A Christian School

Regents Academy is a Christian school.

In fact, our school’s most fundamental identity is its Christian character. Yes, we are a private school. We are a classical school. And we are a PreK through 12 school. But our essential identity remains: we are first of all a Christian school.

But what does it mean to be a Christian school? That’s the question.

One might define a Christian school as a school that is sponsored by a Christian organization or church. Another might think of a Christian school as a school where the Bible is read or prayers are offered. Others might call a school Christian if many Christian families send their children there. Still others might consider a school Christian if it has Christian teachers or perhaps Bible classes or Christian curriculum providers. Many or all of these factors are present at most Christian schools and even some public schools – and with the exception of the first, they are all marks of Regents Academy. Here at Regents we have Christian families and Christian teachers and Bible classes and prayers and Christian curriculum. But underneath them all is something far deeper that is what marks Regents out as a Christian school.

Regents Academy is a Christian school because we are committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all things. The consequences of this commitment are that we hire Christian teachers, we attract Christian families, we read and teach the Bible, we use Christian curriculum, and we pray openly in our school. But there’s far more.

Because Christ is Lord at our school, we believe that the Bible should be read and studied but also fleshed out in the culture of our classrooms and hallways and athletic programs and staff room. The standards for our education and our community are set by the principles of Scripture. Martin Luther once offered this guidance: “I would advise no one to send his child where the Holy Scriptures are not supreme.” We want to be the kind of school where parents can follow Luther’s advice.

Because Christ is Lord at our school, we seek to take every thought captive to Him – not just in Bible class but in literature and science and mathematics and history. Developing a comprehensive Christian world and life view in our students, with Christ at the center, is our aim, as we seek to honor what God calls true, good, and beautiful. If we do not first know God, we cannot truly know ourselves or our world. The fear of the Lord is beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Prov 1:7, 9:10).

Because Christ is Lord at our school, we see the sharp dividing line between wisdom and foolishness and the consequent blessing and cursing that God promises for each. This means that studying history, for example, is more than memorizing lists of dates and names and events; rather, it is the cultivation of wisdom that comes by studying the valorous deeds and also the contemptible acts of those who came before us. We must see that a student’s display of selfishness is not just a personal issue to overcome, but is instead a temptation to foolishness that our Heavenly Father wants him to repent of.

Because Christ is Lord at our school, we know that education is not our savior. We are prone to making education an idol. But education is neither our children’s nor our nation’s savior; Jesus Christ alone is savior. When we train children to love knowledge and wisdom, our greater purpose is to teach them to love and honor Christ. His glory – and nothing else – is the chief goal and pleasure of life. It is also the chief goal and pleasure of our school.

However imperfectly we flesh out these principles, they are still our guiding principles. They are our non-negotiables. They are our proverbial hill to die on. But they are also wonderfully freeing. The best life that can be lived – a life of joy and peace and purpose – is lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

I am glad that you and your family are part of our venture in Christian schooling. Let’s always remember that what makes our school Christian is our commitment to the Lordship of Christ. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth” (Ps 115:1).