Moral education and social transformation: The Jesus model

Abstract

Educational institutions are expected to play a significant role in preparing people to function well in society. Although critical thinking and problem-solving skills are necessary, people also need to have a social conscience. Educators should, therefore, pay more attention to moral education. Jesus Christ developed and implemented a moral education curriculum and there is a record of that in the New Testament. An examination of it reveals that Jesus built his training around social issues and that he employed a strategy that bears some similarity to Mezirow’s transformation learning theory: his audience was adult and he called upon his students to process disorienting dilemmas, drawing them to reflect critically on assumptions from which was to come mindset change and, ultimately, behavior change. Whereas Mezirow focused on individual experiences and individual transformation, Jesus planned to impact the world—Jewish society and far beyond it—through bands of disciples working in concert. Educators who seek to contribute to social transformation through moral education should consider following the Jesus model which is outlined in this paper.