PHILOSOPHY OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
(Our school’s Philosophy of Christian Education is in complete alignment with and does fully affirm our Statement of Faith.)
God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Because man is created in the image of God, man’s ultimate purpose, meaning and very definition of being must all come from God. Thus, man, as a finite creature, is dependent upon divine revelation for all ultimate truth. (Gen. 1:1; Gen. 2:1, Gen. 1:26-27; Ex. 3:14; Isa. 55:6-9; Col. 1:15-17)
Concerning the “nature of truth”: Truth reveals God and is a revelation from God. God reveals Himself (generally) through His created universe, (specifically) in the Scriptures and (personally) in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Deut. 8:1-3; Isa. 40:6-8; Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:6; Rom. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 3:15-17)
Since the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden, man’s essential nature has been corrupted by sin, and in sin, man’s understanding has been darkened. At enmity with God in his spirit, man has embraced the falsehood that man’s ways are better than God’s ways. From the time of the fall, man has believed he could explore, understand, relate to and even teach the laws and facts of the created universe, independent of God’s revealed truth and without need of “the grace of God to comprehend and receive it”. (Gen. 3:1-7; Gen. 3:14-19; Gen. 6:5; Rom. 1:21-22; Rom. 3:10-11)
As Christians, we believe we are commanded by God to adopt, maintain and perpetuate (teach our children) a totally Christian worldview or Christian Philosophy. We believe our philosophy to be centered upon God (our Creator); that God is Truth; that God’s Word is completely trustworthy (inerrant) and that God can be known. From this Christian Philosophy of Life we derive our Philosophy of Christian Education. (Ex. 13:8; Deut. 6:6-9; Ps. 78:1-11; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 22:6; Rom. 11:35; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Col. 2:8; Col. 3:1-2; Ja. 1:5)
Living in a created world means living in a reality of created facts, which can be rightly understood only in relationship to their Creator. We hold firmly to the philosophy that man’s reason does not determine God’s revealed truth about Himself and all that He has created. Rather, God has graciously given man reason; in order that God’s truth (by the power of His Holy Spirit) might be discovered, understood, categorized and passed down from generation to generation in the systematic approach of training and discipline that is Christian Education. (Ps. 119:89-91; Prov. 1:7; Prov. 3:5-7; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Biblical truth must validate experience and knowledge at all times. In all subjects: mathematics, geography, economics, history or English, the Bible is the key to true understanding. The Bible gives us the perspective we need to see God as He is, ourselves as we are, our relationship to others and to the world that we live in. It provides the necessary principles, without which, there can be no true understanding. Thus, Biblical Truth will undergird the teaching of all subjects and provide the standard; qualifying all other texts, materials and supporting media used in our classrooms. (Prov. 1:7; Prov. 9:10)
Moreover, we hold the Scriptures to be divinely inspired, authoritative, and inerrant. The Word of God is our heritage and our birthright. Our Philosophy of Christian Education, this document and every policy and practice hereunto will regard the Word of God as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:16)
Grace Christian Academy’s purpose is to provide a distinctly Christian academic environment in which God’s mandate to train, instruct, and nurture each student in the Truth may be fulfilled. Administration, faculty and staff shall seek to minister to each student, providing a Christ-like example, while promoting that student’s spiritual, physical, academic, and social development.
We recognize that children are a heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:3). We believe that, to the Christian parent(s) of every Academy student, God has delegated a special “stewardship responsibility” for the instruction, nurture and discipline of children. The process of “training up a child” starts in the home. The Bible declares: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) God has additionally granted (in Christ Jesus) the authority of the parent(s) to train and instruct their children (particularly in matters of Christian faith and life). Again, the Scriptural mandate is clear and repeated: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.” (Deut. 6:6-7) and “Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4)
At Grace Christian Academy, we hold to the Biblical position that while parents can never delegate away their responsibility (before God) to instruct and discipline their children, they may ‘share’ the authority (given to them by God) for the teaching of their children, with our faculty and staff. Children will be blessed as parents and teachers share in their instruction, so long as the instruction is provided with God-given and rightly shared authority. “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14). The Academy is committed to its mission of fostering academic excellence in a genuinely Christ-centered scholastic community.
For this reason, the parent(s) of Academy students will be expected to clearly communicate God’s design in and the necessity for respect of teacher’s authority in the classroom at all times with their children. Academy students, learning to be in submission to the authority of their teachers in the classroom, even as they learn to submit to the authority of their parent(s) at home, actually engage in the larger process of learning obedience to God.
We desire to create an optimal learning environment based on academic excellence that compliments the Christian home. We strive to promote an atmosphere where students learn to live their lives for Christ, developing their character and achieving their highest potential (in Him). As we seek to train students, we believe that the school and the home need to work cooperatively in providing the best educational experience for every student. Our goal is to bring out of each student their natural creative desire to learn and to assist them in developing the required academic disciplines. It is critical that individuals master the basic academic skills needed to be productive in our society.
As to their spiritual nurturing, our goal is to develop within each student, an inclination to study, learn, and apply God’s Word in every area of his/her life. We will diligently work to instill in our students a sense of appreciation for the heritage that is theirs in Christ.
Ultimately, in all that we shall teach, in all that we shall say, do, plan, and promote; we shall direct all to the glory of God, exalting the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We will, at every point, seek to promote an experience of education and discipleship in the lives of Grace Christian Academy students; imparting God’s Truth, thus preparing them for faithful service in the cause of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, that their involvement in the home, church, workplace and community might manifest the glory of Jesus Christ for the world to see. (Ps. 22:23; Ps. 57:5; Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 4:11)
Grace Christian Academy is a religious institution providing an education in a distinct Christian environment, and it believes that its biblical role is to work in conjunction with the home to mold students to be Christ-like. On those occasions in which the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home is counter to or in opposition to the biblical lifestyle the school teaches, the school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, living in, condoning, or supporting sexual immorality; homosexual acts or sexual orientation; promoting such practices; or otherwise the inability to support the moral principles of the school (Leviticus 20:13a, Romans 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6).
God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Because man is created in the image of God, man’s ultimate purpose, meaning and very definition of being must all come from God. Thus, man, as a finite creature, is dependent upon divine revelation for all ultimate truth. (Gen. 1:1; Gen. 2:1, Gen. 1:26-27; Ex. 3:14; Isa. 55:6-9; Col. 1:15-17)
Concerning the “nature of truth”: Truth reveals God and is a revelation from God. God reveals Himself (generally) through His created universe, (specifically) in the Scriptures and (personally) in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Deut. 8:1-3; Isa. 40:6-8; Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:6; Rom. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 3:15-17)
Since the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden, man’s essential nature has been corrupted by sin, and in sin, man’s understanding has been darkened. At enmity with God in his spirit, man has embraced the falsehood that man’s ways are better than God’s ways. From the time of the fall, man has believed he could explore, understand, relate to and even teach the laws and facts of the created universe, independent of God’s revealed truth and without need of “the grace of God to comprehend and receive it”. (Gen. 3:1-7; Gen. 3:14-19; Gen. 6:5; Rom. 1:21-22; Rom. 3:10-11)
As Christians, we believe we are commanded by God to adopt, maintain and perpetuate (teach our children) a totally Christian worldview or Christian Philosophy. We believe our philosophy to be centered upon God (our Creator); that God is Truth; that God’s Word is completely trustworthy (inerrant) and that God can be known. From this Christian Philosophy of Life we derive our Philosophy of Christian Education. (Ex. 13:8; Deut. 6:6-9; Ps. 78:1-11; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 22:6; Rom. 11:35; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Col. 2:8; Col. 3:1-2; Ja. 1:5)
Living in a created world means living in a reality of created facts, which can be rightly understood only in relationship to their Creator. We hold firmly to the philosophy that man’s reason does not determine God’s revealed truth about Himself and all that He has created. Rather, God has graciously given man reason; in order that God’s truth (by the power of His Holy Spirit) might be discovered, understood, categorized and passed down from generation to generation in the systematic approach of training and discipline that is Christian Education. (Ps. 119:89-91; Prov. 1:7; Prov. 3:5-7; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Biblical truth must validate experience and knowledge at all times. In all subjects: mathematics, geography, economics, history or English, the Bible is the key to true understanding. The Bible gives us the perspective we need to see God as He is, ourselves as we are, our relationship to others and to the world that we live in. It provides the necessary principles, without which, there can be no true understanding. Thus, Biblical Truth will undergird the teaching of all subjects and provide the standard; qualifying all other texts, materials and supporting media used in our classrooms. (Prov. 1:7; Prov. 9:10)
Moreover, we hold the Scriptures to be divinely inspired, authoritative, and inerrant. The Word of God is our heritage and our birthright. Our Philosophy of Christian Education, this document and every policy and practice hereunto will regard the Word of God as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:16)
Grace Christian Academy’s purpose is to provide a distinctly Christian academic environment in which God’s mandate to train, instruct, and nurture each student in the Truth may be fulfilled. Administration, faculty and staff shall seek to minister to each student, providing a Christ-like example, while promoting that student’s spiritual, physical, academic, and social development.
We recognize that children are a heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:3). We believe that, to the Christian parent(s) of every Academy student, God has delegated a special “stewardship responsibility” for the instruction, nurture and discipline of children. The process of “training up a child” starts in the home. The Bible declares: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) God has additionally granted (in Christ Jesus) the authority of the parent(s) to train and instruct their children (particularly in matters of Christian faith and life). Again, the Scriptural mandate is clear and repeated: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.” (Deut. 6:6-7) and “Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4)
At Grace Christian Academy, we hold to the Biblical position that while parents can never delegate away their responsibility (before God) to instruct and discipline their children, they may ‘share’ the authority (given to them by God) for the teaching of their children, with our faculty and staff. Children will be blessed as parents and teachers share in their instruction, so long as the instruction is provided with God-given and rightly shared authority. “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14). The Academy is committed to its mission of fostering academic excellence in a genuinely Christ-centered scholastic community.
For this reason, the parent(s) of Academy students will be expected to clearly communicate God’s design in and the necessity for respect of teacher’s authority in the classroom at all times with their children. Academy students, learning to be in submission to the authority of their teachers in the classroom, even as they learn to submit to the authority of their parent(s) at home, actually engage in the larger process of learning obedience to God.
We desire to create an optimal learning environment based on academic excellence that compliments the Christian home. We strive to promote an atmosphere where students learn to live their lives for Christ, developing their character and achieving their highest potential (in Him). As we seek to train students, we believe that the school and the home need to work cooperatively in providing the best educational experience for every student. Our goal is to bring out of each student their natural creative desire to learn and to assist them in developing the required academic disciplines. It is critical that individuals master the basic academic skills needed to be productive in our society.
As to their spiritual nurturing, our goal is to develop within each student, an inclination to study, learn, and apply God’s Word in every area of his/her life. We will diligently work to instill in our students a sense of appreciation for the heritage that is theirs in Christ.
Ultimately, in all that we shall teach, in all that we shall say, do, plan, and promote; we shall direct all to the glory of God, exalting the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We will, at every point, seek to promote an experience of education and discipleship in the lives of Grace Christian Academy students; imparting God’s Truth, thus preparing them for faithful service in the cause of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, that their involvement in the home, church, workplace and community might manifest the glory of Jesus Christ for the world to see. (Ps. 22:23; Ps. 57:5; Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 4:11)
Grace Christian Academy is a religious institution providing an education in a distinct Christian environment, and it believes that its biblical role is to work in conjunction with the home to mold students to be Christ-like. On those occasions in which the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home is counter to or in opposition to the biblical lifestyle the school teaches, the school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, living in, condoning, or supporting sexual immorality; homosexual acts or sexual orientation; promoting such practices; or otherwise the inability to support the moral principles of the school (Leviticus 20:13a, Romans 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6).
8420 West Beloit Road · West Allis , WI 53227 · (414) 327-4200
Copyright © 2018 Grace Christian Academy. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2018 Grace Christian Academy. All Rights Reserved.