice for it to be revised and updated (and without, or at least with a correction to, the one evolutionistic mindset subsection).

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is made up of four lectures. The first lecture talked in circles and used lots of undefined terms that seemed to confuse rather than enlighten. Lecture two defined the source of truth as God's word (the Bible) and nature. It also reminded of the importance of Christian teachers with the quote "No man teaches out of a philosophical vacuum". It also made the important point that unanimity of denomination is not essential; however unanimity of faith is. All in all lecture two took a long time to make very few points. Lecture three started off promising with the topic of the integration of truth and faith in mathematics. From there it briefly touched on literature and then music and there quickly degenerated to an 11 page rant on modern music in the church. The final lecture touched on some interesting points about the integration of faith in extracurricular activities and in discipline in a school. In this last lecture some valid and interesting points were made but over all I found the book fell well short of what I hoped would be covered about the joys and discoveries of truth, God and faith in the subjects we teach in education. This book was for the most part torture to read and not worth the few quotes that I found encouraging.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just about every new idea that current Christian educators come up with has been around at least since Gaebelein put his thoughts together. This books is comprised of a series of talks given by Gaebelein at Dallas Seminary many years ago. The book is not good because of the author's eloquence, but because he is spot on for every argument he makes.

Of note . . .
- thoughts on math and integration spurred by Pascal's The Mind of the Geomatrician
- thoughts on an appropriate pedagogy for music education in Christian schools (Is it "lovely and of good report?")
- thoughts on educating Christian teachers such that they Truth is central to all they do in any given subject (they're leading chapel/teaching Bible classes and such)

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the content was obvious and more of a review. It was a bit frustrating to me, as the author seemed a bit condescending/"know-it-all."
I did appreciate several of the quips and quotes.
"Books...are...a mirror held up to life."
"[Christianity's] basic postulates are...unprovable in human logic, though not in the experience of the heart. Once we submit to them through faith, they...can be defined and used...They also possess an extreme inherent clarity which convinces reason more strongly than does argumentation."
"The art of education is never easy. To surmount its difficulties...is a task worthy of the highest genius. It is the training of souls."

[Andy Kerckhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book for Christian teachers and administrators. It's got some terrific takeaways. Highly quotable. I skimmed through some long sections, which helped me enjoy the book a lot. In places, it is brilliant. In others, it's pretty dull. It was short enough that it felt worth the investment of time.

[Erin King · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better books from the required reading for ACSI. It was pretty direct and actually had some really practical points. A little wordy at points and not always moving forward, but pretty good food for thought.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!