earticle

영어

Christian education should promote holistic growth of believers integrating multiple dimensions of the experience of faith including the domains of the intellect, emotion, and behavior. However, traditional emotion-reason dualism has denigrated its holistic task into the fragmented act of narrow intellectualism, overly emphasizing the acquisition of doctrinal concepts and the memorization of biblical facts. However, learning how to respond emotionally to God and to others in a way consistent with Christian beliefs and values is as important as attaining an intellectual understanding of God. The integrative understanding of emotion in recent philosophy, neuroscience and cognitive psychology suggests that emotion is inextricably linked with cognition and conation. This demonstrates their complex and complicated interaction and cooperation in multiple dimensions of various regions of the brain. Such studies lead us to a renewed appreciation of emotion not only in anthropology, but also in theology, challenging the traditional notion of an “unmoved mover” or “divine apathy.” With the renewed construal of emotion, this article argues that the Christian education process should include emotional dimensions. The adequate cultivation and discipline of emotional responses on the basis of Christian belief will promote believers toward holistic progression by assisting them in making a right judgment, vividly responding to God, and motivating them to carry out Christian values in daily life.