The individualised pedagogy of Christ

Abstract

Contemporary studies in different areas of knowledge put the respect of the individual and the Self at the centre of their very methodological approach. The Self has become a privileged communication tool with today's humanity. Since the Self has become the object of all discourse as well as the communication tool, we acknowledge that the Self is also one of the signs of our times, a challenge which has to be taken up. The rich Judeo-Christian tradition has the necessary tools and content to dialogue with today's culture. Nonetheless, theology needs to learn to communicate using the contemporary privileged tool of communication: the modern and postmodern framework of the Self. Any theological debate centres on the relationship that exists between God and Man. Similar to the progressive attention given to the human being in the social sciences, we have seen the development of the anthropological, transcendental, existential and empirical methods in theological circles. These developments have shifted the starting point of theological discourse from God to Man and his reality. This shift should stand as an eye-opener and a clear sign of the times. We are called to be faithful to Man in order to be truly faithful to God. God communicates with Man in time and space; revelation occurs in a particular context at a given period in time. Thus, a possible way of being faithful to God and to Man is to read the believing community's past and present experience of God. The experience of the believing community has already shown that God respects human beings and reveals Himself according to a progressive pedagogy which respects the understanding and needs of the human community. This understanding of divine pedagogy has already led us to employ the Anthropological method in our Catechesis and Religious Education. However, we are now called to move a step further by trying to understand whether in the experience of the believing community one can infer God's respect for the individual and the individualised pedagogy that God chooses to practice. A privileged point of departure for our discussion is the understanding of the words and actions of Jesus of Nazareth, who through the eyes offaith is understood as the Christ and as the Immanuel, God-is-with-us. The New Testament, which is written after a community of believers has gone through an intense transcendental experience. They have come to recognise that something "which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with our own hands, [is] the Word of life" The understanding of Jesus' pedagogical ministry will serve as a basis for inquiring (a) whether God chooses to practice an individualised pedagogy and if this is the case, (b) what are implications for Catechesis and Religious Education.