The Instrument of Thought

John Milton Gregory once wrote, "Language is an instrument as well as the  vehicle of thought.Words are tools under whose plastic touch the mind reduces the crude masses of its impressions into clear and valid propositions. Ideas become incarnate in words."

As we examine the questions surrounding education these days, we are reminded of the simple truths of Gregory's statement. Language is an instrument, words are tools and ideas, well, ideas are the crux of education. We learn in order to express our ideas in clear and concise ways. How we express our ideas is really dependent on how well we have mastered our use of language, specifically our use of words individually and collectively.

I learned a valuable lesson a few weeks ago as I traveled to Odessa, Ukraine about the use of language. Communication is about language, but it is also about so much more. I spoke at a conference and spoke through an interpreter. I envisioned that this would be the most difficult part of the process, but what I found was something different. Yes, not speaking the language very well certainly had its limitations, but when it came to communicating at the conference something changed. I was able to communicate in a better way. Why? After analyzing my comments over and over, I came to several realizations.

First, if you are passionate about your subject matter it enhances the communication process. Second, if you know your subject matter well it, again, enhances the communication process. Third, if you speak from the heart and less from the paper, again, it enhances the communication process. And finally, if you have a desire to learn the native language and make a sincere effort to use it when you can, it enhances the communication process.

Communication is about words and language, but it is also about so much more. Passion and knowledge are important and powerful agents of the communication process. We should never underestimate their significance and importance in the ability to communicate with those who speak our language and those who do not. Our ideas do become incarnate in our words; we must make sure we use our words to the best of our ability, and that they match our passion and our knowledge. Blessings! 

Comments from WPC's Back to School Night

Here are my comments from Westminster Presbyterian Church's "Back to School" Night. It was a great evening. Many thanks go to our sponsoring church, Westminster Presbyterian Church!

As the church that birthed this ministry 47 years ago, it is only right that we begin our school year tonight in worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

The goal of Westminster Christian Academy is to partner with each family and each student in providing an education that is Christ-centered, excellent and able to produce graduates who ultimately will think in higher categories, critically and Christianly in all things. But, this partnership did not begin here; it began 47 years ago when a church was given a profound idea… to start a school, and not just any a school… a school that would be Christian and excellent and open to families who wanted such an education for their children. The church had no lofty goals initially. No, it wanted to humbly obey the calling given to it by a Holy God. So, the church began to make preparations to start this school. Many gave much, and, despite tragedy and great sacrifice, the church started the school. And the school survived and started to grow. Times were hard and difficult, but the church was faithful and the school continued to grow. From one blessing to the next, the church and the school continued to move forward together, from one property to the next, and now we sit, tonight, preparing to begin our 47^th year together. Belief, obedience, sacrifice, faith and vision have moved both entities to this point, but why? Is education that is Christian really worth all the effort and money?

James K.A. Smith offers a response to that question; he writes,

“Stemming from the conviction that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10), the Reformed tradition has long recognized that Christ’s lordship extends over every sphere of life, including education. There is no sphere of life that is “neutral”; rather, our practices and institutions are always and ultimately shaped and informed by faith commitments. So, while an institution might claim to be “secular,” as if it were not religious, Reformed thinkers from Abraham Kuyper to Nicholas Wolterstorff have seen through such claims: what pretends to be neutral or secular in fact masks some other faith commitment.

The vision of Christian education is radical because it stems from the conviction that any and every education is rooted (Latin: radix) in some worldview, some constellation of ultimate beliefs. Therefore, it’s important that the education and formation of Christians be rooted in Christ (Col. 2:7)—rooted in and nourished by a Christian worldview across the curriculum.”

Education will imprint a worldview on all children. Christian Education rightly should be an extension of what we believe, how badly we believe it and how desperately we want our children to believe it. I Timothy 4:12 states, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” So, we should not apologize that we want our children in an education that sets before them Christian examples of these things.

As we prepare for another school year, the school will welcome an enrollment of well over 700 students, the largest enrollment in the school’s history. The school is establishing new heights in scholarships, test scores and various other academic areas, but while all of those are important, and they are because we are called to be a school, they are only the beginning. There is so much more to what is taking place in the minds and the hearts of Westminster students.

In 2001, Dr. Ruth Simmons was sworn in as the first African American women president of Brown University. In her acceptance speech she said this: “the purpose of education is not to provide you employment, but to nurture your soul.” I believe she captures the essence of what we are trying to do at Westminster Christian Academy. We are trying to compete with the world for the souls of our students. Such a lofty and seemingly impossible task, how can we hope to capture the souls of students in a world that has so many advantages over us? Do I dare say it again… education that is excellent and Christ-centered. Some would say we utter those words too many times; I would say we don’t do it enough.

Those are only words; what can they do to change the hearts and the minds of students. Come to our campus, walk our halls and talk to our students and you will see students who love the Lord Jesus, love each other and want to engage the world for their Lord. Are they perfect? No, and neither are we, but in some ways, they are well ahead of the rest of us.

The question I get most is this: what is Christian education? It is not Christian textbooks; it is not Christian pedagogy. It is not even Christian policies and procedures. Christian education is mostly about the Christian teacher. It is the Christian teacher that imparts the education to the student. This summer in a class we were studying the transfer of knowledge. One of the papers we read posited this idea: the transfer of knowledge is at its best when both teacher and student possess a “critical spirit” towards each other. Upon reading more, this idea of a critical spirit – mutual respect, freedom of expression and concern for each other – is rooted in the idea of discipleship. At Westminster, the teacher is not just expected to teach but also to disciple.

When a school hires its faculty and staff with a vision of academic excellence and discipleship something takes place inside students. Something will always take place inside students as they mature. Theorists have a phrase for this change; it is called cognitive dissonance. Simply put, it states that students will fall to the majority influence in their lives as the maturation process takes place. Fifty years ago most students spent that time with their families, but over the last twenty with families forced to work longer hours and with both parents now working, students now spend that time at school with teachers and peers. When We take cognitive dissonance and make it work for us by providing our children influences outside the family that reflect those inside the family… well, you start to see students do amazing things for the Lord. I am certainly not discounting the intervening work of the Holy Spirit, but what I am pointing to is our calling as parents… to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

At Westminster Christian Academy, we desire to prepare students to engage the world as followers of Jesus Christ and as those who think in higher categories, discern truth from heresy and articulate faith in a firm but loving manner. And all of this flows out of a command given to each and every one of us in I John 4:1, the command is to “test the spirits.” Our response to this command will determine much in the years to come. This is Westminster Christian Academy! Is it worth all the effort, sweat and tears? The answer is yours. I already know mine.

The End is Always a Beginning

Last week the wonderful ride came to an end. Our football team lost in the second round of the playoffs to finish their season at 10-2.

It was a wonderful season full of firsts. First ten game winning steak! First time we went undefeated at home! First playoff win! And, first playoff loss!

But, this football season was not really about football, but something much more important - life! Let me explain.

Last night it was a football game. Last week it was a cross country meet, and the week before it was a volleyball tournament. If you attended any one event you would have witnessed our students cheering for each other. But, it is more than that.

If you would have taken a step back, away from the crowd and the noise and watched, what you would have seen is students for other students. You would have seen cheering and encouragement and laughing and fun... and all the right kinds of all those things. Am I saying our students are perfect? No! Are any of us perfect? No! What I am saying is that I am seeing students change the lives of other students.

Our goals at Westminster are simple and complex. Simply, we want to provide our students right opportunities to be students in addition to all the other things we do that schools should do. They are not little robotic adults nor should they be. They should have fun, cheer and scream, and when an end comes like a playoff loss, cry and be disappointed. They are students and should be given the time and the right to be students because it will not be long before they are no longer students.

But, our goals are complex at the same time. We are a Christian school that seeks to be an example by engaging the world for Christ. How we do that is certain to be subject of much debate. How we do what we do is important. We say all the time that the process (how we do something) is as important as the product (what we get from doing something).

When an end comes the sting is a little less severe when you have been focusing on the process and not just the product. Football players at state volleyball games... cross country runners at football games... volleyball players at cross country meets... football players cheering the first performance of our marching band... something is going on at Westminster, and that something is Jesus Christ. He is part of all that we do, and He is the difference.

Are we perfect? No! Do we make mistakes? Yes! But, is there a collective spirit of love and genuine concern for each other? Absolutely! Does that come from the world? I would have to say no based on the evidence I have seen. Then, from where? What did Jesus say, you will know them by their love!

The end of one thing always leads to the next. When students are taught the value of the process the ride is all that much more enjoyable. When the end does come, as it always will, the sting is minimal because the product is not the focus and the next process is right around the corner. Blessings!

School Spirit

How does one define school spirit? This past week was Homecoming Week at Westminster Christian Academy, and I have to say, one of the best weeks I have ever been a part of when it comes to school spirit. Our students were awesome! They came dressed out every day in respectful but fun fashion.

On Friday, we had an unbelievable Pep Rally with our entire school in order to prepare for our Homecoming game that night. Back to this idea of school spirit, you can find examples of it everywhere, but you would be hard pressed to find a better example then the pictures above. Two of our seniors - Robert Sexton and Kendall Bane - took this idea of school spirit to a new level. The flags they hold were made from scratch. They started with two poles and some fabric and a few weeks later took their finished flags into our pep rally to lead the cheers. Well done gentlemen! Thanks for providing a wonderful example of school spirit! Blessings!

Westminster Football

Process and Product

Process and product: these are two terms we use at Westminster a lot these days. We believe the process is actually more important than the product most of the time. What do we mean?

We believe how we do the things we do matters greatly in the lives of our students. The product is part of our thoughts, but it does not dominate our thoughts. Whether it be athletics, drama, band, debate or class, the process is examined in great detail along with the product, and both must be done in an excellent Christ-centered way.

Athletics is a great example. In the paper this morning is yet another story about another coach who bent the rules in order to win. We, at Westminster, want to practice, prepare and play to win, but not at the expense of the process. Because we care deeply about the process, the wins (the product) might take a little longer to achieve, but they will come. And, our students will understand that it is not only about the wins, but it is equally about the work, the lessons, the team and the game.

We, as a society, have allowed the wins to dominate the games we play, and have forgotten that the games are only games and are for lessons in life as well. When our focus is only on the product (the wins) we will miss all the lessons and the joy that come with playing the games. Process and product: both are always in our thoughts at Westminster because both are important to us, and both are necessary in producing students who will grow and mature into the next great leaders of our day. This is what the Lord is doing at Westminster!

Inservice Talk

I have posted my opening comments from this year's In-service below.

Psalm 86:11

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I fear your name.”

This is my fourth year at Westminster and this year I want to set a new tone; that is, not my tone but His. We all care deeply for this school, or we would not be here. I desperately want Psalm 86:11 for all of us this year, to walk in His truth and not mine, to have an undivided heart and not a divided one, and to fear His name and not each other, but in order for that to happen we have to identify that which holds us back and keeps us from moving ahead.

I wake up every morning fighting it; I get caught up in my day and forget that the way I look at life is through my addiction: myself. We are all addicted to ourselves in some way, shape or form. I expect you to be like me and you expect me to be like you – we are not alike because we were created by a Holy God to be different. If it were up to me, I would want us to unite in me, in what I know, in who I am… but as long as that is my tendency, unity in Christ will never occur. I need you, and you need me no matter how insane and insecure we are. We need each other. How can we hope to impact the culture around us if we continue to struggle with each other?

Today, as a school, it is time to move into a new light, and there is only one way to do that – unity in Christ. Most of you are saying, “I have heard this before, but how?’ I believe it begins first with a choice and an action. Today, we have a choice to make; are we going to sit, listen and agree, but then walk away unchanged and into the same routine as before or will we seek new ways and take that step of faith forward? Do you want to stay the same or are you like me – sick of the same struggles? We must choose to change and then act on that choice each day.

In my reading times and prayers, I keep running into this idea: more of Him? We must choose more of Him and act on that choice. But, that is such a general statement; of course we need more of Him, but how? I think it starts with a real question: Do I really believe that He is all that I need? Do you? Psalm 86:11 gives us a picture of more of Him: to learn His ways, to walk in His truth, to have an undivided heart rooted in Him and to fear His name. So, you’re sitting there saying, “Fine, how do we do this?” I think I finally know where we can begin.

First, we must be real with ourselves and with each other and that means asking real questions like: are we better this year than we were last year? Do I trust my fellow faculty and my administration? These are real questions we all wrestle with, and they have real answers, but our worldly tendency is to stop at the answers. Those that agree with us we welcome into our camp, those that don’t, well, they just don’t “get it.” Sound familiar? I say those things all the time. I believe as important as answers are (and they are important) He calls us beyond the question and beyond the answers. In order to go beyond the questions and answers, we must, first, depend on scripture as much as humanly possible. Real answers excite me, but I can not forget about the Biblical process because if I do, I will stop at the answer and stay there. The process is as important as the product, as it helps guide us forward past the answers. What does this process look like?

Real answers must first be obtained through His prescribed process; we must follow Matt 18:15 with each other! We can’t just talk about. We can’t just expect others to follow it. We must follow it. This is our first new action toward a new light because the old way is to agree and do nothing, but the new way is to agree, to act and to change. Second, real answers are great, but they will be detrimental to us if our only motivation for seeking them is to surround ourselves with those who have the same answers as ours, and, to be honest, that is the reason for most of our questions. Asking real questions with this as our only motivation will not bring unity of any kind to you, me or our school. Scripture demands something different from those who believe: we are to ask real question that lead to real answers, but we must not stop there. We must listen to those real answers… all of those real answers – those we agree with and those we do not. Why? Because the process is not finished; I believe we are to go beyond those answers because the answers, as real and as important as they are, are to lead us NOT into confirmation that we are right, but instead into true relationships with each other.

This summer I discovered this wonderful truth; it is not only about the answers (and I love answers), but it is also about the relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ is not just found in His word, but He is also found in His Believers! What did Jesus say? “Where two or three gather in my name I am with them.” And this verse comes at the end of a passage dealing with the sinning Brother. It is a prescribed process of restoring the sinning Brother back into unity and fellowship with other Believers. I imagine the sinning brother had some answers that were not in agreement with the church, and those must be dealt with, but in the passage, the process does not stop with answers (as important as they are) but moves beyond answers and into the restoration of a relationship. We must strive each year, each month, each week and each day for this unity, and this kind of unity is not found in our answers but in Him.

As I conclude, let me ask a real question, and I want you think about it for a moment: are we moving in the right direction (give a moment to think)? Your minds are thinking of many different things regarding this one seemingly simple question (you may even think, how ambiguous a question). The question is purposefully ambiguous in order to bring home this point: right now, there are many different answers to this one question. Each one of us is called to provide a real honest answer to that real question, not to find those who agree with us, but to begin to build relationships with those who agree with us and those who do not. Seeking only those who agree with us is the old way and will lead no where. We must understand that our answer, regardless of what it is, is meant as an opportunity to enter into a true relationship with fellow Believers leading to a unity that is in Christ and not in our answers. We are not to define each other by our answers but by who we are in Christ. As we unite and build true relationships, we will discover that it will take all of us in Christ to discover His answers. And, then we can move forward as a body defined by Christ instead of one divided by its answers to questions. We will always have different answers to questions and we should, but those answers should never define us. Christ defines us!

So, what do we do now? Well, I don’t have an equation or formula, but I do have an idea for a beginning, and that beginning is peace. This summer our SS has been going through the Peacemaker series. One of the points hammered home to me is this: the Word states that we are to seek… peace with each other! Those who seek peace do so to discover more of Him and less of themselves… isn’t that what we want our school to be – more of Him and less of us. Isn’t that were true unity in Christ is – less of us and more of Him?

Consider Jesus as our example:

Luke 7:50 “Your faith has made you well, go in peace.”

Luke 8:45 “Your faith has made you well, go in peace.”

This idea of faith and peace… we, in faith, are to seek peace, and I believe we are to seek it with each other first!

Psalm 35:20 “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Is this not our calling as Believers… this peace with each other, is it not a daily pursuit worth all of our efforts? Can we accomplish anything without it?

I’m no theologian, but in my prayers I believe that to begin, we must seek peace with each other first. Peace is only found in relationships built in Christ and never in our answers. So, I believe we have two major priorities this year: our first priority is to be peacemakers and not peace –fakers or peace-breakers. Which are you? I am a peace-breaker by nature because I want to be right, and I want to be in control. As long as it is about me, it will never be about Him. Peace must be my goal, and it must be your goal. Collectively, when we strive for peace we will get less of ourselves and more of Him, and that is what we desperately need. Our second priority is to be forthright with our… goals because they will require our united efforts this year and every year. Blessings!

Commencement

As school years across the country come to an end, it is worth noting that most end with some kind of commencement exercise. Which brings up a very interesting question: from where did the tradition of commencement/graduation come?

A graduation ceremony began as a rite of passage for the high school student. This rite of passage marked the movement from child/student to adulthood. "Rite of passage" was termed by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in 1909 who believed that passage rituals had 3 steps:

(1) Separation from Society
(2) Inculcation-transformation;
(3) Return to Society in the new status.

The baccalaureate/commencement is considered the highlight of the school year and a time to formally recognize the achievements of students who are in honor societies and who have earned academic excellence. It was originally for those who truly studied, did not cheat or steal ideas off others and were honest. It was for those students who did not settle for "status quo" grades but worked to be the best of what they could be. Legend states the Baccalaureate ceremony originated in 1432 at Oxford University, and it required each bachelor to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of the academic exercise. The baccalaureate was a separate service in years past, but today is blended into to most commencement exercises in the form of a commencement speech.

Commencement for Westminster Christian Academy is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the senior class, but it is also the last statement the school makes to the senior class as they leave the life of student and move to the life of adult. Congratulations to all of this year's graduates! The end of one thing is almost always the beginning of something else. My pray is that each graduate is ready for the new season that awaits them. Blessings!

Westminster Christian Academy's Alumni Fund Banquet

Westminster Christian Academy will host its annual Academy Fund Banquet sponsored by the Alumni Association. This year's banquet will be featuring speaker Dr. George Grant on January 25, 2010 at the Brockway Campus. Special music will be provided by Westminster alumni Christie McCleary Weber.

Dr. George Grant is the president of the King's Meadow Study Center, the pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church, chancellor of New College Franklin, and the founder of Franklin Classical School. He is the author of dozens of books in the areas of history, biography, politics, literature, and social criticism and he has written hundreds of essays, articles, and columns. His work on behalf of the homeless, for international relief and development, for racial reconciliation, and for the sanctity of life has been profiled in such varied media outlets as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Focus on the Family, the 700 Club, the Coral Ridge Hour, Point of View, Crossfire, World Magazine, and Christianity Today.

Christie McCleary Weber (Class of 1991) has been an active musician all her life. She's performed various genres of music ranging from classical to musical theatre. Most recently Christie performed the role of Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Various roles include Gretel in Englebert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Mimi from Puccini's La Boheme, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Mother from Ragtime, Juliette from Gounod's opera Romeo et Juliette, and Kate/Lilli from Kiss Me Kate. In the summer of 2009 Christie performed with the Nashville Community Chorus as a featured soloist in Mozart's Grand Mass, as well as singing Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" with the Tennessee Valley Music Festival.

If you would like to attend please contact Mr. David Hammond (david.hammond@wca-hsv.org or 705.8000) for information on how you can be part of this year's banquet. Blessings!

Westminster Christian Academy from the Clouds

Mr. Jeff Maddox took the following picture of our campus from his hot air balloon. The Lord certainly has provided for our school. We give Him all the glory as we educate in Christ and with excellence. Blessings!

Christian Education: A Partnership of Church and School

(Comments from Westminster Christian Academy's "Back to School Night," August 9, 2009.)

Christian Education: A Partnership of Church and School

We sit here tonight ready to begin another school year. It has been another hectic summer, but it is Sunday night and we are as ready as we can be.

As the church that birthed this ministry 45 years ago, it is only right that we begin our school year Sunday evening in worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church. What has taken place between this church and this school for the past 45 years is special and important. At one time what we are currently doing as a church and a school was much more common in not only k-12 settings but in universities and colleges as well. Why?

Christians, from the beginning have maintained that because people have been endowed with reason, they will all have an urge to express their experience of faith intellectually. As Christians, we should make every effort to translate the contents of our faith into concepts or beliefs that have a correlation between God, humankind, and creation. Our presupposition in all of our thinking ought to be Christ and scripture. With these natural tendencies and are internal nature, educating one in thinking that is excellent and Christian is a natural next step.

The goal of Westminster Christian Academy is to partner with each family in providing an education that is Christ-centered, excellent and able to produce graduates who ultimately will think Christianly in all things.

Proverbs 9:10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Christianity and education have always been linked. In addition to literacy and education for the masses, Christianity is responsible for universities which began during the Middle Ages. Most of the world’s greatest universities were started by Christians for Christian purposes. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions; it gave birth to Cambridge. Cambridge University gave birth to John Harvard who gave birth to Harvard University, founded back in 1636.

According to Dr. Paul Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, the very concept of the university “was born in the bosom of the church”. Alexander Murray, a retired history professor at Oxford University agrees. “The church had a lot to do with the birth of the university. Nearly every one of the first 123 colleges founded in the United States was established by Christians for Christian purposes.

Looking at our own past, it is impossible to miss the solid link of Christianity, education and the church. Our 45 year history is a continuation of our past Christian history. Unfortunately, most colleges and universities have since cut ties to denominations. Harvard is sadly the norm and not the exception.

Harvard's early motto was "Truth for Christ and the Church." In an early directive to its students, it laid out the purpose of all education: "Let every student be plainly instructed and consider well that the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life. And, therefore, to lay Christ at the bottom as the only foundation of all sound learning and knowledge.

Most of the schools that I have mentioned have severed ties to their churches and denominations long ago. We have not, and we must not. The relationship is too important. There is a correlation not to miss between churches and schools… when the relationship ends the school begins the move away from Christianity all together. Westminster church and Westminster school must stay strong. We must continue to provide education that provides students with the correlation between God, humankind and creation. We must continue to provide the foundation that equips them to think from the presupposition of truth… Jesus Christ.

I will close with a quote.

"Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another."
G.K. Chesterton

I believe he is referencing the impact education has on children, families, communities, states and countries and the impact Christian education can have if Christ is allowed to reign. Christian education in partnership with the church and the Christian family is capable of changing the world by its very nature. Education is a process that encultrates, indoctrinates and builds the foundation which will serve each student for their entire life. This foundation must be the solid rock of Christianity and not the sifting sand of the world.

Education in Christ… Excellence in all things… this is our collective goal, and it sounds nice, but it will only be hollow words unless accomplished through a faculty and staff that is excellent, distinctly Christian and understands this so well that they live it out on and off campus. This is our faculty and staff at Westminster Christian Academy.

This year we have many new people in our midst, and they will join us in this mission of excellence and Christ. At this time I would like to ask all of our new faculty and staff to stand. Please make a point of meeting these new people.

I would now like to ask all of our existing faculty and staff to stand. These are the people who have been educating your students with excellence for many years.

I would now like to ask our board to stand. These are the men who will lead us into the future.

This is Westminster Christian Academy. We are not a building or a field or even a classroom; we are humble people who desire to educate in the best possible way and engage students for Christ in order to change the world one student at a time.

Westminster Back to School Night

This Sunday evening at 6:00 pm in the gymnasium, Westminster Presbyterian Church will have their annual "Westminster Back to School Night." It will be service where the church will pray for the school and give the school, as a whole, a charge for the new school year. It is a very special time for both church and school, and, if that was not enough... there is ice cream after the service for one and all.

Come and join us as we open the school year the right way... putting our Lord and Savior first! I hope to see you there!

Back to School

Ready or not... here they come! Students will begin classes at Westminster Christian Academy on Monday the 10th of August. A brand new school year always brings with it new things, but this year "new" will take on a whole new meaning. Grades 6 - 12 will walk onto a brand new campus.

The new 42 acre campus has a two story academic building with gym, a concession/restroom facility, a field house, baseball, softball and football fields, a new practice field and very nice modular units that compliment our new building. God has been very good to us at Westminster Christian Academy.

Begin now to pray for our students and our faculty and staff. Pray that God would use us for His great glory as we educate students in Christ and with excellence. Pray that we educate our students to be the next leaders who will change the world for their Savior. We covet your prayers. Blessings!

The Augustine Project of the Ivy League

There is a Christian presence in many of the Ivy Leagues schools through The Augustine Project. It is an effort on the part of Christians to produce pro-Christian publications at their schools. I often go to the website and read from several of the magazines.

Revisions is the Princeton publication. This morning I stumbled on an article entitled, Why Christians Should Engage the World. In this article, Rev. David Kim writes,

"I want to argue, building on the works on Swiss Reformer John Calvin and Dutch Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper, that common grace grounded in the work of the Holy Spirit, provides the theological rationale for Christians to work side by side with those outside the church to meaningfully engage every sector of life and society."


Rev. Kim approaches this whole idea of engaging culture from a interesting perspective, common grace and the Holy Spirit. He writes,

"Often when Christians think of the work of Holy Spirit, they limit His activity to Christians. They don’t consider how the Spirit works His perfective purposes in all of creation, in all the cosmos. John Calvin in his Institutes writes, “We ought not to forget those most excellent benefits of the divine Spirit, which he distributes to whomever he wills for the common good of mankind… he fills, moves, and quickens all things by the power of the same Spirit, and does so according to the character that he bestowed upon each kind by the law of creation.”[1] Calvin understands that the work and influence of the Holy Spirit extends outside of the church to all people and creation.[2] Following Calvin, Abraham Kuyper also states that, “The work of the Holy Spirit is not confined to the elect, and does not begin with their regeneration, but it touches every creature, animate and inanimate, and begins its operations in the elect at the very moment of their origin.”

He goes on to write,

"The Calvinistic notion of total depravity must balance and ward off any sense of Christian perfectionism or an idealized progress of humanity. As history continues by the mercy of God, both sinful flesh and the Spirit are at work and at war with one another. As Romans 8 reveals, the Spirit will prevail, yet until that final day, evil will continue to persist in all its multi-formity. Yet, the fact that the Spirit continues to be at work gives us the opportunity and rationale to work with others in and outside the church to advance God’s Kingdom in the world. This is indeed common grace. "

Rev. Kim concludes,

"In conclusion, the notion of common grace grounded in the work of the Holy Spirit provides a theological rationale to engage co-belligerently with the world around us. Theologian Vincent Bacote writes, “This work of the Spirit is a providential, preserving, indwelling, and life-giving interaction with the created order. It extends back to the beginning of creation but continues into the present and invites us to shape the world toward the future.”[7] The confidence we have to work in common with the world lies not in any inherent unfallen aspect of the world or people, rather the ongoing, unified, cosmic work of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of common grace built upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit ought to empower the church to engage the work of the gospel in every sector of society."

Rev. Kim's article is thought provoking and challenging. I do have a question or two for Rev. Kim. I am not a theologian and never pretend to be one, but I often have theological questions. Those of you who are reading this who have seminary training or a seminary degree, I would be interested in your comments regarding the article and your answers to my questions. Part of my personal mission statement is to make sure I read articles and books that challenge my thinking... those that motivate me to learn more or even those with which I totally disagree. You will find all of those and more here as I attempt to share with each of you what God is doing in my heart and my mind as I plod through life making every attempt to live and think as Christ would have me.

Regardless of my questions, it is clear that we are to engage the world around us for His glory, and that is exactly what we intend to do at Westminster. Please come and join us! Blessings!

Complete

As the pressbox settled into place this morning, the bleacher system for Van Dyke Stadium was completed! We give great praise to our God for all that He has done for us!

New Faces at Westminster

Here are two new faces to the Westminster family. In the hat is Coach Garrett Keith. He will be our strength and conditioning coach and our assistant coach in football. In the white is Coach Stephen Hooks. He is our new Head Football Coach.

At Westminster we try to do football the same way we try to do everything else... with excellence. Coach Hooks and Coach Keith are tasked with discipling young men inside the sport of football. Their goals are the same as mine... to bring glory to our Savior through education that is Christian and excellent. They, too, want to change the world for Jesus Christ, and today, they each began that process inside the sport of football.

As we take residence of the 42 acres at the Brockway campus, we do so with every intention of exposing as many students, parents, fans and people to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What would you do with the truth if you had it? Would you sit on it and hide it, or would you attempt to share it with as many as possible? The answer to such a question is reflected in the way that one lives life? When you meet Coach Hooks and Coach Keith you will immediately know their answer to the question; what is your answer? Blessings!

Graduation Night for Westminster

There they are... the senior class of 2009 preparing to march. What a class they have been. They have led us through our year of transition with the excellence, the spirituality and the maturity demanded by our situation and circumstance. We are so proud of them for many reasons, but for me, they embody the true meaning of graduation.


Historically, a graduation ceremony is a cultural tradition of sorts and deemed a rite of passage. It marks one stage of a student's life to another. "Rite of passage" was actually termed by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in 1909; he believed that all societal passage rituals had 3 steps:(1) Separation from Society(2) Inculcation-transformation; (3) Return to Society in the new status.


The class of 2009 and their families chose to separate from society in the sphere of education. They chose a Christian education for their children. Knowing that education is inculcation and transformation, these families chose to inculcate their children with a Christian worldview through Christian education, which partners with the faith of their family and their church. Trusting that they provided every opportunity for their children to experience that transformation from a child in the Lord to an adult in the Lord, each family now readies to return their student back to society trusting in the Lord that their student is indeed ready to stand for Christ in every situation.


The question will come, "are they ready?" As a parent of two students in Christian education, the time will come when I will have to answer that question. I still may not be able to answer it completely, but I will rest a little easier knowing that my children have been inculcated in a school that believes what I believe and teaches students to think and discern from a Biblical presupposition. After listening to the speeches of our class president and our valadictorian, I now rest a little easier as both speeches made clear statements... we are ready!


I congratulate each student and family of the class of 2009. Well done good and faithful servants!


If your wondering how you can know God in a personal way, please click HERE to read Tim Keller's wonderful article on how to know God and believe in Jesus Christ! Blessings!

The Grand Opening of the Brockway Campus

On Saturday, May 9th at 11:00 am Westminster Christian Academy and Westminster Presbyterian Church celebrated the grand opening of their new Brockway campus at 237 Johns Road with a Ribbon Cutting ceremony attended by over 700 people. Representative Parker Griffith, Mayor Tommy Battle along with other local officials and representatives of the church and school cut the ribbon that officially opened the first academic building of Westminster Christian Academy at the Brockway campus, a ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church for 45 years.

Even though the rains came and the power went out briefly, the enthusiasm could not be dampened as the crowd came and kept coming. Eventually the rain gave way to the sun and the power returned just at Mr. Curry Knight, chairman of the Westminster School Board, stepped to the podium to begin the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Mayor Battle, Rep. Griffith and members of the school and church all made meaningful remarks directed at the school's desire to educate students in Christ and in excellence and to be a meaningful part of the community. The ceremony went better than expected and ended with the cutting of the ribbon and the official opening of the Brockway campus.

As the sky cleared, many took advantage of the dry weather to walk the campus and take in the recent additions. Coach Dick Spybey, Director of Athletics at Westminster, gave tours of the new field house, in progress, and painted the completed picture of Van Dyke Stadium with bleachers and track which will be completed sometime in late June.

We give great praise to God for the wonderful things taking place at Westminster. Below, you can find my remarks from the ceremony. We thank you all for your prayers and support. Blessings!



Comments on May 9th:

On behalf of all of us at Westminster Christian Academy, welcome! I would like to extend a special welcome to the WCA school board, the WCA Building Committee, specifically, Mrs. Vicki Boren, Mr. John Cyr, Mr. Jim Service and our building committee chairman, Mr. Keith Johnson, our architect, Mr. Rob Mercer and our builder, Mr. Bruce Mullin. Thank you all for your hard work put in on behalf of the school.

As we stand here before a building that was not here a year ago, we give great praise to our God who has sustained us not only this past year but throughout our 45 year history. Today, we celebrate what God has done and is doing in the life of Westminster Christian Academy, and in that celebration we rejoice with everyone who has been used by God in the school’s 45 year history. Every single person has contributed in some way or another to today’s reality.

What you see before you is a testimony to a Holy God. It is a building of 26,000 square feet on two floors with 23 state –of the –art classrooms, an atrium with concession stand, a 1000 seat gymnasium with a maple flooring system found at many Division I colleges including the likes of Duke and Vanderbilt, and double locker rooms… what you do not see yet are two custom designed modular buildings created to blend in with our new academic building that will become home to our library, our band/choir room and our administrative offices.

As we take residence of our new Brockway campus and all of our new facilities, I am excited about all of this, but I am also excited about what God is doing inside the walls of Westminster. Motivated by I John 4:1 which commands all of us to, “not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” we have examined our graduates and asked the questions: will they be prepared to further their education in the college or university of their choice? Will they be able to discern and think critically in order to distinguish God’s absolute truth from falsehood? With these two questions in mind, we believe a Westminster education begins with a foundation rooted in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Upon that rock solid foundation, our goal is to produce graduates that can think critically and in higher categories, work independently and do so successfully, and finally, engage their culture in a loving, logical and articulate way while never wavering in their faith in Jesus Christ. We believe in an education that prepares graduates to be in a position to do whatever or go wherever the Lord calls them. We believe in an education that prepares graduates to think critically and discern in order to root out the false prophets and the wolves in sheep’s clothing. This is Westminster Christian Academy, education that is distinctly Christian and excellent in all things.

As I close, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes; it is a quote by G.K. Chesterton that I believe communicates the spirit of a Westminster education. Chesterton once wrote,

"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."

At Westminster you can expect an education that teaches your children to swim actively against the current toward God and not just float aimlessly with the current away from God. This is the essence of an education that is in Christ and excellence in all things!

On behalf of all of us at Westminster… thank you for being here today to celebrate with us the great things God is doing in our midst. Blessings to all!

The Senior Trip

They look good; do they not?














Some of our seniors getting ready for the water.













Enjoying a little afternoon...















Dinner each night was a true delight.



















Last week we took our seniors on their senior trip. We sailed for five days down into the Bahamas on Carnival's Fascination and had a great time. It was an honor to be a part of such a great class. Here are some pictures from that trip. Enjoy!

The Best Sick Excuse Ever!

The other day our school received the best sick excuse I have ever received in my entire career. Matthew Denny, one of our seniors and one of the best kids I have ever met, sent the following excuse. I trust you will enjoy it as much as I did!



I regret to inform you that my body is producing excessive pyrogens resulting in an elevation of my core temperature which will preclude my attendance of your intellectually stimulating allocution on Thursday. After discussion with my personal physician and nurse, and in an effort to prevent the sharing of this ailment with yourself or fellow classmates, I have determined to remain in my primary residence where proper nourishment, hydration, medication, and repose are readily available. Should there be given any assignments which are not posted on your website or in your syllabus, kindly submit them to my email so that I may tend to their completion prior to my hopeful return on Tuesday.

As always, I am your most humble student and servant in Christ,

Matthew