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A Christian philosophy of education first of all recognized God as the creator and sustainer of all things and as the source of all truth. God has revealed Himself to mankind both through His creation in a general way and in a special way through His inspired, infallible, inherent, authoritative Word - the Bible.
Man, though, in his natural sinful state (the result of Adam's original disobedience against God) is unable to comprehend these truths concerning the universe and God; thus, man, corrupted both intellectually and spiritually by sin has historically omitted God from learning and has developed a secular humanist basis for interpreting life and the world around him.
However, God has graciously provided the means for reestablishing in the mind and spirit of man the true understanding of God. An understanding through regeneration by faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son.
As the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit works in an individual, his or her mind begins to be opened to the truth of God as revealed in the Bible. This trust becomes the basis for his or her world/life view or the basis upon which life is interpreted. This saving transforming knowledge of Jesus Christ must be the basis of Christian education, without which its goals can never be fully realized.
This Christian education, integrating faith and learning, is not just an academic experience. It is also a sanctifying experience as the teacher and student grow more and more in their understanding of Christ as Lord of every area of life.
The mandate for such an education comes from both God's Word and from the fact that parents are primarily responsible for educating and training their children in the way that they should go. They must delegate a part of this responsibility to an institution which is able to carry forward their God-given task.
The authority of the teacher in character training and discipline is derived from the fact that the teacher stands in loco parentis. Thus the Christian home, the Christian school, and the Christian church all become partners in this educating and sanctifying process.
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