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The CLASS program is committed to an educational philosophy which
is not after the traditions of men, or the principles of this world,
but after Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge (Colossians 2:8). Christian education means that
Christ is central to education. Consequently, our educational theory,
methods, and practice must be built upon Christ as their cornerstone.
But how can we know Christ apart from His Word which is the truth?
The sacred Scriptures are the Word of Christ written. In them God
has revealed Himself and His saving purpose in Christ.
Because there is only one God and one Christ, there is only one
truth. This truth is the center and criterion of Christian education.
While the Bible is not used as the textbook in every subject, it
is the foundational handbook for every course and the standard
for teaching. As the foundational book, Scripture is the only infallible
rule for faith and practice, for grammar and literature, for mathematics
and science, for health and physical education, for geography and
history, and for social studies and the arts. The beginning of
wisdom is the fear of God.
In order for education to be consistently Christian the teacher
must self-consciously teach all subjects in the framework of biblical
authority. To accomplish this we must have a methodology that guarantees
its biblical character. The proper method is to use the Bible in
each and every course both directly and indirectly. It is applied
directly when we derive our understanding of each topic from the
actual statements of the Bible, and use the text of Scripture appropriately
in each subject. It is applied indirectly as we work out the implications
of biblical truth as the proper framework for understanding each
subject.
Biblical doctrines must regulate the way we teach and learn.
One important goal of Christian education is to teach the student
to reason biblically. Because of this, the educational process
must show how the doctrinal truths of God’s Word provide the
Christian worldview. This worldview is a unified system of principles
that guides the way we educate. It requires that every thought
be made captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians
10:5).
Committed to the Bible as the standard for education, CLASS
desires to interpret it in line with the historic Christian faith
and biblical principles. Among such biblical principles are the
following:
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The most fundamental teaching of the Bible is the sovereignty
of the Triune God. This truth is foundational for all Christian
teaching. It alone separates Christian education from all
forms of humanism and naturalism. Education which is truly
and distinctly Christian must be dedicated to the glory
of God above all else. Because the Creator is the sovereign
God, He is Lord of Heaven and Earth, and He speaks with
absolute authority about all things. There is nothing in
this universe which can truly be learned apart from Him.
He speaks as the Triune God. Unity in education is possible
only on the basis of one God who is absolutely self-existent
and independent of His creation. As the Trinity, He is
the source of both unity and diversity in the world and
in human life, for He exists as one God in three Persons.
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When God created all things in the universe out of nothing
in six days, He created everything with meaning and purpose.
Because all studies deal in one way or another with God’s
creation, all studies should be subordinate to God’s
revelation. The way to properly understand any subject
is to study it in relation to its Creator. Because God
created all things, there is nothing unknown to Him. Consequently,
God’s understanding, not man’s, is first. All
facts take their significance from the place God has assigned
to them in creation. There are no uninterpreted facts which
man can ever discover. Without God’s revealed truth,
these facts cannot be properly selected, systematized,
and given a meaningful interpretation. Without the framework
of a biblical worldview all education in science is futile.
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Because God created man in His own image, the ultimate
purpose, meaning, and standard for human life and society
come from God. Christian education must therefore reject
all speculations of the evolutionary theory of human origins
and rights. Man is a unique creature of God formed distinct
from the animals. Endowed by His Creator with the gifts
of religion, language, reason, choice, creativity, and
society, man is like God in every way a creature can be.
Created to serve and glorify God in the earth, Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden talked directly with God and
received from Him their original education. God taught
them the truth about their role in the universe and their
relationships with other people. God taught them that their
most fundamental relationship is with Him as their Creator.
Culture, society, and education are thus bound to religion.
The student must be continually confronted with this pivotal
truth about himself and society.
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The biblical record of the fall of Adam has serious and
far-reaching implications for all of education. Because
of the fall, man’s entire nature as well as all of
human society has been corrupted by sin. Not only is his
heart hostile to God and His law, but his will is enslaved
to corruption, and his mind is darkened by error. His whole
nature has been corrupted by the evil influence of sin.
Because of this, Christian education cannot start in a
supposedly neutral fashion as though the child was an innocent
person who simply needs the spark of goodness to be ignited
within him.
Likewise, the human teacher is also corrupted by sin and
does not always properly present God’s truth. Because
of sin’s power, the teacher must acknowledge that he
cannot change the heart of the student. Because sin has corrupted
the whole of human thought and education throughout history,
unbelieving scholarship can have a pervasive influence even
upon those who seek to teach from a biblical worldview. The
Christian teacher must grow in awareness of the influence
of sin upon his thinking due to his own his educational background
and the society around him. Apart from abiding in Christ
and His truth, he is liable to be made captive to ideas promoted
by various forms of the non-Christian worldview.
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As a result of Adam’s sin, God and man have become
alienated. But God in His grace took the initiative to
restore the relationship. After setting forth the requirements
of redemption in the Old Testament, He fulfilled them in
the New Testament in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Messiah
came as the second Adam to undo the results of the sin
of the first Adam. As the perfect Son of God, He became
man, and was crucified as the only redeemer of mankind.
By his redemptive work, Christ restores believers to a
right relationship with their Creator. This restoration
involves education. As part of His mediatorial work, Christ
has an educational program which involves teaching all
the things He has commanded. Christ teaches His people
as the Bible is read, taught, and applied. All Christian
education must therefore be subject to Christ as God’s
final Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus Christ is the only
way, truth, and life, also in education.
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Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to teach the truth.
The Holy Spirit is the only one who can make Christian
education effective. For the teacher, to impart wisdom
is a gift of God. For the student’s heart to be opened
to God’s truth, a change of heart is required. In
the new birth the Spirit opens the mind and frees the will
to embrace Christ by faith. Without it the Bible will never
be the ultimate authority over the student’s reasoning.
Faith is the proper response to biblical truth, the only
means by which the heart submits to it. While Christian
education can be used by the Holy Spirit to bring the student
to saving faith, its full effect comes to those who already
believe. Without faith, Christian education is ineffectual.
Thus, both the teacher and the student are dependent upon
the Holy Spirit and His work of grace.
The Holy Spirit uses believers as a means of leading students
to Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge. Christian parents have the unique opportunity
and privilege to train up their children in the fear and
admonition of the Lord. By combining teaching with prayer,
exhortation, and discipline, God can use the parent to disciple
his children according to Christ. Thus Christian education,
while not to be reduced to evangelism, will include the positive
presentation of gospel truth as the answer to the ultimate
questions in each subject. The gospel will be proclaimed
as the answer to the student’s deepest need for purpose,
meaning, and goals in learning.
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Because the Word of God is the only standard for education,
Christian education is at odds with all pagan thought.
Because it is part of Christ’s program for building
His kingdom, Christian education is engaged in spiritual
and intellectual warfare with the kingdom of darkness.
The fact of the new birth creates a distinction between
two types of people: Christians and non-Christians. Christians
are bringing every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ and earnestly contending for the faith. The non-Christian,
however, looks to man as the standard of all things, reasons
according to the flesh, and calls his education neutral.
Because all education is inescapably religious, it can never
take place in an ideological vacuum. Neutrality is impossible;
for the educational worldview will either be Christian or
humanistic. Christ clearly taught, “He that is not
with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me, scatters
abroad” (Matthew 12:30). Therefore all non-Christian
education is ultimately anti-Christian because it does not
submit to the claims of Jesus Christ. Well-trained Christian
students must be prepared to battle intellectually against
the spirit of this age with an aggressive yet humble manner.
CLASS desires to train Christian warriors and leaders who
will go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit to win decisive
victories for the honor, glory, and kingdom of Christ.
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Christian education is a part of God’s purpose
to put everything in creation under the feet of Christ.
Christ is now reigning, but not everyone has bowed the
knee to His authority. Not every area of life and thought
has been made subject to Him. Christian education serves
as part of His purpose to subdue people from all nations
to the glory of God. He is calling out a people unto Himself
who will learn His ways. Christian education is never an
end in itself, but serves to magnify the glory of God.
It should never lose sight of the fact that there is no
final perfection in human life, society, or in education
itself apart from the appearance of Jesus Christ. At his
return Christ will bring a conclusion to history through
judgment of both the living and the dead.
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A Christian education is part of Christ’s Great Commission to disciple
the nations. The Bible tells parents that they have a moral responsibility
before God to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction
of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). The word discipline means to train,
and the word instruct means to teach. Education includes both.
As teachers labor to nurture, instruct, and discipline students,
their central task is to make disciples of Christ.
For a biblical curriculum to be profitable, it is necessary for
the teacher to practice a biblical method of teaching. Both the
mind and the will of the student need to be trained and brought
into subjection to God’s authority. The teacher should pray and
work to the end that the student’s reasoning will submit to God’s
authority. The mind needs to be trained to submit to Scripture
and to resist the temptation of leaning on one’s own understanding.
False ways of thinking need to be rebuked and the mind brought
to humility before God. The student must become a fool that he
might become wise (1 Corinthians 3: 18).
Not only should the student be taught to reason in a consistent,
biblical, organized manner, but to exercise proper biblical discipline
to reach the goal. By warning against unbelief, rebellion, and
the spirit of this age, the teacher seeks to train the student
to become a disciple of Christ. Parents should train their children
morning, noon, and night to help students stay on the right path
and learn godly habits. Christian training should be the same at
home, at school, at church, and at play. In this way, the student
learns that God’s Word is to be believed and obeyed consistently,
everywhere, and at all times. Otherwise, he will learn to be inconsistent
in his behavior before God and man. In short, he will grow to be
a hypocrite.
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The purpose of Christian education is not primarily to
meet human needs or develop human potential, but preeminently
to labor to the greater glory of God, the honor of the name
of Christ, and promote the development of His kingdom. In
a word, the ultimate goal of Christian education is to glorify
God and enjoy Him forever. It means that we are to serve
Him in every area of life and calling. This takes place when
the student learns to fear God and trust Christ so that he
will think and act biblically. For this reason, true Christian
education must be God-centered. “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam”—For
The Greater Glory Of God.
God created man for the joy of communion with Himself. Therefore,
the student’s joy and fulfillment in life is not to be
found in himself or in the world in which he lives, but in
loving communion with his Creator. As students learn to glorify
God and live for Christ, they will have true enjoyment in life.
Without holiness there is no happiness. As the student grows
in the knowledge of creation, and discovers the wonders that
God has made, he should be taught to enjoy and praise the One
who made it. Each new discovery should lead him to acknowledge
that God has made us and all things. If education is to train
the child for life, then the chief end of man must be constantly
kept in view.
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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear
the Lord means to take what He says seriously. When education
begins with the fear of God, it promotes respect for God’s
authority as expressed in His word and Law as the foundation
for learning. With reverential awe, the student will approach
schoolwork seriously, attempting to do his best. This is
absolutely necessary for the student’s proper attitude
in education.
Since the fear of the Lord is necessary to glorify Him, and
without faith it is impossible to please Him, the student needs
to come to a saving faith in Christ before he can think and
act biblically. The first American college, Harvard, established
this standard: “Let every Student be plainly instructed,
and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his
life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is
eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the
bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and
Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdome, Let every
one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of
him (Proverbs 2:3).” Christian teachers should, by their
instruction, discipline, and godly example, pray that the Lord
might be pleased to use their teaching as a means to effectually
call students unto Christ.
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In every area of study, CLASS wants to help parents train
their children to understand God’s perspective and
think His thoughts after Him. To do this, they must grow
in their knowledge of the Word of God and learn the mind
of Christ. They must learn to reason in terms of biblical
truth, and develop a truly consistent biblical worldview.
By godly instruction and precept, through the inculcation
of scriptural wisdom, students are to develop their God-created
minds unto Christian maturity. They must be taught how to
rightly discern and judge all things in the light of Scripture.
Christian education fails if it does not instill the pattern
of thinking after God’s words and logic. If a student
learns to think in terms of himself or the creature, his
decisions regarding right and wrong, truth and error, reality
and fantasy, will be humanistic or naturalistic. Without
realizing it, he will be acting as his own god, determining
for himself good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
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CLASS believes that knowledge for the sake of knowledge
is useless and leads to intellectual arrogance and self-glorification.
True knowledge must be used practically to advance the Kingdom
of God for His glory. Christian education promotes using
knowledge to glorify God and to minister to others. Students
should learn to obey and serve God more fully so that they
may minister to others more effectively. Students must learn
to walk in the truth and through faith manifest the fruit
of the Spirit in good works. Thus, after coming to faith
in Christ and developing a biblical worldview, the development
of strong godly character and a lifestyle of service is most
necessary. In fact, godliness is necessary for a proper understanding
of the truth.
To love and serve God is an empty lie if there is no heart
to serve others. Christian education aims to train men and
women who love God in both word and deed, and express this
love in ministering to others. One’s vocation must be
seen as part of this moral responsibility. It is not merely
the obtaining of a paycheck, but to serve God and our neighbor.
Biblical education is devoted also to the development of the
student’s spiritual, academic, and physical welfare.
Each student has received talents, opportunities, and blessings
from his Maker. Christian education does not only develop one’s
potential, but assists the student to find his place, meaning,
purpose, and responsibilities in the plan of God. Christian
education can help determine God’s call on his life,
and equip him with skills and knowledge by which he can glorify
God effectively. As the student better understands God’s
Word and how to apply it to God’s world he will be able
to take dominion in his calling under Jesus Christ. CLASS is
dedicated to helping both parents train up their children in
the way they should go, so that when they are old they will
not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).
Read about the parents' place in education. |
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