The Herald

From the Principal

Why Christian Education?

This is a question my wife Lucy and I asked when we began the process of engaging with school for our children.  Yes, I can hear it already, “That was ages ago!”  And you are right.  In fact I reckon it was about 36 years ago that we moved house to live in Riverside so that we would be close enough to the Launceston Christian School so that our kids could walk to school.  We lived walking distance from LCS and the only time the kids would have the luxury of being driven to school was when the rain was coming in sideways!  The funny thing was, that it took longer to get to school in the car than it took to walk.  Enough of the small talk.  Back to the question, “Why Christian Education?”

 

The Christian Education National website puts this forward as a way of explaining part of the answer.

A different perspective

Christian education invites young people to see and understand the world through the perspective of God’s truth. The Bible becomes the lens in which students view what they are learning. The lens focusses their thinking on ultimate truth–a biblical vision for life where the world is created and sustained by God; where God has acted in history to deal with the distortions of creation caused by human rebellion; and where history is advancing towards a new creation in which all things are reconciled to God through Jesus who is not only the climax of the biblical story but is also the focal point of the lens.

 

A way of living

However, Christian education is not just about a Christian way of understanding. It is also about a Christian way of living. When Jesus said “Follow me”, he was expecting people to dedicate their whole lives to serving God. Christian education informs, invites, and inspires young people to live this way. The Christian school offering Christian education seeks to teach this way of life every day through all that is done and taught. It does this in a setting of a unified community of love and learning between parents, children, and teachers.

 

I concur with this in every sense.  But it could be seen as a somewhat theoretical or even theological answer.  I’d like to put forward some practical outworking of this reason to have Christian Education for our children and young adults.

 

In general

  • an academic education that is the "whole truth and nothing but" because it is centred on God's Word
  • an academic education from genuine Christian role models and counsellors
  • 30+ hours per week of instruction that supports the values of the home
  • daily interaction between students and teachers who care about their spiritual welfare
  • a supportive, encouraging relationship between parents & teachers, centred on a common Christian goal
  • the opportunity to pray, read the Bible and worship God during the school day with peers
  • student discipline that is redemptive and based on biblical principles
  • support for students with individual difficulties based on God's principles of individual worth
  • chance to be a witness to fellow students

 

In History

  • the Christian heritage of our nation
  • Christian influences in the history of Australia
  • biographies of influential Christians throughout history
  • biblical principles of government and politics
  • a Christian perspective on political and social issues
  • the spread of the Gospel throughout Western Civilization
  • the Protestant Reformation and other highlights of Church history
  • biblical principles of economics and leadership
  • comparative religions from around the world
  • a biblical focus on history, beginning at creation

 

In Science

  • scientific evidences for special creation in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, anatomy, geology, etc.
  • a biblical perspective on the environment
  • clear weaknesses of modern evolutionary theory
  • a God-honouring view of the laws of physics
  • the Christian testimony of many early scientists
  • the ethics of genetics
  • the marvellous intricacies of God's creation
  • the uniqueness of humans created in God's image

 

In Mathematics

  • understanding that God is the author of all Truth
  • seeing God as a God of order and logic
  • seeing math as God's tools to handle and solve many of life's problems

 

In Business & Technology

  • understanding the biblical ethics that relate to these fields
  • seeing technology as another tool to further God's kingdom work here on earth

 

In Bible

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