1979 PRINCIPAL’S CONFERENCE

For the past few years the principals of the schools of our congregations have met together each summer in order to discuss the operation of their schools and gain insight from each other in the solution of the various difficulties they each encounter. This past year the conference was held in Grand Rapids during the month of August, and it was felt that the report of this meeting would be of interest to our readers.

Present for the conference were Mr. B. Elshout from Franklin Lakes, Mr. O. de Leeuw from Norwich, Mr. D. Engelsma from Grand Rapids, Mrs. J. Markus from Kalamazoo, Mr. J. Beeke from Chilliwack, and Mr. R. Kaat and Mr. D. Lipsey from Sheboygan. Mr. A. Verhoef, the principal of the new school in Lethbridge, was unable to attend. The chairman for this year’s conference was Mr. D. Engelsma, and Mr. J. Beeke served as secretary.

The meeting was opened with Scripture reading from Deuteronomy 6 and prayer for the Lord’s blessing in all the deliberations. The minutes and recommendations from the previous year’s conference were read and reviewed.

The following proposals were agreed upon:

(1) To continue these conferences, the Lord willing, but on a rotating basis, so that travelling would be equalized and an opportunity given to see the facilities of the other schools, make contacts with teachers and school boards, and derive the benefits of their ideas and programs which are proving successful.

(2) To work towards informative articles in our church publication, “The Banner of Truth”, encouraging parents to seek the benefit of Christian education in our own schools for their children.

(3) To strive for good means of doctrinal instruction for use of students and teaching staffs.

(4) To promote a consciousness of mission work among the students. One way to accomplish this would be to designate a ‘Mission Week’ during the school year when the missions would be given special attention.

(5) To continue work on a Teachers’ Guide for teaching of Bible in conjunction with the present text books. During the past year the teachers had been submitting their Bible lesson notes which they used and these were utilized in the developing of a Teachers’ Guide. Rough copies of teachers’ guides were now available, and these would be given to the teachers for their use, requesting them to make further additions by way of comments, charts, sample tests, project ideas, discussion questions, etc.

In the afternoon the principals met with three members of the Synod-appointed Education Committee, consisting of Mr. J. De Bruine, Mr. C.F. Boerkoel, Sr., and Mr. G. Moerdyk. The above mentioned proposals were discussed and approved. The committee would continue to work with the principals in every way possible, and would also review the Teacher’s Guides presently available. It was felt that much had already been accomplished in regard to our own instructional material, but that much more needed to be done.

The remaining part of the conference was spent in the discussion of operational topics, such as grading scales, discipline matters, extra-curricular activities, individualized instruction, science textbooks, etc. There are many details involved in the operation of a school system, and it was felt that it was most beneficial to be able to discuss them together.

The conference was closed with prayer, asking the Lord’s blessing upon the instructions in the various schools, and upon the teachers and pupils, with all the co-workers involved. The conference of next summer will be held in Chilliwack, the Lord willing.

LETHBRIDGE - FORT MACLEOD

Calvin Christian School of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations of Lethbridge and Fort Macleod invites applications from certified teachers for the Elementary and Junior High School levels.

The school hopes to begin its second school year in Sept. 1980, the Lord willing.

Presently grades 1 to 7 are taught, and hopefully, kindergarten and grade 8 can be added this coming school year.

For information, contact the principal, Mr. A. H. Verhoef at telephone number 403/328-0495.

Applications should be sent to Mr. Adrian DeWilde, Sec’y, P.O. Box 142, Monarch, Alberta, Canada, TOL-1MO., Tel. No. 403/824-3698.

ARE OUR OWN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS REALLY NECESSARY?

PART II

Objection Number 1:

“The public schools in this locality are not that bad.”

The greatest danger in public education is not what is done, but what is not done in schools. The main purpose of a Christian school is not to do away with wrong teachings and practices of certain public schools (which sometimes can be very important) but to provide God-centered instruction which is missing in all our public schools. A Christian school is much more than opening with prayer and Bible reading. God is to be honored and His truth is to be followed in all aspects of life; school life also. In science, we are studying God’s creation and laws of the universe; in history: the unfolding of God’s plan; in literature: the beauty of God’s gift of language to be used to His honor; in Bible: God’s Word to be followed as the rule of life; in all aspects of discussion and guidance: God’s revealed will to be our guide. In short, the entire school day from opening to closing is extremely different in a public versus a Christian School setting. Even if no objectionable thoughts, words, or events ever took place in the public school setting, we should still strive for a Christian school setting for our children: for the public school attempts to teach knowledge without God. This is directly contradicting the truth of God’s Word which states:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7

Further, let us never be deceived and think that the public school is neutral concerning religion. Most teachers are dedicated to their work, whether public or private; dedicated to a sense of values, if not Christian values, then to their own beliefs, even if it is a belief in no absolute values, which is so prevalent today. Dr. Getzels of the University of Chicago writes:

“Taking the place of ‘Puritan Morality’ or moral commitment as a value, most new teachers hold relativistic moral attitudes without strong personal commitments. Absolutes of right and wrong are questionable. In a sense, morality has become a statistical rather than an ethical concept: morality is what the group thinks is moral.”

To live without God, to teach by ignoring God and His word, to leave God out of school is a religion: it is atheism. In a sense this teaching is more dangerous than a direct atheistic approach, for in a direct attack of God and His Word, the student is aware of what is taking place and may be more on their guard to challenge what is being taught. But secularization of education, leaving God out, of education, is atheism in practice: more dangerous because it often is not felt by its victims. Rev. James A. Pike, former attorney for the U.S. Supreme Court, expresses this danger in this manner:

“What is secularism anyway? Secularism is things and man without God, and that’s precisely what the frame of reference is in most public education. This secularism by default is in the long run the most effective type. A direct challenge to a child’s or an adult’s faith may be stimulating. A subtle leaving of God out of the meaning of life is dehydrating.”

The English Divine, A.A. Hodge, writes on this subject:

“It is capable of exact demonstration that if every party in the state has the right of excluding from the public schools whatever he does not believe to be true; then he that believes most must give way to him that believes least, and then he that believes least must give way to him that believes absolutely nothing, no matter in how small a minority the atheists or the agnostics may be. It is self-evident that on this scheme, if it is consistently and persistently carried out in all parts of the country, the United States system of national popular education will be the most efficient and wide-spread instrument for the propagation of atheism which the world has ever seen.” Our children, during their school age years, spend ten times more time in school than in church. Can we ignore the great influence their schooling has on their life? Let us examine God’s Word and the viewpoints of some of our forefathers on this matter:

“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”

-Proverbs 19:27

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”-Colossians 2:8 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

-II Timothy 3:16

John Calvin writes:

“No man can have the least knowledge of truth and sound doctrine without having been a disciple of the Scripture.”

“Those who are well catechized, are well fortified against temptations to atheism and infidelity, which, under pretence of free-thinking, invite men to false and foolish-thinking: ...and under pretence of a free conversation, allure to vice and immorality, enslave the soul to the most brutish lusts, and by corrupting the morals, debauch the principles.”

-Matthew Henry: “Catechizing the Youth”,

Complete Works 2:164

Possibly Martin Luther was not speaking too strongly when he wrote:

“I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth.

Are our own Christian schools really necessary?

To be continued)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen