A Critique of

The Faculty
An evangelical school must have a fully evangelical
faculty. This is a necessity. A partially evangelical faculty
is a shame for the school.
THE CURICULA
How is an evangelical school to be primarily contrasted
from secular and other religious schools? Chiefly, in its
curriculum. The school should have Christian, but much
more specifically, evangelical leanings, meaning, the
Gospel should be the central focus of the institution.
God is truth. Every other truth flows from this one truth.
The sciences we teach reflect the truth and order of God.
When God created the universe, he restricted it to
particular laws: the laws of Physics, Mathematics, Nature,
etc.without which the universe would be in chaos. God
was the one who created and ordered the universe. Laws
exist because God is.
The Earth, its structure, and its motions. History itself is
under Gods Providence, He knew beforehand all things
that would rally in this planet. Language also is glorious;
this God particularly endowed to us humans made in his
likeness. About these much more could be said*.
But the point to be made here is that God is the center of
it allbecause he is the progenitor of everything teachers
teach and everything students learn. We should know that
sciences are discovered, not created by humans. Newton
did not create the laws of gravity, he only discovered that
which was already there. Gravity existed long before
Newton was born. And gravitational law is God ordained,
he was the one who set it up. Thus, isnt really reasonable
to say that we should or could separate science from God.
Creation is intertwined with God that it displays him. the
heavens declare the glory of God, and his invisible
attributes have been clearly seen in the things that are
made.
If God is the source of the sciences, then true learning
comes only when scientific knowledge rises up to
knowledge of God. Christian theology teaches us that God

does things for his glory. And what but our education
should bring students to glorifying God.

THE STUDENTS
But we face another problem, the students. Should a
Christian school receive children from non-Christian
parents? Here we face dilemma. Not only whether we
should allow such children into a Christian school but also
for the very fact that we could not perfectly determine
whether the parent(s) is in fact Christian. A church
attendee doesnt make one a Christian, whether he or she
may profess so. And it takes more than church or
denominational names to know that such a one is truly a
disciple of Christ.
I am of the opinion that it is permissible that unbelieving
parents enroll their children to Christian schools. But this
should not go unconditionally. As a Christian school the
institution should insist on Christian polity, because,
firstly, the school is intended for the children of believers.
The policies should not compromise Christian faith and
teaching to give way to non-Christian practices. For a
Christian school to be Christian, it should insist on both
propagating and defending the faith. Compromise means
suppressing Christian teaching to accommodate nonChristian worldviews.
Thus non-Christian parents should be impressed with the
idea that the institution is particularly Christian and
upholds Christian doctrine and polity, and that once they
acquiesce with its demands end enroll their child, they are
subject to its terms and conditions.
One practical issue coming to the picture is having Muslim
girls wear their hijabs inside the campus. Should we allow
them or not to retain their religious practice within the
Christian school? For those who say it is permissible for
them to do so appeal to the Christian teaching on love
and tolerance. But this arguments seems vague. Surely
Christ did not stop from rebuking the Pharisees because
of love. Nor did the Apostle Paul stop from instructing,
rebuking, and disciplining Corinthian believers because of
tolerance. This idea of tolerance, when taken into wrong

contexts, is actually more of a danger than it is of help to

Christianity. Yes, we should verily respect people though
their beliefs and practices are contrary to ours. But in the
same way it is commanded of us to stand for truth.
Compromising the truth in the face of error is to disown
Christ.

Christian schools are private. And private school

authorities have the rights to impose particular rules. So
Christian schools can and must restrict wearing hijab in
order for it to stand as Christian.
One reason why this thing is just left out and allowed is
that school authorities, accordingly, do not want to offend
family and culture. But is it really an answer? In the very
first instance the parents know that they have enrolled
their kids in a Christian school and that they are subject
to its terms and conditions. Before they enroll their child
the law is set up before them. If they bring then their
children wearing hijabs what, but that the institution did
not really delienate the prohibition of this practice.
We must also note, that the wearing of hijabs isnt merely
a cultural practice. To them (probably not all) it is
essential as faithfully following Islamic teaching. So all of
a sudden it appears that the authorities tone down to
accommodate Muslim beliefs.
The rationale goes beyond mere using of laws. At the very
bottom, they relay this message: We want our children to
study here but we will not give up our religion. As
studying in Christian schools we pledge our allegiance to
Muhammad and to the laws of Islam. We want to gain
from you but you cant restrict us.
The fear of losing students seem one of the main reasons
why professing Christian institutions permit this. It will,
especially in cities with considerable Muslim occupation,
make the students list decrease in number.

Another reasons why they allow such1 hjhjghj

It is terrible that most Christian education doesnt have

that distinction from secular education. I heard one who
told me that in a particular evangelical school, they teach
Homer for literature. If we teach literature, do we go to
the writings of pagans like homer rather than that of great
Christian writers of old? I do not say that children cant
learn anything from Homer. The thing is, if there are great
writings of Christs disciples themselves, why dont we go
to them?
One of the reasons is that we do not know Church history.
We do not know people like Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, or
Spurgeon. We may have heard them, but only as a
passing sound. Take Spurgeon for example. Known as the
prince of preachers due to his dynamic Victorian<?>
oratory and conversion appeals<?>.//Later in his
preaching career he had thousands in attendance
This is another indictment against us. We barely read. We
Christians could do other things but reading. Our Christian
bookstores suffer from bankruptcy because we show poor
interest in reading. Not to mention, often Christian
readers read not so beneficial Christian literature.
But also, Jesus is truth*. He is called the Logosthe word.
Through him all things were createdcreator himself. Just
as you cant separate God from science, so you couldnt
separate Jesus from God. Our Christendom suffers from
the paralysis of compromise. We may utter prayers, but
we shy of from doing it in the name of Jesus. But we ought
1 It is even questionable if the institution really thought about
the matter. It is probable that the institution did not have any
laws about the wearing of hijabs in the first place. When their
students do so, nothing is done about them. And when they
become many, they all the more find it hard to prohibit it. Their
reasons for continually allowing this practice then may be out of
this difficulty due to their being enrolled already in school. It is
easier to let them than to overturn what they have been
practicing already.

to remember that anyone who comes to God without

Christ is like king Hezekiah when he entered the Holy of
Holies. Apart from Christ we are unclean. Apart from
Christ our feet are too dirty to tread on holy ground. Apart
from Christ is wrath. And presuming to enter Gods
presence without Christ is an abomination to God. If we
Christians believe this, then what hinders us to do our
Amens in Jesus name?
Now its not just a matter of praying and Amens. Its much
bigger. When evangelical schools restrain their students
to pray absolute Christian prayers, they fall under the
category of compromise. Prayers without Christ as the
means to Gods presence are garbage. I should also note
that some Christian schools usually dont start their
classes with prayers at all.

There may be another reason why they may have allowed

their girls to have that customthey may have not known
that your schools are Christian. You dont appear
Christian. You are no different to secular public schools.
Have no right to call yourselves Christian schools, much
more evangelical.
Is it all about money? All about gaining students. Then
remember that you cannot serve two masters. Its either
that your school is a Gospel school or it is a

You may have a tiny purposeto allow them in your

schools and then move them to know the Lord. Really?
You dont even teach the Gospel in your schools. Now the
Gospel is not just bible stories. Not the story of Abraham
or Moses or Noah. Apart from the Gospel, these stories
are of little value, and you rather teach morality that
Gospel spirituality.
The Gospel is the good news of Gods acceptance of sinful
man through Jesus Christ. The invitation of the Gospel to
faith demands the following assumptions:
First, that man is sinful. Children should be thought of the
doctrine Original Sin which teaches that since Adam, sin

has invaded the hearts of human beings. We are stained,

and all our own good deeds are as filthy rags in Gods
sight.
Second, that God cannot accept sinners per se. There is
no such thing as repentance in the name of repentance.
The New Testament calls unbelievers to repentance into
Christ<?>. We can only be forgiven through Christ. He is
the way to the Father. Even the Old Testament saints are
saved in Christ. And our lack of knowledge about these
things should how depraved we are in our understanding
of the Gospel.
Third, that Christ is the only way for us to be accepted by
God. By Gods acceptance of us it also involves
justification (declaration of righteousness) and salvation
(from impending Punishment). Here, the Gospel exalts
Christ as the deciding factor. All of us are sinners, given.
And yet we can be saved, but only through Christ
through our union with him by faith. And by our union
with him we receive the blessing of the forgiveness of our
sins.
The Gospel is the Word of the Word. The Scripture places
its focus in this grand idea.
The Gospel is not an isolated theme. You cant
compromise the gospel either. You cant teach the gospel
unless you denounce false religion. The Gospel being true
must be distinct from the false, or else there is no such
thing as true or false. All other religions are false, because
they rely on human merit for Gods acceptance.
Christianity teaches Gods waythat Gods acceptance is
based only in Christ because only he fulfilled every
requirement of the Gods law perfectly, and he is the only
perfect satisfier of Gods justice due us. Thus men should
come not by their righteousness (which we have none),
but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As the old hymn
goes, Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the Cross I
cling.
But Christian schools dont want to talk about religion.
They do not want to say or show that the way of Islam is
wrong. They compromise Christ. If youre going to teach

that Christ is the only way, it necessitates the impression

that Islam is not the way. But how many Muslim students
graduate with this impression? Its doubtful. My guess is
that they graduate as ease<?> or even stronger in their
devotion to their religion as they were formerly. What this
means is that the school is neither evangelical nor
Christian after all.