|
Mission Statement
Together with the covenant community of church and home, we are committed to providing a Christ-centered, reformed education to children from Kindergarten through Grade 12 that will nurture and develop their God-given gifts, character and Biblical faith for His glory and God’s kingdom. “…telling to the generation to come, the praises of the LORD… that they may set their hope in God” Psalm 78: 4b, 7a |
|
Statement of Faith
A Reformed Christian School society, which is diligent in its adherence to the Word of God as interpreted by the historic Reformed Creeds as mentioned in Article 2 of the Constitution, needs no further "Guiding Principles" to describe such basic truths as Revelation, Creation, Sin, Redemption, Justification, Salvation, etc. However, to set the spiritual/philosophical tone for the school and the instruction that is expected to be given and to avoid possible future misunderstandings, we affirm the following truths:
Guiding Principles
1. All children of believing parents are included in the Covenant of Grace which is "that gracious arrangement which God establishes with believers and their seed in which He promises them salvation through Christ and requires of them a life of faith and obedience" -- (A. Hoekema). The essence of this covenant, which is unilateral in origin and bilateral in existence, is the promise which God makes to believers and their seed. This promise must be realized in the way of faith and repentance.
2. All children of believers, like their parents, are conceived and born in sin, and therefore are children of wrath, so that they cannot enter into the kingdom of God except they are born again. God, in His grace, makes an everlasting covenant with them, promising that He will wash them in Christ's blood from all their sins and through the Holy Spirit sanctify them to be members of Christ. However, these promises will be realized only when they respond to the demands of the covenant, namely, that they live in new obedience in which they cleave to this Triune God, trust in Him, love Him with their whole being, forsake the world, crucify their old nature and walk with Him in a godly life. To this end they are to be nurtured in the discipline and instruction of the LORD, called to faith and repentance and led in the pathway of life.
3. The instruction of covenant children is primarily the responsibility of the parents. This is clearly spelled out in the Scriptures and in the Form for Infant Baptism. In recognition of the fact that many parents are not sufficiently qualified to educate their children properly; schools are established in which teachers are employed to perform this task on behalf of the parents. Our covenant responsibilities make a parental school imperative.
4. Although the necessity of teaching our children the way of salvation is primarily a parental duty, the school's instruction should complement this. For this reason it is paramount that teachers have a personal understanding and experience of salvation and are able to speak of this to the children in a way which is suited to them.
5. We believe that the redeeming work of Christ was completed on the cross and that, in principle, the victory over sin and evil is fully His. At the same time, we believe the Bible's teaching that this world still lies in darkness and that it is groaning in anticipation of its full redemption. We are averse to any world and life view which considers the world as already fully redeemed by Christ.
6. We believe that it is part of the task of a Christian parental school to provide instruction, which builds spiritual and moral character with a view to humility and service, rather than pride and success. In order to do this, the education philosophy must reckon with the truth of the full counsel of God. It is to reflect not only the kingship of Jesus Christ but also the priestly and the prophetic aspects of His office; it is to reflect not only the truth of the work and person of the Son as revealed in Scripture but also that of the Father and the Holy Spirit.
7. We believe these truths are revealed only in the Bible. These Scriptures are the complete, authoritative, inerrant and infallible Word of God. It is incumbent upon all believers to avail themselves of a Bible translation which most accurately reflects the original. God also reveals Himself by the creation, preservation and government of the universe. The knowledge which may be obtained from this, although sufficient to convince men and to leave them without excuse, is not sufficient to provide that knowledge of salvation and service which God requires.
8. We believe, therefore, that an integral part of the education of our children is to teach them these Scriptural truths, constantly challenging them to a life of faith and repentance, which is to be lived in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of this wicked world. They are to be in the world but not of the world. They are to learn that they are pilgrims and strangers and that the world holds no permanent value for them, but that not in a world-flight sense as if the prince of this world is its rightful owner. They are to learn that this is their Father's world and as such they are to labour joyfully in it, improving it where they can, but that not in a triumphalist sense as if the redemption of this world is already fully applied.
A Reformed Christian School society, which is diligent in its adherence to the Word of God as interpreted by the historic Reformed Creeds as mentioned in Article 2 of the Constitution, needs no further "Guiding Principles" to describe such basic truths as Revelation, Creation, Sin, Redemption, Justification, Salvation, etc. However, to set the spiritual/philosophical tone for the school and the instruction that is expected to be given and to avoid possible future misunderstandings, we affirm the following truths:
Guiding Principles
1. All children of believing parents are included in the Covenant of Grace which is "that gracious arrangement which God establishes with believers and their seed in which He promises them salvation through Christ and requires of them a life of faith and obedience" -- (A. Hoekema). The essence of this covenant, which is unilateral in origin and bilateral in existence, is the promise which God makes to believers and their seed. This promise must be realized in the way of faith and repentance.
2. All children of believers, like their parents, are conceived and born in sin, and therefore are children of wrath, so that they cannot enter into the kingdom of God except they are born again. God, in His grace, makes an everlasting covenant with them, promising that He will wash them in Christ's blood from all their sins and through the Holy Spirit sanctify them to be members of Christ. However, these promises will be realized only when they respond to the demands of the covenant, namely, that they live in new obedience in which they cleave to this Triune God, trust in Him, love Him with their whole being, forsake the world, crucify their old nature and walk with Him in a godly life. To this end they are to be nurtured in the discipline and instruction of the LORD, called to faith and repentance and led in the pathway of life.
3. The instruction of covenant children is primarily the responsibility of the parents. This is clearly spelled out in the Scriptures and in the Form for Infant Baptism. In recognition of the fact that many parents are not sufficiently qualified to educate their children properly; schools are established in which teachers are employed to perform this task on behalf of the parents. Our covenant responsibilities make a parental school imperative.
4. Although the necessity of teaching our children the way of salvation is primarily a parental duty, the school's instruction should complement this. For this reason it is paramount that teachers have a personal understanding and experience of salvation and are able to speak of this to the children in a way which is suited to them.
5. We believe that the redeeming work of Christ was completed on the cross and that, in principle, the victory over sin and evil is fully His. At the same time, we believe the Bible's teaching that this world still lies in darkness and that it is groaning in anticipation of its full redemption. We are averse to any world and life view which considers the world as already fully redeemed by Christ.
6. We believe that it is part of the task of a Christian parental school to provide instruction, which builds spiritual and moral character with a view to humility and service, rather than pride and success. In order to do this, the education philosophy must reckon with the truth of the full counsel of God. It is to reflect not only the kingship of Jesus Christ but also the priestly and the prophetic aspects of His office; it is to reflect not only the truth of the work and person of the Son as revealed in Scripture but also that of the Father and the Holy Spirit.
7. We believe these truths are revealed only in the Bible. These Scriptures are the complete, authoritative, inerrant and infallible Word of God. It is incumbent upon all believers to avail themselves of a Bible translation which most accurately reflects the original. God also reveals Himself by the creation, preservation and government of the universe. The knowledge which may be obtained from this, although sufficient to convince men and to leave them without excuse, is not sufficient to provide that knowledge of salvation and service which God requires.
8. We believe, therefore, that an integral part of the education of our children is to teach them these Scriptural truths, constantly challenging them to a life of faith and repentance, which is to be lived in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of this wicked world. They are to be in the world but not of the world. They are to learn that they are pilgrims and strangers and that the world holds no permanent value for them, but that not in a world-flight sense as if the prince of this world is its rightful owner. They are to learn that this is their Father's world and as such they are to labour joyfully in it, improving it where they can, but that not in a triumphalist sense as if the redemption of this world is already fully applied.