Statement of Belief

Every school is based upon a specific system of belief, whether it is governed and guided by the government, a private board or society, or a church or denomination.  Central Minnesota Christian School is no exception.  We are based on an understanding of God and His world, which in turn gives shape to the purpose of the school.

On the foundation of God’s infallible Word, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as explained in the confessions of the Reformed tradition, we affirm the following summary of the Christian faith:

God

There is one infinite, holy, loving, personal God who speaks to us in Scripture and reveals Himself to us in His acts of creation, salvation, and renewal, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As finite human beings created in God’s image, we declare that it is our purpose and privilege to worship, honor, serve, and obey Him.

Creation

The world belongs to God, who created it and faithfully sustains it by His providence.  Creation is the theater of God’s glory, displaying His power and majesty. God calls us to discover creation’s resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are responsible to God and to our neighbor.

Sin

Our ability to carry out our human calling to honor God, serve our neighbor, and care for the creation is marred by the corrosive effects of sin, which touch every part of life. When our first parents listened to Satan’s lie, questioned God’s Word, and rebelled against Him, they brought His judgment upon themselves, their posterity, and the creation.  Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, and ultimately death are the inevitable fruits of sin in our world.

Covenant

However, God has not rejected or abandoned His world but has turned to it in love. He gave the rainbow sign to Noah as a pledge of His promise to care for all creatures. He made a covenant with Abraham, promising to be a faithful God to Him and His children, and through them to bless all nations. Through His servant Moses, God disclosed His law to the human community, promising rich blessings as the fruit of obedience. God always keeps His promises. We acknowledge with gratitude and joy that He is our God and the God of our children, that we are His people, and that this is His world.

Redemption

As He promised, God in love sent Jesus Christ into the world to save it from sin and its consequences. The atoning death of the Son of God is the only payment for the debt of human sin, and Christ’s resurrection is the only liberation from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends the Holy Spirit to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build a community of love and holiness. It is the community’s mission to proclaim and live this good news and to make disciples of the nations.

Kingdom of God

Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and He reigns over all things for our good. To be a citizen of this kingdom is a privilege, a joy, and a responsibility. Led by His Spirit, we place our every thought, word, and deed in the service of Christ’s present and coming reign, and we live daily in the confident hope of His triumphant return.

Philosophy of Education

We believe all things exist to glorify God, whom we know in Jesus.  Therefore, we must teach children that every part of their lives must serve to promote God’s glory.

We believe because God made and upholds His creation, it is of essential goodness and worth.  We take delight in all aspects of the physical world, the world of ideas, and biblically lawful human activity as good gifts from the Creator.  Therefore, the Central Minnesota Christian School curriculum must study the entire created order; reflect the principles of truth, goodness, and beauty vested in our world; and interpret each fact in the universe as belonging to the upholding work of God.

We believe God made men and women to tend the world as bearers of His image.  Therefore, we must teach children to study our world and stewardly use its resources to fulfill our task.

We believe God has created a world of order, not chaos.  Therefore, God has given human beings the ability to understand and find meaning in the created order.

We believe sin darkens our hearts and our understanding of the world.  Therefore, we teach that all human culture is affected by sin and falls short of glorifying God.  We must continually evaluate all human actions, including our own, from a biblical perspective.

We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word and as we read it, illumined by the Holy Spirit, we are taught how to view all of life and creation. Therefore, we support education that accepts everything contained in the Bible and which interprets all things in the universe accordingly.

We believe Jesus Christ, as Lord of all, renews His people in His image and calls them back to the task of tending God’s creation. Therefore, we support Christian education, which does not divide life into secular and sacred parts, nor ignores any part of the world as outside its interests.

We believe Christ has called the members of His community to serve Him together and has obligated them to teach their children how to serve in His kingdom. Therefore, we affirm that education is the task of the whole Christian community; Central Minnesota Christian School takes its place beside the family and the church and fulfills an important role in instructing and nurturing students.

We believe children of believers are members of the Christian community and are regarded as God’s servants. Therefore, we support schools that encourage students, beginning while they are young, and continuing through high school, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in everything and to use their skills in the interest of the kingdom of God.