In our series on the College’s new core purpose statement, we look this week at what Biblical perspective means. I reference here an article I wrote in September 2019.

We begin by acknowledging that all we do in life, is informed by a particular perspective or perspectives of life and the world. In fact, everything we do is motivated by some "… cause, principle, or system of beliefs held with ardour and faith" which is the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition for religion. We are all religious: motivated and living by some system of beliefs that ultimately involves worship.

Most people think of much of education as being neutral. After all 1 + 1 = 2 is the same for everybody isn’t it? It is a fact and so we assume it is unaffected by a world view or religious belief. The real question is why does 1 + 1 always = 2? How do we explain number, order, the reliability of such information or constructs without referring to our belief in the origin of the universe, its meaning and purpose? All of education is influenced by our perspectives on life.

In the Christian school we openly state that our perspective is one shaped by the Christian Scriptures, God’s words to us about Himself and His purposes for us, about His world and about us. We celebrate God as the Creator and Sustainer of all of life who has a purpose and plan for us. We seek to look at all subjects and school activities through this lens. Other forms of education exclude or marginalise God to a greater or lesser extent and so present to students a very different view of life and its purpose.

If Christian schooling is shaped by a theological perspective, it is also shaped by a philosophical one as well. We say we take a critical realist view of Truth and the world. This means we believe there is an objective reality out there to be discovered or uncovered and that God’s truth is embedded in the world. We filter this search through our own lenses, but also bring God’s Word to the search as His revelation of Himself and His purposes for us. We shy away from the modern view that we construct truth and reality for ourselves, but celebrate an exciting journey of discovery of the reality to be found in the world and the understanding that brings to our view of the world, ourselves and others.

Finally, we recognise that just as we see the world in the light of the sun even though we do not have to look directly at it, so we can look at all we do in the light of the Son of God, who is the Truth and who helps us to see everything in His light. CS Lewis, the great Oxford and Cambridge academic said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen – not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” (Lewis, 2014)

So, we unashamedly teach students to understand the world and themselves through the Biblical story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration; a story that helps make sense of why the world is the way it is and points us to a hope-filled future. We believe that no other story can give as good an account of human existence and equip children to go out with a powerful purpose for living.