Learning from the Master

In the early 1900's Edward Thorndike posed a theory of learning known as connectionism.  The basic idea of the theory is that we learn as the brain compiles information from stimulus, forms neural networks, files these bits of information away and then recompiles them into learned information.  Learning is reinforced by repeating the process (we exercise our memories by repetition), by positive or negative reinforcement (a good outcome strengthens the learned information and a negative outcome weakens the 'connection') and by how ready/willing (by our passion to grasp the data or by learning in an environment that is conducive to learning) we are to actually learn.  I know this learning theory might seem a bit distant from what I usually write in my blog, but bear with me.

I will avoid the educational theory but when you think about it, God gives us His Son and His Word to teach us.  He is "training up His children in the way we should go" so that when we are older we will return to it (God's path).  God is truly into teaching, but how is His teaching different from what we usually experience?  Most of us grew up in a western educational system that basically gives us information which places knowledge in our heads.  That knowledge changes what we know and is very 'head-oriented" by nature.  Hebrew teaching/learning is very different in it's goal.  Jesus was a great example of the Hebrew process.  Jesus provided information but didn't leave it there.  His information was often given to us in a story that we must listen to and process.  Part of the learning was the effort involved with placing out mind into the picture that he is showing us.  It requires more than just storing information.  In fact, the Hebrew learning process makes the learner repeat and reprocess the information because we must roll it over in our minds and replay the story/picture.  Then, after the story, Jesus would give us a principle, sometimes as a question (i.e., "which one of these was a neighbor?" [in the story of the good Samaritan]) and then a command for action/application (same story, "Go thou and do likewise").  The learner, in order to get to the end of the learning process, must apply the truth and see what happens.  The goal of the information, then, is the change in behavior (rather than the changed information in our brains).

When I look at this I believe this is why I see so many Bible studies, so many opportunities to learn and so little changed behavior.  It is why I see us resist things that Jesus would have assumed as basic, God-led behavior (like tithing, caring for our neighbor, love for our parents, etc.).  Our knowledge, if we are true to our faith, needs to begin to settle into our behavior or we haven't truly learned from the Biblical perspective.  I don't know about you, but I will spend some time trying to apply the things I have learned ... then maybe I will begin to be molded by the God who teaches.  I, for one, want to become a better student who applies his knowledge rather than keeping it in my head.