Why Christian Education?
Education is more than a pathway to knowledge; it’s a journey of spiritual formation and character-building that prepares students for a lifetime of faithful living. Throughout history, Christian thinkers and theologians have illuminated this truth, showing how education rooted in Christ calls us to engage our hearts, minds, and actions with the fullness of God's creation. Christian education is about cultivating wisdom, virtue, and a love for truth that leads us closer to God and equips us to serve His kingdom.
In this spirit, we turn to the wisdom of these voices who articulate the transformative power of education centered on Christ.
Theologians and Christians
Nicholas Wolterstorff
“It is nothing but a pious wish and a grossly unwarranted hope that students trained to be passive and non-creative in school will suddenly, upon graduation, actively contribute to the formation of Christian culture.”
St. Augustine
“The purpose of education is to bring about right desires, right affections, and right conduct, becoming good citizens in the kingdom of God.”
John Amos Comenius
“Education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue. It is the forming of character and the training of minds to think rightly about the world and God.”
Dorothy L. Sayers
“Education should nourish the soul, develop the mind, and train the body. But above all, it should cultivate a love for truth, goodness, and beauty, which ultimately lead us to God.”
John Henry Newman
“A cultivated intellect, because it is a free intelligence, is the great antidote to fanaticism, superstition, and irrationality. Therefore, education should aim at the development of the whole person, integrating faith and reason.”
Abraham Kuyper
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’ Hence, all education should be Christ-centered, recognizing his lordship over every aspect of life.”
Alvin Plantinga
“Christian education is not merely a matter of inculcating information; it’s also about shaping the hearts, desires, and affections of students to love what is true, good, and beautiful.”
Richard Mouw
“Christian education should be marked by intellectual rigor, spiritual formation, and a commitment to pursuing truth in all areas of life.”
James K.A. Smith
“Education is not just about the transmission of information; it’s about the formation of desire. Christian education should shape our loves and longings toward God and his kingdom.”
Os Guinness
“Christian education is about fostering a worldview that integrates faith with all areas of life, equipping students to engage thoughtfully and winsomely with the world around them.”
Timothy Keller
“The main purpose of education is not to get you a job. It’s to prepare you for wisdom, virtue, and the kind of character that can handle success or failure.”
“Christianity is not just a set of beliefs, but a comprehensive way of life, a worldview that shapes everything we do.”
“Christian education is the instilling of habits of mind and heart that incline and enable students for the rest of their lives to observe and understand and evaluate and feel and apply and express reality in reliance upon the generous help of the Spirit of God, purchased by the blood of the risen Christ, for the glory of God and the good of the world — all of it in accord with God’s infallible word, the Bible.”
From the Bible
Luke 6:40
“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
“These commandments that I give to you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Proverbs 22:6
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
We invite you to learn more about how Avail Academy is working in the lives of young people every day for the glory of God.