One of my recent posts paid tribute to Scott Warren, and I begin this one with one his catchphrases. When asked what he was doing on any given day in the classroom, a common response had the words, “Just eradicating ignorance,” followed by one of his pet names (not to be repeated here) for his stubborn students. Eradicating ignorance: it’s a great goal for all educators.
This is what I try to do every day, and most days in the classroom, it feels like I’m at war. The desire amongst many high school students is great to hold on to their ignorance at any cost, and they are up for the challenge. They fight new knowledge, new skills, and new ideas. Why? Because there are consequences.
The phrase “ignorance is bliss” exists specifically because of the consequences of knowledge. And it’s these same consequences that make most adults, no matter how much they don’t want to admit it, as adamantly opposed to losing their ignorance. If what we know is true, we don’t have to change anything. Add something new or contrary to our existing knowledge, and then we might have to change our actions. Change is hard.
This makes new knowledge about God even more intimidating. If I learn more about sin, I might find out I have some behaviors, habits, or attitudes that I need to change in order to be honoring to God. Knowing that I’m called to be Christ-like, the more that I learn about Christ’s character, the more responsibility I have to improve or build those qualities in myself. And the more I learn about theology, the more I might begin to question some of my longest-held and most-cherished beliefs. Especially if those beliefs are built merely on tradition, convenience, or “the way I was raised.”
With knowledge comes the burden of responsibility. It’s easier to not know about poverty, because then you feel no responsibility to help. Life is simpler when you don’t know about others in pain, because then you don’t feel a need to care for them. It’s more convenient to create an idea of what you think God should be, because we believe what he should be is someone who loves everything we do. Ignorance is much easier: it asks nothing, requires nothing, and means nothing. It’s comfortable.
Christians are called to more than comfortable, however. Ephesians 4-6 in particular has much to say about seeking wisdom:
It’s okay to be confused; it’s just not okay to stay that way. And too often we bow down to the idea of remaining “open-minded,” which is commonly an excuse for never having to learn enough to take a stand. We must seek to eradicate our own ignorance. Comfort does not await us, but the joy of knowing God does.
This is what I try to do every day, and most days in the classroom, it feels like I’m at war. The desire amongst many high school students is great to hold on to their ignorance at any cost, and they are up for the challenge. They fight new knowledge, new skills, and new ideas. Why? Because there are consequences.
The phrase “ignorance is bliss” exists specifically because of the consequences of knowledge. And it’s these same consequences that make most adults, no matter how much they don’t want to admit it, as adamantly opposed to losing their ignorance. If what we know is true, we don’t have to change anything. Add something new or contrary to our existing knowledge, and then we might have to change our actions. Change is hard.
This makes new knowledge about God even more intimidating. If I learn more about sin, I might find out I have some behaviors, habits, or attitudes that I need to change in order to be honoring to God. Knowing that I’m called to be Christ-like, the more that I learn about Christ’s character, the more responsibility I have to improve or build those qualities in myself. And the more I learn about theology, the more I might begin to question some of my longest-held and most-cherished beliefs. Especially if those beliefs are built merely on tradition, convenience, or “the way I was raised.”
With knowledge comes the burden of responsibility. It’s easier to not know about poverty, because then you feel no responsibility to help. Life is simpler when you don’t know about others in pain, because then you don’t feel a need to care for them. It’s more convenient to create an idea of what you think God should be, because we believe what he should be is someone who loves everything we do. Ignorance is much easier: it asks nothing, requires nothing, and means nothing. It’s comfortable.
Christians are called to more than comfortable, however. Ephesians 4-6 in particular has much to say about seeking wisdom:
- You will be “alienated from the life of God” because of ignorance (4:18)
- We are called to “find out what pleases the Lord.” (5:10)
- “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. . .” (5:15)
- “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (5:17)
- 6:11 - 20 encourages the Christian to put on the “full armor of God.” The list of this armor begins with “girding your waist with truth.”
It’s okay to be confused; it’s just not okay to stay that way. And too often we bow down to the idea of remaining “open-minded,” which is commonly an excuse for never having to learn enough to take a stand. We must seek to eradicate our own ignorance. Comfort does not await us, but the joy of knowing God does.
This blog was posted an hour ago. We are in school. Where are you? tisk tisk :)
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