Abstract

This is a book review of Paul D. Spears and Steven R. Loomis, "Education for Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective." As a theologically trained educator working in the public school system, I often struggle to integrate my theological convictions into my professional life. It was, therefore, refreshing to see that Paul Spears and Steven Loomis have given Christian educators a framework within which to address that integration in their new Education for Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective.Their goal was to articulate a robust and apologetically Christian philosophy of education that seeks to lay a foundation for teaching within the K-16 context. The book discusses both public and private academic institutions, but my review focuses mainly on its theses for public education. Series editors Francis J. Beckwith and J.P. Moreland begin the volume with a preface to The Christian Worldview Integration Series (Education for Human Flourishing is the first volume in that series). In this provocative essay, they challenge some of the traditional methods by which faith interacts with varying academic contexts. The preface argues for a bold integration of religious ideals into academic enterprises, articulating seven "reasons why integration matters." Structurally, the six chapters of Education for Human Flourishing are essentially divided into two major sections. In chapters 1-3, Spears and Loomis establish the ontological, historical, and epistemological framework upon which they build the theses of chapters 4-6. They devote these last chapters to the more tangible aspects of economics, ethics, and policy