Christian Education

Christian Education

Christian Education

 

 

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Christian Education

Christian Education

Note to the Reader: Some of the matter in this book has already been printed in permanent form, but scattered through various volumes; some has appeared in different periodicals, while a considerable portion has never been presented to the public before. The book is designed not only for teachers, but also for parents, who should be prepared to direct intelligently the education of their children. The whole subject of Christian  ducation is treated from the broadest standpoint, with valuable principles and suggestions applicable to every stage of child development; and it is confidently believed that this little work will prove a blessing, both in a richer personal experience and in an increased ability for service, to every one who will read it thoughtfully. Articles credited Ms. have never been published before. Other articles or extracts are credited to the book or periodical  rom which they were taken.

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Education

It is rare, indeed, for a book devoted to the subject of education to be read so widely or to endure so well the tests of changing times as has the present work now appearing in this new, popular form. The fundamental principles clearly unfolded in this volume have for many decades made it the handbook of tens of thousands of parents and teachers. Now, to further augment its already wide distribution and reading, it is published as one of the Christian Home Library volumes, but without change in wording or paging. Every person must face the practical realities of life—its opportunities, its  esponsibilities, its defeats, and its successes. How he is to meet these experiences, whether he is to become master or victim of circumstances, depends largely upon his preparation to cope with them— is education. True education is well defined as the harmonious development of all the faculties—a full and adequate preparation for this life and the future eternal life. It is in the early years in the home  nd in the formal schoolwork that the mind develops, a pattern of living is established, and character is formed. Keenly discerning the relative and lasting values of what constitutes true education in its  roadest sense, the author of this book points the way to their realization. An education in which the mental faculties are properly developed is clearly outlined. An education in which the hands are skilled  n useful trades is emphasized. An education which recognizes God as the source of all wisdom and understanding is earnestly recommended. The motivating objective of the author in her extensive  ritings upon the subject of education was that youth on the threshold of life might be ready to take their place as good citizens, well prepared for the practical experiences of living, fully developed physically, God-fearing, with  haracters untarnished and hearts true to principle. This volume is the paramount work in this group of writings in which are set forth principles essential to the understanding of those who guide the youth in the home  nd in the school. The writer of these pages was a friend of young men and women. She was for many years in close touch with institutions of learning and was well acquainted with the problems of youth in preparation for  heir lifework. Above all, she was endued with more than ordinary knowledge and skill as a writer and speaker. Concerned as it is with great guiding principles, and not with the details of curriculum or the merits of differing  ducational systems, the influence of this volume has been world wide, with editions published in a number of the leading languages of other continents. That this new American printing may still more widely disseminate the  reat principles of character education is the ardent hope of the publishers and— The Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications.

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Fundamentals of Christian-Education

Preface The first collection of articles from the pen of Mrs. E. G. White on the subject of Christian education was published in 1886. The pamphlet containing this instruction was entitled “Selections From the Testimonies Concerning the Subject of Education.” A reprint and enlargement of this booklet was brought out in 1893, under the title “Christian Education.” Later a supplement to “Christian Education” was issued containing additional matter. In 1897, “Special Testimonies on Education” was published. This small volume contained articles of incalculable value to our teachers. The instruction in this book  had never appeared before and constituted the major part of the author’s writings on education during the years 1893-1896. In the year 1900 a copyright was issued for Testimonies, Volume VI. This volume  ncluded a large section on education and stressed the need of educational reform. The book “Education” was issued in 1903, dealing with the larger problems and principles in school work, while in 1913  Counsels to Teachers, Parents, and Students Regarding Christian Education” first appeared, dealing with the many detail problems that are common in educational practice. The articles in this present  volume have been drawn from various sources. They have been selected from “Christian Education,” “Special Testimonies on Education,” “Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene,” Review and Herald,  Signs of the Times, Youth’s Instructor, and Bible Echo. With the exception of one article, “Proper Education,” No selections have been made from any other volumes of the author’s writings already in print. The two manuscript  articles, “Suspension of Students” and “Correct School Discipline,” have been inserted by the permission of the Trustees of the Mrs. E. G. White Estate and with the counsel of the General Conference brethren. These two  manuscripts were written more than twenty-five years ago and were available at that time to school principals. These two articles should be read together. iii All articles are printed without abridgement and are arranged chronologically. The advantage of reading complete articles arranged in the order in which they were written will have its special appeal owing to the value of a historical setting. The supplementary list of articles at the close  of the various chapters, together with the table of contents, will constitute a reasonably complete list of the writings of the author on the subject of Christian Education. This book is sent forth with the hope that it may be of  inestimable value to the hundreds of teachers who have not had the privilege of reading this instruction. May it also awaken renewed interest and study by those who may have read it before, and may we all be deeply  loved  to follow more faithfully in our daily practice the principles so clearly set forth. General Conference Department of Education.

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Mind Character and Personality Vol 1

Foreword In Ellen G. White’s lifetime (1827-1915) psychology, the science which treats of the mind and its powers and functions, was in its infancy. Yet there emerges throughout her writings a distinctive philosophy in which  guidelines in this science and to mental health are clearly portrayed. The purpose of this compilation is to bring the Ellen G. White statements in this broad, important, and sometimes controversial field together for  convenient study. Seventh-day Adventists and others with their conviction that Ellen G. White wrote under the influence of the spirit of God treasure guidance in a field so vital to all humanity at a time when schools of  psychological thought are varied and changing.
The soundness of Ellen White’s views in the areas of physiology, nutrition, and education, as well as in other fields, has already been demonstrated. There is no doubt that as research in psychology and mental health  progresses, her reputation for setting forth sound psychological principles will be still more firmly established. To the devout Adventist this work, Mind, Character, and Personality, will supply many answers. We are certain  that as truth unfolds, the positions taken here will appeal more and more to all thoughtful readers.
In these circumstances the occasional appearance of such expressions as “I saw,” “I was shown,” “I have been instructed,” are not only understood, but are welcomed for the assurance they give that the concepts portrayed  originated with Him who shaped the human mind.
In assembling this material in the White Estate offices there has been no attempt to select passages that support views advocated by various authorities in the fields of education and psychology. No preconceived views held by the compilers are represented here. Rather, an effort has been made to allow Ellen White to freely propound her views. This has been accomplished by drawing from the vast store of her published writings, penned  through six decades, as they appear in current or out-of-print books, pamphlets, her thousands of periodical articles, and in her voluminous manuscript and correspondence files housed in the White Estate vault.
A large portion of Mind, Character, and Personality presents general guiding principles. This is interspersed and supplemented with materials setting forth practical admonitions and counsels in the setting of the relationship  of the teacher and the student, the minister and the parishioner, the physician and the patient, or the parent and the child.
The counsels in scores of instances addressed to an executive, minister, physician, teacher, editor, husband, housewife, or youth, may in their revelation of circumstances and advice given, partake somewhat of the form of  case histories. Attention should be directed to the principle involved.
Obviously Ellen White did not write as a psychologist. She did not employ terminology in common usage in the field of psychology today. In fact, the reader must even approach her uses of the words “psychology”,  “phrenology,” etc., with understanding. The knowledgeable reader, however, will be deeply impressed by her unusual insight into basic principles of psychology, which these writings evince. The Ellen G. White statements on  the various aspects of the mind, its vital place in the human experience, its potentials, and the factors that lead to its optimum functioning as drawn together in a logical sequence yield a choice addition to the Ellen G. White  books issued posthumously. These help us to comprehend what man is and to understand his relationship to his earthly environment, to God, and to the universe.
Ten years ago, when work was begun on this compilation, it was thought that it would have its widest appeal to those studying particularly in the field of mental health. Hence, an arrangement has been followed that would  make statements readily available to those considering classified areas. The researcher should understand that while an attempt has been made to avoid redundancy as much as possible, a few key statements are repeated in different chapters because the student would expect to find them under different appropriate headings. It is now clear that this compilation is of vital interest to all Adventists and to their friends as well, for all of us are involved in the battle for the mind.
The work of the compilers has been confined to the selection of the materials, placing these in what seemed to be a logical sequence, and supplying the headings, including the side headings that introduce the items  chosen. An attempt has been made to include, on the subjects presented, all essential statements penned through the years of Ellen White’s active service, thus taking advantage of approaching a given point from all angles and presenting the widest possible coverage. In so doing there is here and there repetition of thought in general basic lines that the casual reader may find somewhat irritating. The careful student, however, will welcome  each phrase that makes a contribution to the subject under discussion. Thus Mind, Character, and Personality is somewhat encyclopedic. Each quotation carries a specific credit to its source in the Ellen G. White materials,  making it possible for the reader in many cases to turn to the full original context if desired. In the interest of conserving space, the commonly accepted abbreviations to the E. G. White writings are employed in the source  references. A key to these abbreviations follows in the introductory pages. In all cases the date of writing or of first publication is supplied. The original sources are given as primary references, and if currently available in  book form, the appropriate current published references appear.

Credits to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary are to the E. G. White supplementary statements appearing at the close of each of the Commentary Volumes, or in Volume 7a of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible  Commentary.
Limitation of space has precluded the inclusion in these volumes of some mind-related topics as “insanity”, etc., for which the reader is referred to the Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White. This compilation  has been prepared in the offices of the Ellen G. White Estate under the direction of the Board of Trustees as authorized by Ellen White in her will. Unlike most compilations of Ellen G. White materials it was first released in  temporary form under the title of Guidelines to Mental Health, for classroom testing and for critical reading by Adventist educators, psychologists, and psychiatrists. It was the desire of the White Estate to make certain that all known statements relevant to the topics represented were taken into account and that the arrangement of materials was acceptable. The favorable response from the classroom use and of others ensures the place of this  work with the many other Ellen G. White books of posthumous publication. As now issued in two parts, it becomes a segment of the popular Christian Home Library.
In its present from it represents somewhat of a revision in the selection of items and an improvement in the order of their appearance.

A chapter titled “Love and Sexuality in the Human Experience” has been added. Additions have rounded out certain chapters, and some deletions have eliminated unnecessary repetition. Paging is continuous through the  two parts, and the scripture and subject indexes to the entire work are at the close.
That the clearly traced picture of the great controversy between the forces of good and evil for the control of the human mind may warn and enlighten all readers and provide suggestions and direction for choosing that which will give safe guidance today and ensure a future inheritance in the life to come is the earnest hope of The Board of Trustees of the

Ellen G. White Estate
Washington, D.C.,
March 22, 1977.

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Mind Character and Personality Vol 2

Foreword In Ellen G. White’s lifetime (1827-1915) psychology, the science which treats of the mind and its powers and functions, was in its infancy. Yet there emerges throughout her writings a distinctive philosophy in which  guidelines in this science and to mental health are clearly portrayed. The purpose of this compilation is to bring the Ellen G. White statements in this broad, important, and sometimes controversial field together for  convenient study. Seventh-day Adventists and others with their conviction that Ellen G. White wrote under the influence of the spirit of God treasure guidance in a field so vital to all humanity at a time when schools of  psychological thought are varied and changing.
The soundness of Ellen White’s views in the areas of physiology, nutrition, and education, as well as in other fields, has already been demonstrated. There is no doubt that as research in psychology and mental health  progresses, her reputation for setting forth sound psychological principles will be still more firmly established. To the devout Adventist this work, Mind, Character, and Personality, will supply many answers. We are certain  that as truth unfolds, the positions taken here will appeal more and more to all thoughtful readers.
In these circumstances the occasional appearance of such expressions as “I saw,” “I was shown,” “I have been instructed,” are not only understood, but are welcomed for the assurance they give that the concepts portrayed  originated with Him who shaped the human mind.
In assembling this material in the White Estate offices there has been no attempt to select passages that support views advocated by various authorities in the fields of education and psychology. No preconceived views held by the compilers are represented here. Rather, an effort has been made to allow Ellen White to freely propound her views. This has been accomplished by drawing from the vast store of her published writings, penned  through six decades, as they appear in current or out-of-print books, pamphlets, her thousands of periodical articles, and in her voluminous manuscript and correspondence files housed in the White Estate vault.
A large portion of Mind, Character, and Personality presents general guiding principles. This is interspersed and supplemented with materials setting forth practical admonitions and counsels in the setting of the relationship  of the teacher and the student, the minister and the parishioner, the physician and the patient, or the parent and the child.
The counsels in scores of instances addressed to an executive, minister, physician, teacher, editor, husband, housewife, or youth, may in their revelation of circumstances and advice given, partake somewhat of the form of  case histories. Attention should be directed to the principle involved.
Obviously Ellen White did not write as a psychologist. She did not employ terminology in common usage in the field of psychology today. In fact, the reader must even approach her uses of the words “psychology”,  “phrenology,” etc., with understanding. The knowledgeable reader, however, will be deeply impressed by her unusual insight into basic principles of psychology, which these writings evince. The Ellen G. White statements on  the various aspects of the mind, its vital place in the human experience, its potentials, and the factors that lead to its optimum functioning as drawn together in a logical sequence yield a choice addition to the Ellen G. White  books issued posthumously. These help us to comprehend what man is and to understand his relationship to his earthly environment, to God, and to the universe.
Ten years ago, when work was begun on this compilation, it was thought that it would have its widest appeal to those studying particularly in the field of mental health. Hence, an arrangement has been followed that would  make statements readily available to those considering classified areas. The researcher should understand that while an attempt has been made to avoid redundancy as much as possible, a few key statements are repeated in different chapters because the student would expect to find them under different appropriate headings. It is now clear that this compilation is of vital interest to all Adventists and to their friends as well, for all of us are involved in the battle for the mind.
The work of the compilers has been confined to the selection of the materials, placing these in what seemed to be a logical sequence, and supplying the headings, including the side headings that introduce the items  chosen. An attempt has been made to include, on the subjects presented, all essential statements penned through the years of Ellen White’s active service, thus taking advantage of approaching a given point from all angles and presenting the widest possible coverage. In so doing there is here and there repetition of thought in general basic lines that the casual reader may find somewhat irritating. The careful student, however, will welcome  each phrase that makes a contribution to the subject under discussion. Thus Mind, Character, and Personality is somewhat encyclopedic. Each quotation carries a specific credit to its source in the Ellen G. White materials,  making it possible for the reader in many cases to turn to the full original context if desired. In the interest of conserving space, the commonly accepted abbreviations to the E. G. White writings are employed in the source  references. A key to these abbreviations follows in the introductory pages. In all cases the date of writing or of first publication is supplied. The original sources are given as primary references, and if currently available in  book form, the appropriate current published references appear.

Credits to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary are to the E. G. White supplementary statements appearing at the close of each of the Commentary Volumes, or in Volume 7a of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible  Commentary.
Limitation of space has precluded the inclusion in these volumes of some mind-related topics as “insanity”, etc., for which the reader is referred to the Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White. This compilation  has been prepared in the offices of the Ellen G. White Estate under the direction of the Board of Trustees as authorized by Ellen White in her will. Unlike most compilations of Ellen G. White materials it was first released in  temporary form under the title of Guidelines to Mental Health, for classroom testing and for critical reading by Adventist educators, psychologists, and psychiatrists. It was the desire of the White Estate to make certain that all known statements relevant to the topics represented were taken into account and that the arrangement of materials was acceptable. The favorable response from the classroom use and of others ensures the place of this  work with the many other Ellen G. White books of posthumous publication. As now issued in two parts, it becomes a segment of the popular Christian Home Library.
In its present from it represents somewhat of a revision in the selection of items and an improvement in the order of their appearance.

A chapter titled “Love and Sexuality in the Human Experience” has been added. Additions have rounded out certain chapters, and some deletions have eliminated unnecessary repetition. Paging is continuous through the  two parts, and the scripture and subject indexes to the entire work are at the close.
That the clearly traced picture of the great controversy between the forces of good and evil for the control of the human mind may warn and enlighten all readers and provide suggestions and direction for choosing that which will give safe guidance today and ensure a future inheritance in the life to come is the earnest hope of The Board of Trustees of the

Ellen G. White Estate
Washington, D.C.,
March 22, 1977.

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Special Testimonies on Education

A large part of the instruction contained in this book has not appeared in print before. It is now published in this form in order that the light which has been given through the Spirit of Prophecy, since  “Christian Education” was issued, may be available for all. The date of each article is given, as far as possible, and all matter not otherwise credited is from the original manuscript.

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True Education

Early in 1903 Ellen G. White published the book Education. It was widely circulated and read with appreciation. For decades, the fundamental principles clearly unfolded made it the handbook of tens of thousands of parents and teachers. {TEd 5.1}

Recognizing that nearly one hundred years have passed since this influential book first appeared, and that a new generation is now on the scene, the North American Division Department of Education requested that a special edition be prepared. The present volume, adapted from Education and titled True Education, is the result. Edited to appeal to the modern mind, we believe it will attract a host of new readers. Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, a modern revision of the King James Version, which Mrs. White used most often. {TEd 5.2}  Christian Education
Every person must face the practical realities of life—its opportunities and responsibilities, its successes and its defeats. How one meets these experiences, whether becoming master or victim of circumstances, depends largely on the kind of education one receives. {TEd 5.3}  Christian Education
Many books on the principles and philosophy of education have been published, each one based on a particular core theory as its paradigm. This volume is singularly different in that it flows out of a theological principle that the author calls “the central theme of the Bible” (p. 75). That theme is the “redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God” (ibid.). In other of her writings, Ellen White describes this core principle as the Great Controversy theme. {TEd 5.4}  Christian Education
Thus, the author points out that “the work of education and the work of redemption are one” (p. 21). With this paradigm in mind, parents and teachers lead students to appreciate that they are “endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, power to think and to do.” Students who grasp this God-given power are those who “bear responsibilities, … are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. … Instead of … educated weaklings, … [they] are strong to think and to act, … masters and not slaves of circumstances, … who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions” (p. 12). {TEd 6.1}  Christian Education
The motivating objective of the author in her extensive writings on the subject of education was that youth on the threshold of life might be ready to take their place as good citizens, well prepared for the practical experiences of living, fully developed physically, God-fearing, with characters untarnished and hearts true to principle. {TEd 6.2}  Christian Education
Ellen White was a friend of young men and women. She was for many years in close touch with institutions of learning and was well acquainted with the problems of youth in preparation for their lifework. Above all, she was endued with more than ordinary knowledge and skill as a writer and speaker. {TEd 6.3}  Christian Education
Concerned as it is with great principles, and not with the details of curriculum or the merits of differing educational systems, this book, we believe, will have unusual power to guide parents and teachers as they educate today’s youth. {TEd 6.4}
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