Philosophy of Education
God is the source of all truth and has revealed Himself in
His Holy Word. That Word teaches that “the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). that all Scripture is God-breathed and
profitable (2 Timothy 3:16), and that God’s Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Because
of these truths, and as a Christian school committed to the spiritual and
intellectual formation of its students, Trinity Christian
School asserts that all
learning begins with and is held together by what God has revealed in the
Bible. Trinity believes that shaping character and developing intellectual
coherence in the historic Christian sense necessitates this approach to
education.
Because God’s Word is “living
and active” (Hebrews 4:12), and because it will “not return empty” but will accomplish and achieve God’s purposes
(Isaiah 55:11), Trinity’s faculty is encouraged to cultivate a vibrant
understanding of the Scriptures by reading through the entire Bible each year.
Knowledge of the Scriptures provides a framework for integrating faith and
learning in their respective disciplines and across the breadth of the
curriculum. It also enhances the faculty’s ability to be sensitive to the
spiritual needs and curiosities of the students so that they can bring the
Scriptures to bear on those issues and questions which confront our students
both in and out of the classroom.
Creation and Providence
All facts are created facts (John 1:3) and tell us something
about their Creator. God is the final reference point for all human predication
(Psalm 33:11). Reality is created by Jesus Christ and sustained by His powerful
Word (Hebrews 1:2-3). The “real world” is created by and for Jesus Christ
(Colossians 1:16). He governs all things as “the
ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5) and “in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). There is
nothing to which Christ is unrelated or irrelevant. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
Men and women are created in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27) and in themselves reveal God as their
Creator and Lord for they are “fearfully
and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
Adam and Eve were created with the purpose
of ruling over the earth (Genesis 1:26,28; Psalm 8:5-8) and, as God’s
image-bearers, to show the glory of God (Psalm 96:3; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
This task is renewed in Jesus Christ, who calls us to be salt and light in our own generation.
(Matthew 5:13-16). This task is ultimately
accomplished in and through Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15), the “second Adam”
(Romans 5:19).
Our students are created and called to be the bearers of the
image of God and to be “transformed into
his likeness” (2 Corinthians 3:8). They are destined for the “glorious presence” of God Himself (Jude
24). They are a “royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9) and those who teach them
must ever be mindful of their students’ exalted destiny and the One to Whom
they belong.
At the same time, students cannot fulfill the cultural
mandate (Genesis 1:28) to build the kingdom of God without first becoming
conversant with their God-given aptitudes and then developing discipline in
their use. Learning to exercise dominion over oneself is essential preparation
for exercising dominion over the created order.
Sin and Redemption
Adam’s disobedience brought all his posterity into the
bondage and corruption of sin (1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; 3:23; 1
John 1:8,10). Because of the Fall, all of us, including our students, attempt
to determine good and evil for ourselves apart from God’s revelation (Genesis
3:1-5). Sin deceives us (Romans 7:11;
I John 1:8), distorts our perception by entangling
us (Hebrews 12:1), enslaves us (John
8:34), fills us with foolishness
(Proverbs 22:15), and ultimately leads to death
(Romans 6:23).
The good news of the Gospel is that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “But now he has appeared once for all at the
end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews
9:26). “The gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have
been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
As redeemed sinners we often lament with Paul, "for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Rom. 7:19). We are conflicted by sinful desires and godly aims. We strive to be discipled in the Word, directed in
our understanding of the world and ourselves,
compassionately forgiving as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us (Ephesians
4:32), and loving as the children of God (John 13:34).
Restoration and Glory
Redemption makes “all things new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The
Apostle Paul exhorts us to be “transformed by the renewal of our minds” (Romans
12:1-2). The promise of God is that He will give us “a new heart, and a new
spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). We are restored to fellowship with our heavenly Father
through the person and work of Christ (1 Timothy 2:5) and called to again take
up the task for which we were created: to build the kingdom of God
by developing our relationships and employing the treasures of the created
world as an expression of God’s glory. Every area of endeavor and vocation is
embraced in this mandate.
We want to instill in our students an understanding that
their purpose is to represent God as the bearers of His image and to exercise
loving stewardship of the created order under Him (Genesis 1:26).They are
charged by God to reflect His loving and sanctified care for all of His
creation both in our present fallen state and in the new heavens and new earth
where righteousness will dwell (2 Peter 3:13). As they exercise the gifts and
talents that God has given them across all the areas of the created order, they
will be not only messengers of God’s redemptive grace in Christ, but the
bearers of common grace as well.
