A comparison between theological christian approaches to wisdom and Peterson and Seligman’s classification of character strengths and virtues

Abstract

Within the context of independent Christian schools, including schools in the Catholic system, Christian education is viewed as a central part of developing the whole child. Often named “Religious and Values Education” it includes values and ethics education. As a part of Religious and Values Education students are usually asked to consider and explore scared texts, current theology, and respond based upon their own emerging faith and spirituality. There is a practical application suggested by Religious and Values Education: the student is encouraged to apply practical values and ethics in his or her daily life. A link can be made between Christianity, values and ethics education, with the emerging field of positive education, which aims to build the good in each individual and community by focusing on strengths and virtues. This chapter takes an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to explore the possible alignment between Christian theology and Positive education. The chapter focuses upon the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, exploring the explicit points of overlap between that literature and the principles of positive psychology, with a focus on finding ways of teaching wisdom through a positive education approach.