A Philosophy of Christian EducationBrad McCain

Tacoma Baptist Schools exist to glorify Godby developing DiscipleLeaders

through a Christ-centered communitythat is growing in faith, knowledge, and service.

Tacoma Baptist Schools exist to glorify God…

The Westminster Catechism begins with the question and answer,

“What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy

Him forever.”1 This statement stands as the starting point for all disciplines

throughout Tacoma Baptist Schools. Tacoma Baptist Schools’ first and

foremost purpose is to bring glory to God. Every other statement and

assumption within this Philosophy of Christian Education is built upon this

foundation. The glorification of God serves as the purpose for our adherence

to the eternal veracity of the word of God; how we interact in peer to peer,

teacher to student, and student to student relationships; and serves as the

primary target for any form of attained accomplishment. This being of

preeminent importance, “to glorify God” becomes the opening for any

purpose statement of Christian emphasis. Apart from this purpose our

existence should cease.

From the desire to glorify God, a Christian worldview can be formed.

This desire is not the basis alone. It is fused with a holistic approach to

biblical truth and submission thereof that gives genesis to a Christian

1 See the following web source for scripture citations that accompany this statement. http://www.reformed.org/documents/wsc/index.html?_top=http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC.html

worldview. The complexity of articulating the entirety of a Christian

worldview is impossible in a document of this size, so the most prevalent

pieces will be addressed. These are the core doctrinal beliefs of Tacoma

Baptist Schools.

About the Bible : The Bible is the Word of God. It is complete and without error; it has final authority over everything it addresses. We accept the Bible as the standard for all areas of life.

About God : We believe in the one and only true God existing in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are eternal, equal, and distinct, yet perfectly united.

About Sin and Salvation : Every human being has sinned and stands condemned before God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died to pay the penalty of sin. He was buried and rose again, demonstrating His victory over sin and death. Those who trust in Christ are forgiven before God and are eternally saved; those who reject Christ remain condemned in their sinfulness and will suffer eternal punishment.

About Christ’s Return : Jesus has ascended to heaven where He now rules providentially as God the Son. He will return to earth one day to rule forever with His saints.

About Sanctification : It is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian to grow in Christ-like character and carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28) while we await Christ’s return.2

These core beliefs are the non-negotiables for any Christian worldview. It is

important for Christian education to function from this basis. There are many

competing voices in society, some of which have infiltrated the church. Many

of these philosophies are in direct contrast with scripture. Without a

thoroughly vetted worldview and a continuing process of evaluating all

elements of a school’s function through the lens of scripture, it is easy for

these competing voices to gain an audience in a Christian school. It is

2 See TBS Student Handbook for Junior High and High School Students, Page A-2.

impossible for a school that has departed from or compromised on biblical

truth to maintain a Christian worldview. Therefore, it is impossible for such a

school to continue to glorify God as intended.

…by developing DiscipleLeaders…

Developing DiscipleLeaders is a phrase I invented to describe the

functional purpose of Tacoma Baptist Schools. “To glorify God” is the

ultimate purpose of the school. However, “Developing DiscipleLeaders” is the

phrase through which every decision is funneled. I use the word developing

because the process is never finished. The follower of Christ is in the

constant process of being developed or conformed to the image and likeness

of Christ. Likewise, the truly devout follower of Christ understands the

mandate to engage in developing others. Developing in both the active and

passive sense, the Christian educator is also in process of being educated.

This reciprocity happens in the classroom, through staff meetings, and with

parent interactions with recognized mutuality at all times.

A DiscipleLeader is one who is a follower of Christ who is leading others

in how to follow Christ. Again, there is an active and passive element to the

idea that we are simultaneously followers and leaders. Every role in the

Christian school recognizes this and understands the correct place within the

structural hierarchy of the school. The only difference is assigned

responsibilities. This phrase – developing DiscipleLeaders - defines who we

are as a school. Making disciples is the active command of the Great

Commission and the active mandate for our school. We must exercise great

intent toward training our students to love the Lord with all their heart, soul,

mind, and strength. As a Christian school, our goal is to make disciples, who

make disciples, who make disciples, ad infinitum. Grades are important.

Accomplishments are important. Making disciples is mandatory.

We are surrounded by other Christian schools who strive to do the

same things we do to some degree or another. We do not communicate what

we do as much as why we do it because this is the distinguishing factor for

TBS. Developing DiscipleLeaders is the communication phrase from which all

other functions of our school derive. This is the centrality and pulse of our

school which permeates every element. As we emphasize developing

DiscipleLeaders we enhance our school culture and move toward a common

goal.

…through a Christ-centered community…

I prefer the idea of being Christ-centered over Bible-centered. I’ve seen

the latter produce many Pharisees over the years in the church. A Christ-

centered school understands that Christ alone is the Word (John 1). We

pursue the Word as a person, or as a relationship to be nurtured, grown, and

understood, rather than a text. As we do so, we accomplish what would more

rightly be called biblical saturation than biblical integration. Integration

implies the combination of two elements that would not be joined if left unto

themselves. Biblical integration can imply that math, science, history,

English, and the fine arts have nothing to do with Scripture so we must

integrate the two. Often the result is proof-texting a subject matter by taking

the Word out of context. This cheapens the gravity of the Word for our

students and should be avoided.

To be truly Christ-centered results in a biblical saturation within the

school. Saturation implies that the passive element has been so exposed to

the active agent that the two have become completely inextricable. Biblical

saturation implies that the fundamental elements of God’s creative and

redemptive plan can be discovered in any discipline. In fact, no discipline can

truly be understood in its totality apart from the biblical. Christ is also Truth.

Apart from truth no matter can be fully known. Apart from Christ no matter

can be fully known. In a culture of postmodern relativism, the Christian

school must hold fast to the undeniable veracity of the Word of God as

absolute truth. To be a Christ-centered community means that the Christian

school is saturated with the Word and Truth in a way that fully illuminates all

elements of a field. This Word and Truth informs all decisions and values of

the school and its constituents.

As educators, we are collaborative in our efforts to teach and lead our

students to places of discovery for themselves. It takes the expertise of

someone who has traveled the path before to guide students along the way

to discovery. Our role is that of shepherd within the community of a Christian

school. The shepherd leads his sheep. He protects the sheep from the

enemy. He takes them to fertile pasture so that the sheep can be fed.

However, left unto themselves, sheep will eat a pasture into destruction. The

community of a Christian school allows the teacher and school to partner

with the family and local church in the spiritual formation of a child. This

mutual relationship is one of a partnership in which there is reciprocal

responsibility. The Christian school understands its position in the process of

helping students grow within the context of a Christ-centered community.

TBS is often described as a second family. This community is very

connected. Our interwoven-ness creates a very unique community. A Bible-

centered approach can lead to legalism and the use of scripture as spiritual

grenades against those who disagree. It is impossible for a Christ-centered

community to behave in such a way. “The fruit of righteousness is sown in

peace.” This subtle shift to being a Christ-centered community should

change things. There is grace and truth in Christ.

…that is growing in faith, knowledge, and service.

Measurable outcomes exist in any school. Most schools measure their

outcomes through standardized test scores. While these are certainly

important, they are not the most important. At TBS, we emphasize growing

in faith, knowledge, and service. Students who are growing in faith should be

able to articulate their faith. They should be able to lead another person to

faith in Christ. A student who is growing in faith is learning how to feed

themselves spiritually. The school’s true report card comes in the years after

a student leaves. Is the student faithfully serving the local church? Have they

continued the process of developing DiscipleLeaders? Have they

demonstrated a walk that is consistent with a Christ-centered life? Faith is

hard to measure under the scrutinizing watch of daily life at a Christian

school. They learn the language and figure out how to conform to the culture

around them. As the pressures of life come upon a student the certainty of

their faith is proven.

While students grow in faith, we also challenge them to also grow in

knowledge. Wisdom – the ability to make the right decision for the right

reason – is a lost art in today’s culture. We must train our students to grow in

godly wisdom. This is knowledge that will go far beyond standardized test

scores. However, we have also been given the task to encourage our

students toward academic excellence as an act of worship unto the Lord.

This knowledge is demonstrated in their eventual ability to also live a

Gospel-saturated life. Growing in knowledge is visible through the skills

demonstrated to compete athletically, perform the arts, and ace a test.

However, growing in knowledge is also important for those who will rarely do

any of those things to a level that would receive accolades. Every student is

worthy of our coaching and coaxing to develop and grow in knowledge

through their own skills to the glory of God.

Service is an external manifestation of an inward reality. Eventually,

we want our students to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel by

serving others. This can happen through vocational ministry, but is often

most remarkable when seen as a natural outpouring in daily living. Service to

others is a form of DiscipleLeadership. This is a skill that should be

observable and repeatable in the lives of teachers and students.

I believe God has placed me at Tacoma Baptist Schools to raise up a

generation of missionaries. They will pursue every vocation, but they will see

themselves primarily as missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the

nations. As they center their lives around Christ, they will become

DiscipleLeaders who live for the glory of God.