The Origins of Sunday School

Sunday School emerged from the Industrial Revolution, an era where countless children were expected to work in factories and had no chance of attending any schools. The goal of Christians organizing it was not just to teach children about the Bible but to provide these young laborers with an education. These educators believed that the Bible was vital to salvation, but saw that children who couldn’t read or write had little hope of truly understanding it. As a result, children in the original Sunday School programs learned reading, writing and math, in addition to Scripture. Unaffiliated with specific denominations, the Sunday School movement spread in England and laid the groundwork for universal education available regardless of social standing.

In the United States, public education systems have created a world where these extra literacy lessons are not necessary. Any teen who has a Bible can (in most cases), read it. The need for specific Bible education has increased, however, as public schools are forbidden to teach it. Widespread public schooling has solved the humanitarian problems of the Industrial Revolution, but Sunday School has remained necessary as it helps keep the Christian Faith alive. In the 20th century, direct Biblical education came to characterize Sunday school; while television culture furthered the shift to Christian “edutainment.” Sunday School today, more often than not, serves as a childcare option for children to enjoy games, crafts, and Bible stories. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is worth noting how different it is from the humanitarian education that started it all.

A Modern Revolution

Today we are facing another revolution, the Technological Revolution. The birth of the internet has kickstarted a period of unprecedented technological development which we are mostly unprepared for. Most kids today are not forced to work in factories. They are, however, being affected by the entertainment culture, our easy access to quick information, and a pervading feeling of meaninglessness and panic. While there seems to be little consensus on what exactly the problem is, everyone seems willing to admit that everything is not ok. Education reformers cry for an increased focus on literacy, on emotional intelligence, on relational skills, on inclusivity (again, the only consensus seems to be that something needs to change). We want our kids to be prepared for the future, but we have no idea what their future will hold.

I believe that, just as Sunday School met the societal needs of children of the Industrial Revolution, it can be a force for societal good in the midst of this Technological Revolution. It can be, but it will need to grow beyond Biblical “edutainment” and instead take steps to teach kids to truly understand the Bible. Just as teaching factory workers to read scripture also empowered them to read and interact with the world around them, teaching kids to understand and meditate on scripture will give them the skills they lack and transform how they approach our world in this modern age.