Liberty University Digital Commons

Towns, Elmer L.

Liberty University
DigitalCommons@Liberty
University
Articles The Works of Elmer Towns
1966
Review: Changing Patterns in Christian Education
Elmer L. Towns
Liberty University
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_articles
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Works of Elmer Towns at DigitalCommons@Liberty University. It has been accepted
for inclusion in Articles by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Liberty University. For more information, please contact
scholarlycommunication@liberty.edu.
Recommended Citation
Towns, Elmer L., "Review: Changing Patterns in Christian Education" (1966). Articles. Paper 18.
http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_articles/18
BOOK REVIEWS 
Changing Patterns in Christian Education, Marshall C. Dendy. Richmond, 
Virginia: John Knox Press, 1965, pp. 96. Reviewed by Elmer Towns, 
Visiting Prof, in Christian Education, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 
President Winnipeg Bible College, Winnipeg, Canada. 
Changing Patterns in Christian Education was the subject of the 
alumni lectures delivered to the faculty and student body of the Columbia 
Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, November, 1963. Marshall 
C. Dendy is executive secretary of the Board of Christian Education, 
Presbyterian Church, U.S. These lectures presented the historical setting 
of the Presbyterian church emphasizing John Calvin and John Knox, and 
their contributions to the field of Christian Education. Dendy's thesis 
indicates that the principles, upon which the new Covenant Life curricu-
lum is being developed in the middle of the twentieth century, had their 
roots in the works of these men who lived four hundred years ago. 
In the chapter, "History is Prologue," the author shows the general 
development of religious education in the United States to its present 
state. The needs of our contemporary culture and the failings of the 
church are sited as evidence for the development of new and better 
means to carry out the commands of the great commission. 
Dendy has done an excellent job of going to original sources in giving 
a comprehensive survey of the life of John Calvin. He sites, "Calvin is 
regarded by many as the greatest theologian since Augustine*' (p. 17). 
The author indicates that Calvin was engaged in a ministry of Christian 
education that was not after the pattern of our twentieth century. Dendy 
attempts a definition of Calvin's concept of Christian education, "Christian 
education as understood by Calvin is the use of a body of truth concern-
ing the Christian faith, essentially the revealed Word of God, by the 
believing community, a reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit, so 
that men may be confronted by God, believe in Christ, be informed 
concerning the great beliefs of the Christian church, and be rightly related 
to God and man" (p. 18). Quoting from original sources, the author gives 
a strong argument for Calvin's belief in the trustworthiness, authority, 
and inerrancy of the Scriptures. 
When the author discusses John Knox, a comprehensive background 
and history of Knox's life is given. Knox like Calvin and the other reform-
ers put great emphasis upon the Word of God. Dendy also attempts to 
define Knox's concept of Christian education, "It is the church engaged 
in teaching the faith entrusted to it through proclamation, worship, and 
instruction, nurture in the home, ministry in society, and involvment in 
the life of the nation. It is teaching the whole gospel to the whole of man 
in the whole of society" ( p. 55 ). 
By the way Dendy has used original sources, a conservative would 
read into the text that Calvin and Knox held to the verbal plenary inspira-
tion of the Scriptures. However, Dendy does not hold such a view. Dendy 
reads into the text, "Belief in the authority of the Scriptures has been 
51 
52 BULLETIN OF THE EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
equated with belief in the inerrancy of the scriptures. Such views are 
inconsistent with the view on the authority of the scriptures held by 
Calvin and Knox" (p. 59). 
In the chapter, "The Road We Have Travelled," the author examines 
the development of the Presbyterian church in the United States. He 
examines the lack of social Gospel emphasis in the Presbyterian church, 
attributing it to theological emphases. Dendy traces the development from 
a theological emphasis to the restatement of the aims of the church as 
made by the Board of Christian Education in 1955. This restatement 
indicated a fresh approach to the church's understanding of its task in 
Christian nurture and resulted in the development of the Covenant Life 
curriculum. 
In the final chapter, Dendy reviews the Covenant Life curriculum 
and what it will do for the church. It is not the reviewer's task to evaluate 
the curriculum, inasmuch as, only Dendy's evaluation of the curriculum 
occurs in the book. As we would expect, Dendy is the arch-defender and 
promoter of the new Covenant Life curriculum. In view of the high claims 
made for the curriculum and what it will do for the total student and 
the total church as it affects the total society, this reviewer wonders if 
any curriculum can be so effective. 
Herklots, H. G. G.; Whyte, James; and Sharp, Robin, Preparing for the 
Ministry of the 1970's. Allenson, Naperville, 111., 1964. Reviewed by Earl 
D. Radmaeher, President, Western Conservative Baptist Theological 
Seminary. 
Training for the ministry is undergoing revolutionary changes in our 
days, and those who are responsible for, and influenced by, the develop-
ment of the theological seminary's curriculum should be vitally interested 
and, perhaps, troubled by certain trends and encouraged by others. This 
book represents the combined efforts of three British clergymen who 
speak on behalf of the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, and 
the Free Churches. The main part has been written by Canon Hugh 
Herklots of Peterborough Cathedral, who is Moderator of the Church of 
England's 27 teacher-training colleges. 
One most encouraging note is the renewal of the first century 
emphasis on lay participation in the work of the church. The effective-
ness of the church has been stifled in many areas by a "minister-
centered church" which produces the "ordinary Christian," for it does 
not encourage the church members to stir up the gifts that are in them, 
or to rise to their full maturity in Christ. There is a growing conviction 
that ministers must enable members to realize that they are the church. 
As Archbishop Temple once wrote: "There can be no widespread evan-
gelization of England unless the work is undertaken by the lay people 
of the church The main duty of the clergy must be to train the lay 
members of the congregation in their work of witness." The laity are 
the church's front-line troops and the ministry is there to support, supply, 
and train them. 
With this healthy trend in mind, James Whyte of the Church of 
Scotland strikes a rather disconcerting note, however, when he states 
that "this view brings into prominence once more the traditional functions 
of the ministry rather than the gimmicks and techniques on which much 
^ s 
Copyright and Use: 
As an ATLAS user, you may print, download, or send articles for individual use 
according to fair use as defined by U.S. and international copyright law and as 
otherwise authorized under your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. 
No content may be copied or emailed to multiple sites or publicly posted without the 
copyright holder(s)' express written permission. Any use, decompiling, 
reproduction, or distribution of this journal in excess of fair use provisions may be a 
violation of copyright law. 
This journal is made available to you through the ATLAS collection with permission 
from the copyright holder(s). The copyright holder for an entire issue of a journal 
typically is the journal owner, who also may own the copyright in each article. However, 
for certain articles, the author of the article may maintain the copyright in the article. 
Please contact the copyright holder(s) to request permission to use an article or specific 
work for any use not covered by the fair use provisions of the copyright laws or covered 
by your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. For information regarding the 
copyright holder(s), please refer to the copyright information in the journal, if available, 
or contact ATLA to request contact information for the copyright holder(s). 
About ATLAS: 
The ATLA Serials (ATLAS®) collection contains electronic versions of previously 
published religion and theology journals reproduced with permission. The ATLAS 
collection is owned and managed by the American Theological Library Association 
(ATLA) and received initial funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. 
The design and final form of this electronic document is the property of the American 
Theological Library Association. 


Review: Changing Patterns in Christian Education

Score written for Music Theory class at Lincoln High School, Denver, Spring 1966.  Twice performed and recorded

Samson, Steven

Poem: Reflections

Successful Youth Work

Teaching Teens

My teachers often found it useful to keep me occupied with extra projects.  I had a teacher in 2nd and 4th grade who brought things from Mexico and got me started studying Latin America.  I began ordering booklets from Pemex, the OAS, and the Government Printing Office.  In 4th grade, she gave me a corner of the classroom to keep information I gathered on Sputnik and which I shared with other students.  At the end of sixth grade, I did a poster presentation at the Colorado Teachers Association meeting on the last days of the Belgian Congo.  I enjoy intellectual challenges and was drawn to “brain teasers” in grade school.  It was probably while I was in junior high that I noticed a peculiarity in the “magic square” that led me to extend its diagonal axes as shown in the attached grid.  When I first noticed the Sudoku craze a few years ago, I was disappointed that it was based on a somewhat different set of assumptions, so I continue to call this puzzle a “magic square.

Liberty University

Not a member yet

Review: Changing Patterns in Christian Education

Poem: Reflections

Successful Youth Work

Teaching Teens

Magic Square

An Analysis of the Implications of Teaching Morals in the Public Schools

The New Testament Doctrine of the Heart

18,834

21,867