Education of Words

As Christians, we ought to be people enamored with words. This is because our God is the Father who eternally speaks the Son who is the Word. This Word became flesh and dwelt among us, His people. This is the same Word that upholds all things by his power. This is the Word that also inspires and through the Holy Spirit empowers Holy Scripture. Therefore it must be central to a recovery of Christian education to place enormous effort into putting the Scriptures and their languages at the forefront of our studies. We want students soaked and dripping joyfully in the waterfall of Scripture. But ultimately, we do not wish to master words on a page, but we endeavor to know Christ who is our Savior and King. For this reason Atlas School places the Scriptures and its languages at the center of our studies.

While words and God’s Word are significant parts of a Christian education, we also recognize the tendency of men to puff themselves up with knowledge. It is our intention to raise learning standards, set high expectations, and push students to their utmost capabilities, but true knowledge and wisdom come from a humble heart. As students are confronted with the complexities of Scripture, the ambiguities of language, and the myriads of stories in history and literature, our goal is for them to realize how deep and rich the world is. Knowledge, if it is true knowledge, begins with its own limitations. There is a gross error that permeates modern society that claims to know something if it can name it or define it. We have come to believe that there is some essence to everything that can be pinned to a pillow and labeled. And, when we have it dissected, diagrammed, and broken it down to its atomic structure, we “know” it. We have come to believe knowledge and therefore successful living is dependent upon sentences in one’s brain. This tendency is not really something new. Paul warned the Corinthians of this mindset. “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” (1 Cor. 8:1-2) There is a kind of knowing that is ignorance, and there is a kind of knowing that is love. In other words, knowledge on its own is arrogant and empty verbosity, and knowledge that loves and indwells is like honey on the lips. Because the idolatry of the enlightenment has been our error in the last few hundred years, it must be one that we guard against, particularly if we seek to raise learning standards. Simply giving our children more and bigger words to say and read could be to further their ignorance. For this reason Atlas School seeks to instill in our students a joyful humility and wonderful imagination even as we attempt to raise learning standards.