Philosophy

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – WHAT IS IT REALLY?

The mission of HCS is to provide an education for the whole child, built on the unchanging principles of the Word of God and focused on the core academic subjects in such a way that our students will become lifelong learners under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  In other words, we are seeking to provide a Christian education in a warm, loving, disciplined environment.  Let’s break that down and talk about it.  A Christian education.  At rock bottom providing a Christian education means that all our teachers approach every facet of education from a biblical perspective – every subject, every activity, every pursuit, every project.  All truth is God’s truth.  Math works because God established certain absolutes that never change.  Science is the observation and examination of the world God created, sustains and rules over by His good and wise providence.  History is the study of what God has been doing since creation.  English helps us to sharpen our communication skills as creatures made in the image of God.  Literature is an expression of our creativity and imagination, another aspect of our being made in the image of our Creator.  It is not that we simply begin each day with prayer and a brief devotion, or that we have chapel every week.  What makes education Christian is that we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in every facet of the educational process.

Christian education is also much more than teaching academic subjects from a Christian perspective.  We have said from the beginning that we are more interested in molding the character of our students than in simply imparting information to their minds.  All of life is lived out under the eye of God and He calls for certain kinds of behavior and attitudes toward Himself and toward our neighbors.  That’s why we are so careful about what our students do and say, about how they behave, about how they treat each other and about their attitudes.  That’s why we don’t let things slide, things that those in the public arena would seldom address (even if they had the freedom to do so).   That’s why we seek to be faithful to the souls of our students.  That’s why we address behavior issues.  That’s why we are concerned about modesty in dress.  That’s why we enforce discipline.  That’s why we strive for excellence.  It’s not that we’re trying to be superior or elitist.  It’s not that we’re trying to be a difficult school.  We are simply challenging our students to give their best to the glory of God, because that is what God Himself expects.

Underneath these convictions about education is this foundation:  we are a Christian school, not a private school.  We say that often, but sometimes we need to make it unmistakably clear.  We are a Christian School because the foundation for everything we do is the Bible.  It is not the latest fad, the most recent popular philosophy, or the newest twist on educational methods that drives us.  It is the unchanging principles of the Word of God that make us what we are.  Maintaining that conviction is not easy in a world that is always redefining values and abandoning absolutes.  But we are determined to stay on course as a Christian school.  And we invite you to join us in the rewarding pursuit of that goal.