Should we have Christian Schools? Part 1 of 2

This is the first half of an ammended paper I wrote as a student at Mid America Reformed Seminary for a Denominational History class with Dr. C. Venema.

A Defense of the Presuppositions of Christian Day Schools after 1890

INTRODUCTION

Generation after generation of Reformed Christians have had to defend their Christian schools. The influences and mentality over the last 12 decades or so of Christian education have been refined and sometimes amended.

There is a long history of influences in the CRC that have shaped what its reasons or purposes for Christian education should be. Though, this paper is greatly indebted to those who have traced the history of this development, it will be the purpose of this paper to explain and defend what I believe are the vital and essential presuppositions to (Reformed) Christian Day Schools. By (Reformed) Christian Day Schools I am referring to those schools which teach from a Calvinistic worldview and teach children through 12th grade. Though there have been a many presuppositions for the defense of Christian education, I will focus my treatment upon the four largest reasons; namely, redemption history and the sovereignty of God, second, the covenant, third, the antithesis, and fourth, the notion of Protestant vocation or calling.

REDEMPTION HISTORY AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The Reformed believer has a completely different starting point in discussing education than that of the non-believer. As Van Til states concerning the motivating power of education, “For the non-Christian, this is faith in man himself, but for the consistent Christian position it is faith in the triune God of the Scriptures.” This has always been a starting point for the Reformed. Also, it is only when we look briefly at redemptive-history that we will be able to see the great need for Christian education.

Redemptive-history begins already with creation in the Garden of Eden. God created man in His own image with a perfect knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Man was in fellowship with God while thinking God’s thoughts after Him. However, this relationship was shattered when sin entered the picture. The fall of man into sin wreaked havoc on the original fellowship. Man had become cursed.

After sin, God came to man and promised him His grace (Gen. 3:15). God made it clear that He would be a restorer of fellowship. This restoration would take time and it would progress. In the meantime, man would have to recognize his fallenness and inability to serve God, learn properly, and work well. Throughout history God has been redeeming a people for himself within the church. It is through the tool of the church that fellowship is regained individually. Once fellowship is restored, then the Holy Spirit renews the believer, once again, after the image of God. Before the fall, man reasoned properly, after the fall, his reasoning was corrupted as he began with as his starting point the autonomy of self, instead of knowledge proceeding from God.

Therefore, in education, it is key to strive after knowledge of God and of His creation. He has established the means to fulfill this calling. These means or tools are the church, the home, and the school. These three arenas or spheres of life work together in the education of our children. In baptism, parents take a vow to instruct their children in the fear of the Lord. They also vow to "cause them to be instructed therein." This refers primarily to catechism, but I think the same principle applies to Christian education, whether in the home or in the day school. These three institutions are the tools parents use and all three ought to reinforce what the other is teaching.

THE COVENANT

The role of the covenant has also been debated among the Reformed. However, it is a Reformed conviction that the covenant of grace between God and His people is, and must continuing to be a driving force in our view of Christian Day School education. Without this knowledge, one may wonder why to put so much money, time, energy, and prayers into the schools. Some may argue that the massive amount of money spent on Christian Day schools could be put to a much better cause for the kingdom of God. I am certainly not of that opinion.
To me, the question of Christian education or public school education is not an option. Neither was it for our forefathers. As I mentioned, there have been many influences in the history of the CRC concerning Christian education. However, with the influence of Abraham Kuyper, some of the mentality changed. In the early years of the CRC the Christian schools established then were parochial or church-run schools. However, as views progress (after 1890), many began to see the school not so much as an extension of the power of the church, but rather as an extension of the home. For, in the home, is where covenant life begins and grows primarily. There are others who viewed the Christian school as a separate institution from both the home and the church. It has its own “sphere.”

Regardless which side one holds to, the obligation of the covenant still remains. The Reformed believe that God has covenanted with his people and their children. All of the children of believers are different than other children, for the children of believers have the sign and seal of the covenant upon them. To put it one way, they are being restored and trained as members of the kingdom of God, even in their education (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:1-9).

Parents use the school to work out their calling to teach their children. This is why the Christian school was born. Parents formed an association among themselves, as believers, to train these young ones. This association would be in charge of hiring teachers and administrators, along with the admittance of children into the school. As a covenant community efforts and resources could be pooled together to give children a solid, biblical, and academically rigorous education.

As covenant children, they were not to be viewed or treated the same as non-believing children. They were not to be evangelized, but rather nurtured. They needed more than “een school met de Bijbel,” they needed to be trained with a Calvinistic world and life view. These young ones needed a place to grow and mature in the covenant and sanctification. Therefore, though the world and life view were essential, there came to be certain features that were necessary in the Christian Day school. These children should be taught God’s word through narrative and memorization, they should be taught to sing the Psalms, they should be taught about creation, fall, and redemption. Christian education was to encompass everything.

Part II is coming soon.