pursuit
Philosophy of Education
I. What is education?
II. Who is responsible for the education of children?
III. Where does the Christian school fit into the education of children?
The worldview of any man is a reflection of his beliefs about his origin, purpose and destiny. His stance on these universal issues determines how he views life in general and mankind in particular. For the Christian, the Source of the answer for each of these issues is God. He is the Creator of all things, the Master of His universe and the Sovereign of history.
Origin : Purpose : Destiny
Origin
God is the Source of creation.
"In the beginning God created...." (Gen. 1:1)
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:" (Psalm 8:3-6; Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 64:8; Rom. 1:19, 20)
God is the Sustainer of creation.
God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:2, 3; Colossians 1:16, 17)
Purpose
God is the Sovereign of creation in general and His creatures in particular.
- In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who workteth all things after the counsel of his own will. (Eph. 1:11)
- Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139; John 1:12,13; Acts 9:1-16; Romans 8:28-30; Romans 9:10-23)
- The fundamental purpose of man is to glorify God through obedience, worship and service.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
Destiny
God is the Savior of those who truly acknowledge Christ as personal Redeemer/Lord as evidenced by their progressive, persevering assimilation and application of His Word.
- The mandate for salvation-through Adam's sin man was cursed with spiritual and physical death; he became the enemy of God. (Gen. 3; Psalm 51:5; Rom. 3:19-23; 5:1, 8-12)
- The message of salvation-the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on behalf of those whom the Father has given to Him. (I Cor. 15:1-4; John 17; Ephesians 1; 2:1-10).
- The method of salvation is through faith that enables the child of God to confess with his mouth and believe in his heart that God has raised Christ from the dead. (Rom. 10:9-17; Eph. 2:8,9)
- The mentors of the saved are God-called believers whom He has gifted for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:11-16)
Those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ will enjoy God forever in Heaven while those who remain under the curse of God's Law will suffer forever in the Lake of Fire (Hebrews 2:3; 4:2; 9:27; Revelation 21:1-8)God is the Sanctifier of those who have saving faith in Christ.
(John 17:17; II Cor. 3:17, 18; II Peter 1:1-12)
God is the Supplier of those who have saving faith in Christ.
(Job 1:10; Philippians 4:11-13, 19; Eph.6:10)PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
The philosophy of Christian School Education for Alamance Christian School is grounded in the principles from God's Word that deal with the family and the training of children.I. What is education?
A. We tend to think of education as the imparting of knowledge; however, "the impartation of knowledge by others is but a part of education.
Education is the systematic development and cultivation of the mind and other natural powers. It begins in the nursery, continues through
school, and also through life, whether we will or not." (Brittancia Dictionary)
B. The philosophy, or "system of values and beliefs" of an institution or an individual will greatly influence "the systematic development and
cultivation of the mind and other natural powers" of students by that institution or individual.
C. Not only is knowledge imparted to the mind through education, but attitudes and values are also transferred through the curriculum, the
learning environment and the teacher.II. Who is responsible for the education of children?
A. Fundamentally, parents are responsible before God for the training of their children.
1. We know this theoretically, but to what degree do we approach education with this in mind?
2. Psalm 127-Children are an heritage of the Lord....
3. Proverbs 1:8-Instruction of a father; law of a mother....
4. Deuteronomy 6:6, 7-Parental piety followed by parental instruction....
B. Specifically, fathers will be held accountable for what they teach or fail to teach their children.
1. Proverbs 4:1 Hear...the instruction of a father....
a. Instruction: "correction which results in education" (TWOT)
b. The Hebrew word for instruction primarily points to a God-centered way of life.
c. Fathers are to fashion the training and life-style of their family after Biblical principles.
d. ACS APPLICATION: Whenever possible, we should direct oral or written communication about a child to his father as the head of
the home.
2. Proverbs 4:11 I have taught (precept); I have led (practice).
3. Ephesians 6:4--Fathers?provoke not?but bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
a. The context of this verse is a pagan society in which Roman law gave fathers absolute, life-and-death authority over those in their
homes. Often they ruled by passion and not by principle.
b. Christian fathers can provoke their children to wrath by allowing conflicting and confusing signals between what they say and
what they do, or between what the home, the church and the school teach the children.
c. The more consistent the Bible-based signals (principles) in a child's life, the greater the potential for success as God defines
success.
d. The more the child is exposed to the Word of God by precept and by example, the greater the opportunity for God's chosen
increase in that child's life.
- God's Word is a powerful agent of change (Hebrews 4:12; II Timothy 2:25, 26; 3:14-17)
- God's Word accomplishes God's purpose in God's time. (Isaiah 55:11)
- "As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined." (Pulpit Commentary)
- The young mind is plastic; habit is not yet confirmed. It is easier to form a character than it is to reform it." (Ibid.)
e. ACS APPLICATION: When young people graduate from our school and may be unsaved and may end up living in sin, we must
refuse to say: What good did it do? What if they had not come to our school?
f. ACS APPLICATION: Young people can be saved in spite of state school and are not saved primarily because of home or church.
The later two are certainly used by God; however, it is God Who quickens dead sinners to life as the Author and Finisher of their
faith.
C. Fathers will be held accountable for what they allow others to teach their children.
1. Their family must join and attend a Bible-preaching church that is in line with the convictions that they hold to be true.
2. A serious error that many Christians make, no matter where they have their children enrolled is that education is primarily
preparation to make a living in this life. While making a living to support one?s family is important and right, it must be done in the
context of doing so in ways that glorify God (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14)
3. They must choose a school where their core beliefs are re-enforced and where "the systematic development and cultivation of the
mind and other natural powers" is done from a distinctively Christian worldview.
a. "The fact is inescapable; the world view of the teacher, in so far as he is effective, gradually conditions the world view of the pupil.
No man teaches out of a philosophical vacuum. In one way or another, every teacher expresses the convictions he lives by,
whether they are spiritually positive or negative." (Pattern of God's Truth, Frank E. Gabelein)
b. The secular humanist world view that permeates state schools, and that dictates what is taught, how it is taught and by whom it
is taught is anti-thetical to Christian faith and practice. (Amos 3:3; Luke 9:50; 11:23)
- Secularism views man and life only through reason and feeling with the mind of man as supreme (humanism, pragmatism,
existentialism, etc.). Christianity views man and life in the context of Scripture with God as supreme.
- Secularism views man as in a normal state. Christianity views man as in an abnormal state of perversion because of the
fall.
- Secularism views the world and life as products of chance with man shaping his own destiny. Christianity views the world
and life as part of God's sovereign script for His creation.
- Secularism views man's development for his good and the good of the society in which he lives as the goal of education.
Christianity views man's development for God's glory and for a witness to society as the goal of education.
- Secularism views time and the material world as ends in themselves or as segments of universal cycles. Christianity views
time and the material world in the context of eternity.
c. The children of Christians will be affected to varying degrees by the secularist worldview through the news media, entertainment
industry and secular schools (Proverbs 6:27, 28; 16:25; 1:17).
d. God did not give secular government the responsibility for education.
1. The Trojan Horse of government-sponsored education began innocently enough when the General Court of Massachusetts
passed the "Old Deluder, Satan" Act in 1647. The motive was religious in nature, but this legal mandate was far from
democratic. The "act provided that towns of fifty householders shall appoint someone to instruct all children as shall resort
to him to write and read,' the teacher to 'be paid by the inhabitants in general.... Failure to obey the law was punishable by
a fine of five pounds. The Act of 1647 was the first legal basis of a public school system in Massachusetts and became a
model
for legislation in other colonies." (Education in a Free Society by S. Alexander Rippa)
2. When any institution or individual deviates from the message or the methods of the Bible, God will not give His blessing.
Example: The sin of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, "was acting in the things of God without seeking the mind of God.
It was 'will worship' which often has a 'show of wisdom and humility.'" (Scofield)
3. In Leviticus chapters 1-9 these men followed God's plan for worship and offering; however, Leviticus 10:1, 2 shares a sad
commentary on doing what appears to be the right thing in the wrong way.
- The NIV calls the strange fire that led to God's punishment "unauthorized fire."
- When did God ever authorize the state to educate Children?
- There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Prov.16:25)
- Many Christians have their children in secular schools because over time that has become the "norm."III. Where does the Christian school fit into the education of children?
A. Events and principles that lead to the formation and function of Christian schools:
1. The complex demands of society and the dictates of the state have made it progressively difficult or impossible for many
parents to educate their children at home.
2. The Bible condemns listening to the counsel of the ungodly (Psalms 1; Psalm 101:3).
3. The secularization of the "public school system" has given rise to Christian schools that can enable Christian parents to
purchase an excellent academic education without violating the convictions of their worldview.
4. The essential function of the Christian school is to assist like-minded Christian parents in the liberal arts education of their
children in the context of man's responsibilities to God as revealed in His Word.
5. While an academic education from a Christian World View is possible, to the extent that an education from any world view is
possible, the forming of godly character can only be realized when the student's own world view is changed through the new
birth (I Cor. 2:14; II Timothy 3:15).
6. Because restoration to God through Christ is vital, the Christian school should expose its students to the gospel (I Corl.
5:1-4) in simplicity and in truth (I Cor.2:4,5) so that the Holy Spirit might use the Word of God to bring about His good
pleasure in the life of each student.
B. Some misconceptions about Christian schools in general:
1. Christian schools can fulfill the parents? responsibility before the Lord. (They can assist parents.)
2. Christian schools can offer spiritual, emotional and academic guarantees. (The student? spiritual condition, mental ability and
effort play major roles in what can be accomplished. All schools offer opportunities, not guarantees.)
3. All children who attend a Christian school are Christians. (Some wise sons, some simple sons with a bent towards wisdom or
scorning; scorners who privately mock the things of God through attitude and action; fools who openly mock the things of
God. Cast out the scorner and contention will cease? The same would certainly hold true for fools, also.)
4. All Christian schools are alike. (They have distinctives just like churches and families do.)
5. All parents who send their children to a Christian school have the same values. (Some focused, godly parents have to
"compromise" preferences for the sake of the whole group. Other parents, who merely want an academic education some
spiritual overtones have to raise some of their standards in order to be part of the whole.)
6. Christian school teachers are ?Super Christians? who do not make mistakes in dealing with children. (Position does not
guarantee piety. Christian school teachers must grow and change in their character and in their ability to minister to others.)
7. Tuition payments buy academic and spiritual miracles. (Again, tuition purchases opportunities.)
8. Some opportunities that we try very hard to offer at ACS in light of our philosophy of assistance to the homes of like-minded
believers:
a. We want to encourage our students to practice in his daily habits Christian values that his home and church have instilled
his head and that the Holy Spirit has instilled in his heart if he is saved.
b. We place a premium upon the teaching, assimilation and application of the Scriptures in every aspect of school life.
c. Through the dress and behavior guidelines, we seek to foster an environment that is conducive to pursuing academic
excellence.
d. Those same dress and behavior guidelines encourage a moral environment that seeks to minimize temptations and to
maximize doing right.
e. We emphasize the importance of the local church and encourage active participation on the part of our students through
Bible projects and limited assignments on Wednesday nights.
f. We seek to expose our students to a variety of godly role models.
g. We provide a format for physical recreation and social refinement that is balanced and wholesome.
h. Through chapel and Bible classes, we emphasize the need for our students to be salt and light in the world around them as
citizens, employees and neighbors.
Thought For The Day: "Sorrow looks back. Worry looks around. Faith looks up." - Anonymous
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. - Phil 4:13 Alamance Christian School Office: (336)578-3340
Alamance Christian School - 1336 Townbranch Road - Graham, NC - 27253 ~ www.alamancechristianschool.org - Email Main Office