In Wisdom and Curriculum, Doug Blomberg invites us to consider a notion of school curriculum that might appear strange at first reading--as “a teacher’s way of being with students” (p. 4). The teacher’s calling, he tells us, is to “create that safe, pleasant, and peaceful space for learning in which obedience to truth may be practiced” (p. 208). In the context of this approach to curriculum, what does learning look like? Blomberg writes, “Learning is to be more in touch, in contact. It is not so much a matter of possession as it is of participation” (p. 159). What is obedience to truth? Blomberg responds unambiguously that Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Way: “It is in loving him as Lord and Savior that truth resides” (p. 162).

How did Blomberg arrive at this view of curriculum? As a Christian philosopher, he found that modern theories lead us to “certainty in all situations” while, in contrast, the Hebrew Wisdom Literature points to “context-sensitive judgment” and character formation (p. 157). Furthermore, he found that modern western schooling tends to overvalue ‘academic excellence’ at the expense of other values, whether ethical, social, economic, aesthetic, or environmental. How can students acquire context-sensitive judgment? Informed by biblical insights, Blomberg responds, “Creation is dynamically structured, organically integrated, and, as God’s image-bearers, we are to help direct its unfolding in positive ways. . . there is a ‘distance’ between what is and could be, and this constitutes the space in which we are called to be culturally formative” (p. 193).

This book deserves the attention of anyone wishing to investigate ways in which biblical wisdom might inform school curriculum. I recommend it highly to teachers, parents, and others involved in Christian education—you will find that the conversations and case studies introduced in the book are helpful applications of the book’s main themes.

Ray Klapwyk,

Retired School Administrator and Assistant Professor,
Trinity Western University