Part 2: “Christian” – What Does This Word Really Mean?

Embedded in Shannon Forest Christian School's very name is the essence of who we are:  we are a Christian school. While there are differing opinions about what Christian schools "look like" or "act like," at its core identifying ourselves as a Christian school is a statement of being. While what we look like and how we live are important practical outworkings of our identity in Christ, it is our identity IN Christ that defines us as a Christian school.     

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes “Watch your life and doctrine closely…” Applying this to Shannon means that our desire is to be Christian in our beliefs and practice. These beliefs are summarized in our school's doctrinal statement, which represents the "non-negotiables" of who we are as a Christian school. Our doctrinal statement reads as follows:

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are verbally inspired by God and are of supreme and final authority in faith, life, and standards of education. (Isaiah 40:8; II Timothy 3:16, 17: II Peter 1:21).

The Scriptures teach that: 

§  There is one God who eternally exists in three equal Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; John 1:1, 14; 10:30; II Corinthians 13:14).

§  God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He created the universe and all that is in it out of nothing (Genesis 1:1).

§  Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the Eternal Word manifested in flesh; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born to the Virgin Mary; He is true God and true man (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1-2, 14, 18; 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8).

§  Christ died for our sins and for all who repent and believe in Him as Lord and Savior become children of God (John 1:29; Romans 3:25-26, II Corinthians 5:14 Hebrews 10:5-19; I Peter 2:24; 3:18: I John 1:7).

§  Christ rose from the dead; He lives on high as Head of the Church, and shall return to earth to judge the world and reign over all. At the second coming of Christ, all humanity will be physically resurrected: the saved to eternal life, and the lost to the eternal condemnation and separation from God (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:20; Acts 2:32; I Corinthians 15; Luke 16:19-31; II Corinthians 5:8-10; I Corinthians 3:11-15).

§  The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the God-Head; He convicts men of sin, and regenerates believers unto a holy life; He is the Teacher of the Word of God; He is the Light of our minds, our affections, and our morals (John 16:7-11; 3:6, 14, 17).

§  Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God, man fell through disobedience and, as a consequence, lost his spiritual life, became dead in sin, and subject to the power of the devil. This spiritual death has been transmitted to the entire human race so that every man needs regeneration of soul, body, and mind. The renewed man in Christ is enabled to worship and serve God to enjoy Him forever (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5-30; John 6:53; Romans 3:10-19; 8:6, 7; Ephesians 2:1-3, I Timothy 5:6; I John 3:5, 3:8).

§  God has acted to save people who have rebelled against Him, not because of anything external compelling Him, but it is “according to His great mercy” that “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3).

§  Salvation is by grace through faith alone. This saving faith is in the sacrificial and atoning life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:1; Romans 5:8-10, 19; John 11:25).

§  The Church, both universally and locally, is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. The church exercises Christ’s authority until His return. It is the Church which is entrusted with the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:22-23; Colossians 1:18).

§  The family is God's agency for populating the earth with people who would love God and be loved by Him. Marriage and the family are God's ideas and as such, they are not open to human renegotiation or revision (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:18-24; Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Ephesians 5:23).

§  Those whom God has saved are sent into the world by Christ as He was by the Father. Those so sent are ambassadors, commissioned to go make disciples and make Christ known to the whole world (Matthew 28:18-20; John 15:8; 17:18; 20:21; Acts 1; Romans 10:14-15; II Corinthians 5:18-20; Colossians 4:2-6; II Timothy 2:14-26).

If our school is to have any authenticity as a Christian school, there must be consistency between doctrine and "doing;" between belief and practice. Therefore, in tandem with the doctrinal statement, we believe that all employees and Board members must have a relationship with the Jesus Christ and adhere to the following Personal Lifestyle Statement:

A Christ-honoring lifestyle bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be the standard for the faculty, staff, and Board of Shannon Forest Christian School. The faculty, staff, and Board members will embrace a lifestyle that is marked by the positive pursuit of personal holiness  (Galatians 5:18-25, Romans 14:13, I Corinthians 8:9-13, 10:31-32, I Thessalonians 4:4-6, Romans 8),

In addition, an employee of the Shannon Forest Christian School community shall:

§  Be an active, communing member in good standing of a local evangelical church, as evidenced by references from ministers and involvement in church worship and service.  

§  Practice Biblical principles of conflict resolution (Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 5; Ephesians 4:29-32; Colossians 3:12, 14, 16).

§  Adhere to the moral principles of the Bible, which are considered by Shannon Forest Christian School as indisputable and wholly practical. We believe that God has written His law upon the hearts of all mankind (Romans 2:15; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).

§  Follow the Biblical standards for sexual behavior. Immorality and promiscuity, including adultery, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality, violate the occupational requirement of being a Christ-like role model (Romans 12: 1-2, I Corinthians 6:12-20; Ephesians 4:1-22, 5:3-5; I Timothy 4:12; II Timothy 2:19-22).

§  Demonstrate obedience to the laws of government, evidence of one’s belief that God has ordained the authority of those in leadership over us (Romans 13:1-2).

§  Exercise responsibility and authority diligently and in humility as servant, sacrificial, accountable leaders. Genuinely care for and encourage those for whom we are responsible, with Christ as our model (Luke 22:25-26).

§  Agree to be known by our love (John 13:35, 1 Corinthians 13:2-8a).

The litmus test for us as a Christian school is the extent to which what we say we believe permeates the day-to-day life of our school and how we do things. Foremost, in all of our instruction, Shannon Forest is committed to teach the truth. Although Shannon does not exist solely to give instruction in the Bible, all of its instruction, in all subjects, is based upon the Word of God. The Bible is our authority, and we want to approach all of learning through the lens of Scripture.

Christian education puts God at the center of everything. Therefore, “a Christian School is not where a few ‘ornaments’ like prayer, chapels, and Bible class merely complement an otherwise secular education”  (Jim Drexler “Why Christian Education Matters” World). Being Christian in practice is not about outward boundary markers of behavior – let us not confuse the two. It is much deeper than that. We seek to live according to our calling, and our calling is to live transformed lives as a result of the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Our lives are lived based on Gospel motivation. In other words, we are no longer compelled by moralism or legalism, but rather by the desire to have lives that reflect in ever-greater measure the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Our prayer is that Shannon Forest not be consecrated by outward symbols or adornments for show, but that our faith simply be displayed in how we live our lives.

Part 1: “Private” – What Does This Word Really Mean?

While mission statements are designed to focus and define, they are often filled with "big ideas" that have little impact on the life of an organization unless purposeful energy is put into translating those ideas into action.  As Head of School, I spend a lot of time thinking about the mission of Shannon Forest Christian School.  Recently, I began defining some of the terms we use to describe our school and giving thought to the implications these terms have on how we think about ourselves as a community.

One of the foundational distinctives of our school is that Shannon is private.  Being private affords us great latitude in defining our mission, yet often times we forget how important it is that we are a private school.  Most notably, being a private school allows us the incredible freedom to determine the best way to prepare our students.

As bureaucrats and unions argue over how to address the crisis in the American educational system, nothing of substance seems to change, and I am not optimistic that a solution is forthcoming.  There are too many factions, too many personal agendas, and no overarching goal. Thus, the solutions offered, be they Common Core, No Child Left Behind, or whatever flavor-of-the month is on the menu, are generic prescriptions that are of little value and use to schools.  Furthermore, these initiatives rob educators of motivation, energy and creativity that could be better spent teaching the very students entrusted to them.  As a private school, we do not have to get caught up in all of the noise associated with such government mandates, and we are free to focus on equipping our students for the future in the most relevant and comprehensive ways.

As we think about the term "private," I also think it is helpful to think about what "private" does not mean.  I often hear people define “private” as “exclusive” or “selective,” like a country club membership. There are private schools all over the country that take this exclusive, just-for-a-select-group-of-people approach, and unfortunately, it is the historical legacy of most of those private schools. At Shannon Forest, the emphasis on private is more about independence and our freedom to choose the educational experience that we deem best serves our mission. (See our mission below.)

The “why” of Shannon Forest should not be influenced by the changing culture or various political viewpoints. The governing influence of what kind of private school we are and will be is found in our choice to be a CHRIST-CENTERED school.  We have the freedom to choose the best approaches, techniques, methodology, and curriculum to fulfill our mission and prepare our students, and we can do all of that with a Christ-centered approach.

Yes, we are a private school and we are a community, although not an exclusive community. We are available to all, just as the Gospel is available to all. We will embrace the obligation this term places on us to chart the best course.  Excellence in executing our mission means that we simply cannot and will not follow the herd.

Next, we will consider the word “Christian” and what it means for our school community.

MISSION STATEMENT: Believing that God is truth and that in Him we find the source of all knowledge, the purpose of Shannon Forest Christian School is to engage students with true knowledge by providing quality education from an evangelical, Biblical perspective, thereby strengthening the Christian home and Church, and equipping students to influence culture and society for Jesus Christ.