Core Values Series: Develop the Christian Mind

Dear Parents and Friends of SCS,

The other day I was with 1st grade students celebrating with them the publishing of their narrative writing.  Each student had a special story they had written with details, illustrations, and their personal perspective.  One of my favorites was entitled, “God’s Zoo.” The story was about the student’s trip to the zoo and all of the animals he had encountered.  What struck me was that this child perceived his experience as a part of God’s story. While he could have entitled it, “The Zoo,” he instead recognized God’s part in it.  

I then visited a health class where students were discussing how purity and marriage is a symbol of the Christ-Church relationship.  While most health classes might have taken a purely biological approach, our students were conceptualizing health as stemming from an understanding of who we are in Christ.

Each and every day I see examples of how SCS exemplifies our second core value, Develop the Christian Mind.  At SCS, we think and speak from a Biblical perspective. This means that we are always teaching from the context of our narrative being a part of God’s story.   When we think about concepts from a Biblical perspective, we get to know who God is, why he created us, and what our role is in His grand redemptive plan. Learning from a Biblical perspective also gives our students confidence to be bold amidst a culture that is in conflict with Biblical truths.

Our work to develop the Christian mind is an extension of your work to do so with your children and grandchildren at home.  During your devotion time around the dinner table or car rides back and forth to school, have conversations of what students are learning in the context of God’s story.  Challenge them to think about what their role is in it. Whether your child/grandchild is watching a butterfly come out of a chrysalis, navigating a dating relationship, or developing code to program a robot, they are formalizing a life-long perspective that will speak into their future decisions and relationships.  What would you like that perspective to be? Join us in our work to develop Christian minds.

In Christ, 

Ann Steenwyk
Director of Academics & Instruction