Every now and then, God has a way of reminding us that the mission and purpose of a Christian school is found in the revelation of God to his human creation by sending his son, Jesus. It's really pretty simple. Jesus came to reveal not only the existence and person of God, but also to bring salvation by grace, through faith in the sacrifice he would make on the cross. This is the way that humans are reconciled to God, and it is the only means by which the problems of human existence, caused by sin, can be resolved.
Public education exists because Americans realized, early in the history of the nation, that an education which provided basic skills leading to multiple ends, including the ability to function in a society that depends on a certain level of literacy and comprehension, to have a basis from which skills can be developed in order for individuals to be productive, support themselves financially, and contribute to the well being of the nation.
Compulsory education started in the United States as early as 1852, when the state of Massachusetts mandated primary schools for all students in every town. But it would not be until 1918, just after World War 1, that all states had compulsory attendance laws, and had established enough public schools to accommodate all students.
Oh, and here's a link to today's reminder: Midwest Bible Church, March 2, 2025
Basic Philosophy of Education
The need for Christian schools, which teach biblical truth as the means of viewing and living in the world, came about as a result of a philosophical shift in American culture that led to the control of public school curriculum coming under the control of a secular, humanist philosophy. The first amendment establishes religious liberty, a free conscience, and separates the church from state control, and the state from required church influence. A secular, humanist philosophy of education slipped in and filled a growing vacuum as specific sectarian teaching in schools was slowly eliminated from the curriculum.
This is a subject on which books have been written, and I would strongly suggest that parents get a copy of Kingdom Education: God's Plan for Educating Future Generations by Glenn Schultz. Dr. Schultz does an excellent job of distinguishing the difference in educational philosophy between a Christian school and a public school. It will provide you with a biblical foundation from your own faith and commitment to Jesus Christ as savior, for the reason you make a sacrifice to send your children to a Christian school.
The primary, basic difference between the educational philosophy of Christian school education and the public education system in the United States is theological. Jesus himself makes a statement of belief in revealing the person of God himself that is at the very core of our educational philosophy. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40 ESV
The first point of our educational philosophy is that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present. Therefore, God's revelation of himself to humans, and the salvation that is offered as a result, is the only resolution to all of the problems of humanity, which are rooted in sin.
In the humanist philosophy that governs public education curriculum and objectives, God's existence is not acknowledged. There's no specific declaration that he does not exist, but leaving out any mention of the power that created humanity, including human free will, from curriculum objectives, leaves out everything that comes with acknowledging the existence of God, including the moral principles that are part of the practice of the Christian faith. What that means, is that students are taught that human beings have the ability to save themselves from their problems, which we call by the old fashioned term, sin.
If there is no statement that acknowledges the existence of God, then that completely changes the way we teach children about human origins. And that's where evolution comes in. If there is no creator God, then the door is open to scientific theory when it comes to explaining human origins. When God's existence is not assured, then human origins are left up to chance. And it slips in because humanism, and evolution, are not, by definition, "religious beliefs," they are secular beliefs. And because they do not meet the definition of "religion," from a court interpreted constitutional position, they are welcome to come in and fill the vacuum in educational philosophy of our public education system.
We Teach That God Exists, He Created Us, He Redeems Us, He Empowers Us
We don't just "integrate" Biblical principles into the other subject areas we teach. Biblical truth forms the basis for our curriculum. When Christian faith is approached as a lifestyle and a philosophy of both education, and of life, and not simply the academic assertion to a list of doctrine or theological principles, it becomes something that transforms us, and to which we respond, first to being convicted of our sin, then of understanding that we must confess Jesus as the Christ to be forgiven, then to receive the Holy Spirit in order to live a transformed, redeemed life.
It would be impossible for me to count the number of times those things are taught to students in our classrooms, and how many times they will hear this, as it relates to everything they are learning, over the course of the time they spend at MCA. God has given us all a free will, so there are no guarantees. But what we do know is that it is far more likely your child will come to accept this truth, and respond to it, in our classrooms and in the environment that we provide, where all of our teachers are born-again believers in Christ, and where we openly worship God as a school, together.
And that's why our school is here, and why it has been here for 69 years. It's an option, and a choice, that Christian parents should consider, as a means of providing them with spiritual support in an educational partnership as they raise their children, "In the nurture and admonition of the Lord." It is a gift you can give to them that far exceeds the monetary cost of providing it.