Kristlik väärtuskasvatus kristlikes koolides ning kristlike koolide roll Eesti ühiskonnas 21. sajandi algul

Christian ethics is a topic that many people feel rather hot-headed about. Christian Schools in Estonia declare that they conduct Christian values education that bases on Christian Ethic and Christian Worldview. What do they mean by that? The aim of my thesis was to interpret the Christian values education applied at Christian schools and to examine the role of Christian schools in Estonian society at the beginning of the 21st century both in the framework of the values of Estonian society and comparing to Christian education in other countries. An aim of the Estonian education system is to achieve a balanced society where citizens respect each other, are aware of both their own values and those of others, and strive for social progress. However, a lot depends on the value choices of the schools themselves in terms of expressed values and the methods chosen for values education. The Christian values education can be provided by a variety of values education methods, but in the case of Estonian Christian schools the chosen approach can generally be covered by the concept of integrative values education. The main term used is spiritual education, which is seen as holistic with regards to students and their environment. The basis of the Christian values education lies on the Christian view of human, which on the one hand stems from the idea of human being made in the image of God and needing salvation due to the Original Sin, and on the other from the Pauline holistic tradition. The need for a Christian school in today’s society became particularly evident in interviews with school leaders who discussed four important areas: 1) The alignment of values at home and at school; 2) Safe traditionalism; 3) The freedom and safety of religious speech; 4) The Christian approach to man. All these are important for many as we have a societal gap in the Christian education in recent Estonian history due to discontinuance of Christian education.