Philosophy of Education

Biblical Education and Morality

‘The fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding’ (Job 28.28). The ‘fear of the Lord’ is something taught to children (Psalm 34.11). A Biblical philosophy of education begins in the fear of the Lord, not humanist wisdom. David connects the fear of the Lord with the ‘beginning of wisdom’ (Ps. 111.10). Proverbs says similar things and adds the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge (Pr. 1.7); he also associates ‘the fear of the Lord’ with wisdom, as a way of life that avoids evil. Breaking God’s commands defines evil. Those commands outline or protect the ‘blessed and long life.’ Consequently, habitual breaking of God’s commands defines the unhappy and short life (See Ps 1, 19; Matt. 5.17-19; 1 Tim. 1.8). As Calvin notes in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (ICR), while we are not under the Law as a covenant, we are never free from its moral obligations. He says, ‘The third and principle use, which pertains more closely to the proper use of the law, finds its place among believers in whose hearts the Spirit of God already lives and reigns.’ Later Calvin says (ICR VII, xiv),

Not that the law no longer enjoins believers to do what is right, but only that it is no longer for them what it formerly was: it may no longer condemn and destroy their consciences by frightening and confounding them.

This standard of rightness and wrongness (what C.S. Lewis calls ‘the Law of Nature’ or the Tao) is based upon God’s Person and nature as he has revealed for us His divine will and this will is recorded preceptively in the pages of Scripture. Thus, Van Til reminds us in Defense of the Faith ‘the argument for the Scripture as the infallible revelation of God is, to all intents and purposes, the same as the argument for the existence of God.’ Therefore, a Christian philosophy of education would presuppose the authority of God and His spoken Word as the norm for human behavior and knowledge.  As a Christian institution of learning, we recognize that there is no ‘neutral knowledge.’ We teach scientia christo servitura, ‘knowledge in service to Christ.’ So-called &lsquot;values-free education’ is by definition godless; such an education demoralizes children and fosters the belief that God is irrelevant to education; that faith and academics are separate, when in fact they are and must be correlative.  It is this issue that strikes at the heart of all non-Christian forms of education and belief. Without God, education is pointless, immoral and a pale reflection of the task of dominion. It trains students to be autonomous definers of truth and knowledge and to be lovers of self, rather than lovers of God.

Biblical Anthropology

The Bible informs us that God created all things in the space of six days and rested on the Sabbath. He created humankind in his image (Gen. 1.26ff) and created man to have dominion over everything. Man sinned against God and God judged him and his wife by making his work hard and her birth painful. Man learned evil and his will became a slave to sin, hence it was non posse non peccare, not possible for him not to sin. After the fall, mans knowledge was corrupted and his morality was tainted; his reference point was himself and he lost communion with God. In the fullness of time, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to propitiate human beings from the dominion of sin and rescue all that the Father had given Him (John 6. 35-65) from the sure wrath of God.

In Christ, there is a new creation; human beings are restored to a proper relationship with God from death to life (Eph. 2.8-10); in Christ, humans become posse non peccare. As a living spirit, persons can commune with God; one’s imperfect knowledge and morality are derivative from God. Man suppressed all these in his sin (Rom. 1. 18ff) before being reborn by the Holy Spirit. In the New Creation, God will have purchased a people for Himself (Rev. 5.9), who through the work of redemption will be finally non posse peccare, not able to sin.

Function of Education

Education therefore is the training of baptized, covenant children, who have been born of God (John 1.13) to understand the world that God has made; to find the will of God and take dominion over the culture with the gifts that God has given; to take very thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10.4ff). The purpose of education is the transformation of believers into the renewed image of Christ; hence, the goal is sanctification, which results in the spread of the Kingdom of God and the redemption of creation (Rom. 8). A truly Biblical educational philosophy will seek the spiritual formation of covenant children so that they too will seek out and do the will of God, in whatever vocation God calls them in and the cultivation of Biblical culture and all human institutions. As God’s knowledge is exhaustive, we begin with Scripture and deduce from what it says about the academic disciplines, the nature of man, the world, indeed, all those questions a world-view addresses; moreover, we build our academic curriculum informed by Scripture. From a Christian perspective therefore, education functions as a branch of theology, not the so-called ‘social sciences.’

Biblical success is seeing multi-generational faithfulness in covenant families. Success in education is not the attainment of a ‘good job’ but faithfulness to God; that one has been given the keys of knowledge and by the grace of God may find his her place in God’s Providence to obey Him faithfully in all areas of life. David informs us, that if education is performed and received, then our children will remember the Lord’s command, to do it and not forget their God:

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.’ (Psalm 78:1-8)

The Nature and Function of the Christian School

Education: A Parental Obligation:

Parents are to educate their children in the fear and knowledge of God and train them in His commands (Dt. 6.4ff) or delegate that authority to teachers. Such knowledge and morality is found in the Word of God. A biblical philosophy of education should be like the old ‘three-legged milking stool,’ the legs of which represent the family, church and school. The Church as the covenant people of God, nurtures the people of God through faithful preaching of the Word, giving of the Sacraments and proper church discipline. Parents who have delegated the responsibility of education to qualified Christian educators should be involved in their children’s education and they should be involved as volunteers with time and functions in the school as well.

The Christian School In Loco Parentis:

The Christian school movement is in its infancy; it has arisen out of a necessity. While the Church has been uninvolved in the culture as a disobedient people of God, non-Christians have influenced and permeated the culture through the public, common educational system, which used to be a Christian institution. A common misconception of the nature of formal Christian education is that the Christian school is a ministry, that is, as a function of the church. The church’s duty is the faithful proclamation of the Gospel as the conscience of the culture, hence evangelism and discipleship are a natural bi-product. The Christian school’s primary function is not evangelism nor primarily discipleship; it is the education of Christian covenant children and spiritual formation is assumed. It is first an educational institution that is Christian in character and vision. The common schools have lost that Christian vision and have embraced humanism and multiculturalism, hence as a Christian institution it has became apostate and idolatrous. The Christian school through the conscious lens of the Christian world-view seeks to teach all subject matter to the glory of God; to train students to take all thoughts captive to Christ and become life-long learners for the transformation of culture.

What the Christian School is Not:

Many people who are not involved in Christian education believe many myths about the Christian school. As already stated, it is the duty of Christian parents to educate their children or delegate that authority to another (still remaining responsible for how their child is trained and by whom). Education is not neutral; it is religious an idea that even John Dewey perceived rightly. However, as we have already observed, one will either be educated in reference to God, or in reference to the self. If the former is implemented successfully, the result is an understanding of the academics, spirituality, athletics, entertainment, etc. within a framework of the ultimate authority of God. If the later is implemented the results are that the self is the ultimate reference point in all things. This idea in modern educational circles is called ‘constructivism,’ a philosophy of education that assumes that children create for themselves their own values, truth and meaning that there is no reference point for truth, beauty, science, religion, etc. beyond their own experience.

The Christian school is not a place of retreat from the ‘real world.’ It is a place to learn what the world should be like, as defined by God, it’s Creator and what the world can be when Christians are covenantally faithful to God in their individual lives, families, churches and communities. As noted above, the world we live in is fallen; rampant immorality, marital unfaithfulness, hate, violence (in school and out of school), disrespect of authority, et al these are not the norm. These and other public ills are a result of Christians retreating from public life, having failed to press the antithesis in all areas of life and bring all human institutions in service to Christ, hence suppressing flagrant public touting of God’s Law-Word that impugns and insults the name of God (Rom. 2.24)

Educational Commitments

Spiritual Formation and Moral Character:

Through a Christian education, we are committed to the spiritual formation of each student to be a faithful disciple of Jesus wherever they be called to for whatever vocation. HCA recognizes that only the Holy Spirit can truly change and mold hearts into the image of Jesus Christ; only authentic heart changes will result in consistent godly attitudes and behavior. Therefore, the goal is not for our students merely to mimic certain traits or to conform outward behavior to appear Christ-like, but rather to sincerely yield their hearts to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. As hearts are yielded to the Holy Spirit, key character traits will emerge in the lives of students. We are committed to nurturing the development of these traits as God gives opportunity. Therefore, HCA is committed to:

  1. Developing a passion for God’s Word as a personal source of wisdom and encouragement.
  2. Teach students a reverence for and fear of God (Prov. 1) to foster self-discipline and respect for authority and an understanding that work has dignity and is an expression and a reflection of the creative nature of God.(Gen. 2; Prov. 6; Rom. 13).
  3. Encourage the spiritual growth of each child in concert with parental and church teaching and discipleship and the practice of the spiritual disciplines.
  4. As mentors, we desire to see the maturation of the each student’s spiritual gifts and the development of Christian character:

    Integrity - maintaining a lifestyle that is above reproach and reflects the qualities of honesty, morality and trustworthiness. (Titus 1:8; Job 27:5; Proverbs 11:3 and 20:11; I Kings 9:4; Psalms 15)

    Respect - recognizing and submitting to the biblical command to honor and esteem those who have been placed by God in positions of authority over our lives. (Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:7; I Peter 2:13-21; I Thessalonians 5:12-13)

    Obedience - outwardly demonstrating our respect for God and those He has placed over us with an attitude of humble submission. (John 14:21; Ephesians 6:1-4; Romans 13:1-7; Proverbs 6:23)

    Self-Control - living a disciplined life, choosing to yield control of every aspect of our lives to the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-26; Job 5:17; Proverbs 16:32 and 25:28; I Timothy 4:7-8)

    Godliness - exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit and fleeing from sinful desires, as set forth in God’s Word. (Galatians 5:16-26; II Timothy 2:22; I Peter 1:13-16 and 2:9-10; I Corinthians 6:12-20; Proverbs 23:29-35; Philippians 4:8; Romans 8:6-8)

    Wisdom - understanding what is true and doing what is right from God’s perspective. Wisdom begins with a healthy fear of God and is developed in our lives by, among other things, careful attention and obedience to His Word, a teachable, humble spirit, and the proper response to correction. (Proverbs 1:7, 20-33, 2:1-22 and 4:7)

    Responsibility - being dependable and accountable in all relationships and tasks. All we do should be characterized by initiative, integrity, excellence, and love. (I Corinthians 13; Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1-5; Ephesians 5:29-32; Ecclesiastes 9:10)

    Thankfulness - living with a deep awareness that all we have has been give to us by God for our good and His glory. Being humbly thankful will deepen our appreciation for God’s grace and mercy in our lives and will set us apart in a world where people are increasingly self-ambitious, greedy, bitter, and ungrateful. (Philippians 4:6; I Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 2:7; Ephesians 5:20)

    Service - humbly focusing on the needs of others. Christ is our example as we learn to die to ourselves and live to serve God and others. (Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:3-11; James 4:6,10)

    Eternal Values - looking at our short lives from God’s viewpoint, recognizing that worldly pursuits and works are temporary, and placing a far greater emphasis on matters of eternal significance. (James 4:14; Matthew 6:19-21 and 6:33)
  5. Teach consistent daily Christian living and service by developing in the student a strong Christian worldview.
  6. Help each student develop a desire to know and do the will of God, leading to their sanctification (1 Thess. 5)
  7. Provide a nurturing, mentoring environment where students learn in all relationships to express and receive the love of God and to create within each student a passion for Christ when developing those relationships.
Academic Excellence:

We are committed to academic excellence through the use of the classical Trivium that challenges each student to perform academically to the maximum of his or her potential according to his or her own God-given ability. Therefore, the school endeavors to:

  1. Create within each student a passion for and commitment to life-long learning.
  2. Train all types of learners, teach and encourage good study habits, and prepare students fully in every academic discipline.
  3. Provide opportunities for students to ask questions, solve problems, think critically, and make wise decisions within the context of a biblical worldview and biblical criteria for evaluation.
Expected Student Outcomes
Spiritual Characteristics
  1. Understands and commits to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
  2. Knows, understands, and applies God’s Word to daily life.
  3. Understands the worth of every human as being created by God in His own image.
  4. Can articulate and defend a Christian worldview, while having a basic understanding of opposing worldviews.
  5. Possesses apologetic skills needed to defend the Christian faith.
  6. Treats his or her body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
  7. Is empowered by the Holy Spirit and pursues a life of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
  8. Personally responds to carrying out the Great Commission locally and around the world in a culturally sensitive manner.
Academic Characteristics
  1. Is well prepared in all academic disciplines and skilled in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking.
  2. Is proficient in mathematics and science.
  3. Has knowledge and understanding of people, events, and movements in history and the cultures of other peoples and places.
  4. Appreciates literature and understands how it expresses and shapes beliefs and values.
  5. Values intellectual inquiry and engages in the marketplace of ideas.
  6. Is committed to life-long learning.
  7. Knows how to utilize resources including technology to find, analyze and evaluate information.
  8. Has the desire and skills to question, solve problems and make wise decisions according to God’s Word.
Social Characteristics
  1. Is actively involved in a church community, serving God and others.
  2. Understands and engages in appropriate social and civic activities.
  3. Embraces and practices justice, mercy, and peacemaking in family and society.
  4. Respects and relates appropriately with integrity to people with whom he or she works, plays, and lives.
  5. Has appreciation for the natural environment and practices responsible stewardship of God’s creation.
  6. Understands that work has dignity and is an expression of the creative nature of God.
  7. Is a good steward of material resources, time, and talents, recognizing that they are all gifts from God.