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CE or CE? Which will you BE?

This is a question every Catholic or Christian school must now face.

Will they be products of Catholic or Christian Education?

Or practitioners of conditional expression.

The two could not be more different as you will see.

This piece concerns education, but the themes within it will rattle the world in its entirety.

However, this article will explore this not-so-new dilemma our world faces in the context of Catholic Education in Australia.

Before I go on, I would like to draw attention to the question within the title – ‘which will you Be?’

It specifically asks the question ‘which will you be’, as opposed to, ‘which will you market yourself as?’

Nothing in this world, when it comes to marketing is what it says it is. Only what it is.

So, the question above isn’t asking Catholic schools ‘what will you call yourself.’ It is asking them ‘what are you going to be?’

It’s like the difference between someone who might say ‘I admire and worship Jesus’, and another who, without declaring anything, lives like Jesus.

It sounds great when someone says, ‘Jesus is awesome’. But life doesn’t benefit from that. The person might, as part of their personal brand.

But life only benefits when we actually express our lives like Jesus.

You see, no longer are God’s children separated by religion.

God’s children are only separated from the world’s children.

Religions can be used to great effect in the education marketplace. Particularly when Jesus and God feature on websites and in marketing strategies.

But this can no longer be done in name only. God and Jesus don’t permit being used as part of a school’s portrayal plan.  

God has flicked that possibility with conditional expression.

Now - regardless of religion, industry, or whatever level of fame, wealth and influence one might have - we are all known by life, or God, in two ways.

Those who live with conditional expression.

And those who don’t.

You see, living with conditional expression, is something one is either doing - or they’re not.

Conditional expression being the way of life -beyond any religious label - that puts conditions on its expression and demands so that it honours God’s instructions.

And the example of Jesus.

Which is a good thing, because God has identified himself as the life we are abusing.

So a catholic school can promote itself as Christ-centred, but unless it operates with conditional expression, and tells their students that it is our conditional expression that honours God, and that it is life that asks for our conditional expression, then it cannot be Christ-centred.

God has made it really tough for everyone.

He has given the way of life Jesus lived - and the way of life he has asked us to live - a name.

Conditional expression.

Now, when anyone asks, ‘what would Jesus do?’, we can answer them accurately.

‘He would live with conditional expression. No questions asked!’

Jesus built his life upon a foundation of rejecting the things our world might do that are abusive to life.

That’s how he separated children of God and children of the world.

So a school might describe itself as Christ-centred, but in practice, actually be business or economics-centred.

In fact, one could argue that the catholic identity - in both religion and education - is actually founded upon not being Christ-centred.

Choosing instead, to be world and economics centred, while reserving the right to promote oneself as Christ-centred.

A claim, which very soon, will be considered fraudulent.

And so it should be.

This is not about things being right or wrong, but rather, about things being what they are.

I am sure any person of faith would agree that an organisation establishing itself in a marketplace on the back of Jesus, without delivering in action is at best disrespectful, and at worst, a gross misrepresentation.

Is that how we really want to 'honour’ such a man.

There is, however, no problem with any school being business and economics centred in their approach to education.

That’s fine.

But when this is the approach the institution takes while claiming to be Christ-centred, God and Jesus are short-changed.

They’re like, ‘Hang on a minute. What’s in it for us? You mean you’re just gonna use our names?’

God just wants to make sure things are what they are.

His.

Or the world’s?

Christ-centred living means living a life of conditional expression. It’s the way of life that emulates the way Jesus lived.

This can only be done with trust.

There is no other way.

How liberating for everyone. The masks are off. No more pretending. We can be what God wants us to be, or not. But we are what we are.

Not what we say.

Finally, schools can be identified through their attitudes and practices.

Not their brochures and announcements.

Teachers should feel delighted.

Many have lamented that they feel there are aspects of Catholic education that are motivated by economics, at the expense of the ways of Christ.

Well, now there are no blurred lines.

We are all one or the other.

Again, this God-inspired division, is not meant to upset anyone.

It is for clarity.

Jesus made it clear.

One could only be known as a follower of his through their being.

Not their announcements.

In any case, if ever Catholic Education needed to switch its focus from economics and self-promotion to building Christ-centred or life-centred environments in their world it is now.

God’s children deserve a Jesus-style quality of care. Not an ‘it’s-a-business-and-it’s-all-about-what-the-world-sees’ show.

The former leads to genuine care.

The latter to the children starring in the school’s own reality TV show.

I can promise anyone that in the world of education right now, what you see, is not what you get.

And our kids and teachers are not as messed up as many of them are because they’re existing in a Christ-centred environment.

We will know whether a school even desires to be Christ-centred by their reaction to this.

There may even be some schools who want to retain the right to exploit. Go right ahead.

But it’s God and Jesus who do not consent to that.

Why would Jesus live like he did, suffer like he did and die like he did - while standing up to those who exploited God for wealth and influence and separating himself from the world of abuse - allow himself to be exploited by institutions or organisations that want to use him and God the way those he opposed did.

He did not live and die as he did to become a marketing tool. Or to help schools establish a niche in their industry.

We are his by what we do.

Not by how we use his name.

How interesting.

A school shouldn’t really promote itself as Christ-centred anyway.

Jesus was steadfast in his opposition to boastfulness.

And to anyone thinking they were special for any reason. To him, when something was portrayed by the empty noise of self-promotion the truth is often blurred.

Now, a school that claims to be Christ-centred but isn’t, isn’t.

It might say it is. But the motivation for doing so is portrayal. Not to be Christ-centred but to create the illusion that it is.

So the students and teachers don’t actually benefit from the physical, energetic and psychological advantages that come with existing in a Christ-centred or life-centred environment.

They suffer from the effects of its business and economics-centred way of doing things.

So, each Catholic school can now be known as a CE- a catholic education identity - school.

Or a CE - conditional expression - school.

And which one it is can only be identified by what is really happening. Not what is being said.

Perhaps this dilemma is best viewed through the word priority.

When we prioritise things, we are ranking them.

In conditional expression there is no confusion.

Priority number one is to honour God’s instructions through our being and expression.

With Jesus, being the ‘Word’ –God’s voice and opinion – on what their being should look like and value.

Words like business, profit and economics do not carry weight when it comes to keeping life sacred – not in conditional expression.

That’s the whole idea of conditional expression.

I will care for life as it needs to be cared for.

Not harm it in the name of business and economics, while creating the illusion I am defending it.

The world leads far too many young people towards a blade or a noose.

Conditional expression leads them in the opposite direction.

What is presented here is a simple but complex dilemma facing every Catholic or Christian school.

At a time when children and teachers are suffering and education seems unsure of what to do with itself, standing still, and waiting to see what happens, is as good as rejecting Jesus.

‘Hang on mate, I’ll see where this is going. If life-centred education takes off, I’ll join you. But I’m just going to wait and see where Catholic Education chooses to stand. Better to be safe than sorry.'

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But rejecting Jesus, as God's revelation seeps into our world only leads to 'sorry'. Didn't he tell us this?

How much blood did Jesus spill to show us how to put life first? To establish himself as the way? And to demonstrate what standing beside him might entail.

And how much psychological blood needs to be spilled by children and teacher’s before we follow him instead of dollar signs?

With one foot in the Jesus camp, and one foot in the economics camp this dilemma might feel confusing.

But Jesus wouldn’t think so. Just as conditional expression doesn’t think so.

He would say, ‘if it is me you love and believe, there is no confusion. Lift the foot that seems confused off the ground and move it in my direction.

Then you will be clear and free.'

The conditional expression approach to education – which builds Christ-centred or life-centred environments – believes keeping life sacred, as it needs to be kept sacred, and as it has asked to be kept sacred is the single most important priority of any school.

Being a genuinely Christ-centred school might not be economically sound, but it will honour the man – and his way – you claim to serve, and the sacred gift of life he shed his own blood to defend.

Stand at the foot of his cross alongside his weeping Mother, look into his eye, and tell him, ‘It’s just the way it is!’

Or, ‘It’s a business. We’ve got to build our brand!’.

Schools will be founded on conditional expression – or they won’t.

And it is on that point alone, God, life and Jesus will know where we stand.

Not on our marketing and branding. But on what we are.

So, what to do as an educator torn between two worlds?

The answer lies in three words - repeated three times – that God spoke to me, when I asked him what it was, we needed to know, at a time when life was spiralling towards collapse.

His reply…

‘Be and trust.

Be and trust.

Be and trust.’

These three words answer any question we might ever have when confronted by the dilemma between what God would ask of us and what the world might expect of us.

God says, ‘be what I want. And walk that journey with trust.’

When does faith count?

When does it kick in?

When it is easy?

Or when the world says, ‘No, you will do what I want!’?

Our job, if it is the way of Jesus we live by, is not to compete or win.

It’s to be what God asked us to be.

No matter what system we are in. Or what business.

The victory of conditional expression is achieved every time one chooses God, life or Jesus before any worldly system and its expectations – should they clash with God’s.

And a defeat occurs when one serves themselves and their soul up on a platter for the world.

If someone is too Christ-centred or too strong in their following of Jesus, and in their being like him, for Catholic or Christian education, then that reflects more poorly on Catholic or Christian education. Not the person standing up for what they believe in.

They shouldn't have to ask a Catholic school to actually be more like Jesus.

Which is the whole point of this piece.

Being like Jesus is a real threat to any industry built on values, attitudes and priorities that aren’t aligned to his.

Every Catholic and Christian educator is standing at the foot of the cross. And we’ll all be wearing one of two things.

A suit.

Or a pair of sandals.

If you think his life was just a nice inspiring yarn, great for marketing but not something that should interfere with business.

Fine.

Tell him while he’s on the cross.

And then tell it to the parents who are losing their children.

And to the children who hate their lives before they have reached their teens.

The world is not nice to children.

This is why, even 2000 years ago, it had already been denied God’s blessing.

And today, all over the world, we can see why.

To be honest, I cannot believe that, given the state of education, Catholic schools aren’t moving heaven and earth to become the only thing they ever should have been in the first place.

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School's founded on conditional expression.

And so it is.

Amen.

The full Conditional Expression philosophy and Word of God can be found here

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The Chapter from that book on God's Word that we 'Be and Trust' can be found here

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The latest book of God's Word, which captures God's perspective on education perfectly, '22 Days of God and the Fight for Life', can be found here

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