Pietas Classical Christian

Vision

Building Christ’s Kingdom by training students to be wise, virtuous, and competent self-learners. Our biblically-based and academically-rigorous education guides the student into knowing and serving our Lord Jesus Christ, walking reverently and faithfully by the Spirit in this present age, to the glory of our God and Father. The Bible states that the telos of all wisdom and knowledge is to glorify God: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:9-13).

Values

Our curriculum is designed to reflect the classical approach towards education as most clearly expressed in the Trivium and Quadrivium. We are gospel-centered, wisdom oriented, and theologically reformed. By coming alongside of Christian parents, we aim to help them fulfill their God-ordained responsibility to educate their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We strive to reflect the love of Christ by the way we teach, serve, and live before the face of God (Matt. 22:37; Col. 3:23-24).

Motto

Ordinans Amores, which means Ordering the Affections, states the aim of our instruction. Our Christian forefathers—most notably Augustine, Calvin, the Puritans, and Lewis—have written at great length about the priority of properly ordered affections in the life of the Christian. Toward that end, ordering the affections to what ought to be loved is a main goal of our instruction, summed up in our key verse, Philippians 4:8: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Three Pillars of Education

The goal of Classical and Christian education is to cultivate intellectual virtue and shape the soul—the mind, will, and affections, and teach students how to enjoy and serve Christ forever. Since man is a composite creature being made up of a reasonable soul and body (WSC 22), then a fully-orbed education needs to integrate intellectual virtue and piety, faith and love. Teachers ought to guide students towards a knowledge of the world, man, and God, shaped by the theology of the Church as it has been handed down to us through the ages.

Wonder

Learning about the world means more than merely understanding the facts of the world. It also includes understanding who you are in relation to your neighbor, and to God. While modern science has done away with Aristotle’s Material and Final cause distinctions, and has focused instead on motion and force, the Classical Christian approach to learning about the world should be one of wonder—wonder in discovering the fingerprints of God in the theatre of his creation. Educating young people effectively means sparking a flame of intrigue, surprise, and admiration about the topic they are learning. Therefore, creation must be viewed in the light of not only its material components, but also its telos. The student must come to see themselves as a character in a story that culminates in a wedding feast, and the students get to examine all of the treasures that their Bridegroom has left for them to discover. Instead of Galileo being some guy that came up with some theory a long time ago, the student marvels at how other actors in this drama have stumbled upon these gifts and tried to explain them. Subjects such as math and science, then, inspire transcendent wonder in place of materialist ennui [Pronounced an-we; meaning a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction].

Worship

Leading young people to view their studies with wonder should drive them towards worship. This is another way to say we should teach them piety, which could be summarized as love of God and love of neighbor.

The faculty at a Classical Christian school should recognize that piety is formed first in the home, then nourished in the church, and finally supported by the school. This means that as teachers and administrators, we should curate a culture wherein the rulers of the church and home work with us in a reciprocal relationship designed to nurture fear of the Lord and the love of neighbor in the child. In doing so, we equip young people to become better sons and daughters, church members, and students. Creating a culture in the school is just as important as developing the curriculum of the school, for when children are directed to proper worship and their obligations to their neighbor (i.e. teachers, students, pastors, and parents), then we foster virtue and discourage notions of total individual autonomy. As students grow in piety, they take on those attitudes that are essential to receive the teaching of their parents, their teachers, and their pastors.

Wisdom

Classical Christian education ought to train young people in how to think rather than simply whatto think. It does this through training students to love wisdom. Coming to a knowledge of the truth of reality must be accompanied by a love for that knowledge, as opposed to merely harvesting information about God’s created order. Contemporary models of education focus on rote memorization and regurgitation of data, whereas the ancients sought to understand the connectedness of the cosmos and its relation to God. They viewed the pursuit of truth as flowing from the soul, so one could know and love God, and exist well in the created order. Cultivating wisdom, then, trains students to see the ultimate reality—to discern the good, true, and beautiful—and to properly orient their judgment about what those categories mean. Ultimately, it brings the students’ soul into harmony with reality, and aids them in applying their reason to the nature of the cosmos. If educators succeed at this, then we equip young people with the ability to think critically and broadly, and thus seek out their vocation, not merely an education that will help them collect a paycheck.

The Scriptures

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

God

There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.

The Trinity

God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal properties, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

Providence

God, from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet not in any way as to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the real decisions and responsibility of intelligent creatures.

Election

Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life– not because of foreseen merit in them, but of his mere mercy in Christ– in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.

The Fall of Man

God originally created man in His own image, and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; whereby his posterity [i.e. descendants] inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors.

The Mediator

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law, suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He lives forever to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the church, and Sovereign of the Universe.

Regeneration

Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who makes alive those who are dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and special grace alone.

Repentance

Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein the Holy Spirit makes a person aware of the manifold evil of his sin, so that he humbles himself with godly sorrow, detesting sin, and abhorring [i.e., hating] self, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.

Faith

Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving grace, and leads to a life of holiness.

Justification

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction that Christ has made. It is given not for anything wrought in them or done by them, but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith.

Sanctification

Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God’s Word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial [i.e., willing] obedience to all Christ’s commands.

Perseverance of the Saints

Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

The Church

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. According to His commandment, Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches; and to each of these churches He has given needful authority for administering the order, discipline and worship which He has appointed. The regular officers of a church are Bishops (or Elders) and Deacons.

Baptism

Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life.

The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with bread and wine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge, and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship.

The Lord's Day

The New Testament Church gives the example of assembling on the Lord’s Day (i.e. Sunday) for the reading and teaching of the Word of God, worship, prayer, and mutual encouragement – stimulating one another to love and good deeds. It is fitting to view the Lord’s Day as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the redemption of His people.

Liberty of Conscience

God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it. Civil magistrates being ordained of God, subjection in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

The Resurrection

The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God – the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked, to be reserved under darkness to judgment. At the last day, the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.

the Judgment

God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when every one shall receive according to his deeds: the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.

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