“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7
Purpose
The purpose of a Christian education is to bring students face to face with God, who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. God has been kind and merciful to reveal Himself through Holy Scripture. Therefore, God’s Word is the foundation for everything we teach about God, man, and the created order.
Educational Philosophy
We are first and foremost a Christian school. Our understanding of all things, including all things pertaining to education, is shaped by Christian truth. Thus, to acquire a sufficient understanding of classical education, one must first be able to view it from a Christian perspective. While in other ages and other times the “Christian” in classical education was assumed, today it is not so. Given the present state of affairs, we believe it is important to clearly spell out the Christian presuppositions that underlie classical and Christian education.
God’s Sovereignty
God is sovereign. He possesses absolute authority over all things. He has created all things, sustains all things, and governs all things. He is the fountain of all being and truth. He works all things together for His own glory. Reverence, awe, worship, and faith are the fitting responses to the God who reveals Himself as Creator, Savior, and Judge. He is the foundation for true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Antithesis
The principles by which believers live are squarely opposed to the principles by which unbelievers live. The Scriptures are clear that we are to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Indeed, every aspect of our lives – every idea, motive, desire and decision – belongs to Christ. Thus, to provide a God-centered and truly Christian education, it is necessary to break completely free from any anti-Christian educational philosophies. We must build from the ground up, with the Scriptures as the foundation, both our educational philosophies and the framework in which we understand and present all subject matter.
Worldview
The Christian worldview shapes our perspective and interpretation of everything in the world. Scripture is the “lens” through which we see, understand, and teach all things. The Christian worldview is antithetical to all other worldviews and thus requires that we present all ideas and concepts as part of a larger whole defined by Christian truth.
Neutrality
Because God is sovereign over all of His creation, there is no aspect of creation that does not reflect His glory and truth; hence, there is no place, subject, or issue that is neutral and that does not point to the Creator of all.
(adapted from www.classicalchristian.org)
Other sources:
- Foundations of Christian Education by Louis Berkhof and Cornelius Van Til
- New Geneva Study Bible