Society reflects the ideas that are in the hearts of people. We can imagine the power of ideas by examining just one of the predominant ideas of our day, that man is nothing more than a data-processing machine that evolved. In that view, we are not responsible for our actions. That perspective in theory robs man of creative ability, but actually demonstrates the truth of God’s word as those who hold such an idea create a society of injustice and despair. Such a worldview claims that society creates criminals, which is interesting because one wonders how crime exists in an atheistic materialistic world which has no basis for ethics and morality. Only the biblical understanding of the nature of man gives meaning, purpose and significance to life. It also gives us a basis for justice and freedom. The simple idea that we are created in the image of God changes everything.
Because ideas are so powerful, a classical Christian education that is rooted in scripture and the great ideas of Western Civilization has the power to transform culture through capturing the imagination of a generation. Vishal Mangalwadi writes, “Language is the medium for thinking and communicating ideas. They are preserved through literature. Language makes a nation, literature builds a great nation. That is why the sixteenth-century biblical reformation was a linguistic revolution.”[1] The context of this quote is a discussion of the worldly view of empires as exemplified by the tower of Babel and the biblical idea of independent nations that are governed by the rule of law. Nations were created by having different languages, but national identity does not guarantee greatness. Greatness is the result of the ideas that create culture. Why is this the case? Because man is created in the image of God and has incredible creative abilities which are driven by their ideas. The best ideas are God’s.
An education that fails to impart a biblical worldview robs our children of the ideas that create goodness, truth and beauty in culture. More importantly, the ultimate hope of a Christian education is that our children become disciples of Jesus Christ. It is ultimately through a relationship with Jesus as our Savior and Lord that we find the fullness of life. When He is our Lord, we seek to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” The more fully we are immersed in God’s ideas do we create a world that reflects His heavenly government on earth. The rapid development of science and technology in the modern age is a direct result of the biblical Reformation. We can see its impact in men like Johannes Kepler who wrote, “I was merely thinking God’s thoughts after him. Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God.”[2] Our desire at Fortis Academy is for our students to “think God’s thoughts after Him”.
[1] Mangalwadi, Vishal. This Book Changed Everything: The Bible’s Amazing Impact on Our World (Kindle Locations 3433-3436). Kindle Edition.
[2] Newworldencyclopedia.org. (2019). Johannes Kepler – New World Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Johannes_Kepler.
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