What do we mean by “the model of education that is Biblically Reformed”? *

By “Biblically Reformed” we are referring to a model of education in which all academics are reflective of Biblical principles, children are disciplined according to scriptural guidelines, and the community conducts itself according
to truths revealed in God’s Word.

These ideals were espoused by the Protestant Reformers of history in their reaction against the dualist worldview borrowed by medieval Catholics from the ancient Greek philosophers. According to Nancy Pearcy in Total Truth, The "Reformers sought a return to a unified field of knowledge, where divine revelation is the light illuminating all areas of study."

In most respects this is not different from other Christian schools, but in our case, because we are a ministry of a Presbyterian church, it might be relevant to relate these goals in terms of our particular philosophy. Reformed theology emphasizes

1. Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) as authoritative,
2. the doctrines of grace, (sola gratia and sola fide),
3. the sovereignty of God (as opposed to human efficacy),
4. and the cultural mandate (being “in the world” as opposed to withdrawing from it).

Let’s look at an example of how each of these impacts education.

Scripture alone is authoritative

Our teachers study Bible Truths for School Subjects. They are required to
cite Bible principles in their unit lesson plans. They receive frequent in-service training on the integration of faith and scripture.

Our curriculum is careful to differentiate the objective and the subjective; we want children to be able to identify these concepts as early as possible. In terms of this topic, we consider “objectivity” to consist only of those things irrefutably revealed by God, as recorded in the Bible. While empirical data based on sense perceptions is useful within a ,limited sphere, we believe that to overstate its objectivity tends to exalt such data to a position that supplants the supremacy of scripture.

In practical terms, this means that we teach a healthy skepticism about “juried truth,” those areas of consensus which may not have been arrived at by the most objective processes. “Science” which is not replicable in the laboratory, “revisionist history” which has been sanitized to look “politically correct,’ and popular notions of beauty (whether abstract or representational) which cannot be subjected to dispassionate criticism would be examples of abuses in this area.

The doctrines of grace have primacy

We view the entire scope of man’s history and interactions through these scriptural realities:

1. Man is sinful.
2. God has extended grace toward us, even though we do not deserve it.
3. God’s grace is able to rescue the faithful from the consequences of their sinful lives.
4. God seeks and saves those who are lost.
5. The just shall live by faith.

Nothing we teach can violate the veracity of these presuppositions. In fact, we attempt to find ways to emphasize them in all that we do.

The Sovereignty of God is unquestioned

This presupposition says much about how we relate to each other in the school community. With the recognition of God’s sovereignty, we place ourselves under the authority of finite human authorities trusting that God will divinely protect us from the willful mistreatment of sinful flesh.

We also recognize His sovereign role in human history, the revelation of knowledge, and the wisdom by which we can live successfully. It is our goal to project the Triune God as present in a lively manner in all the affairs of this earth.

We prepare children for the cultural mandate

The cultural mandate is reflected in our church’s vision statement:

Catalina Foothills Church exists to glorify God by exalting the Lord in our corporate worship and our individual lives, by edifying God’s people in their faith, and by equipping God’s people to take the transforming power of the gospel into every area of society – the arts, athletics, business, education, law, medicine, the military, politics, and others.

The cultural mandate means that we are not monastic, but we have chosen to live “in” the world. It also means that we believe the power of the gospel is transformative, and errors in our culture can be corrected by proper application of gospel principles.

Biblically Reformed