I enjoy it when people to ask me why I love Fortis Academy.  There are many reasons, but one in particular is that the classical Christian education movement is intertwined with the Christian worldview movement.  Through these two movements I have a genuine excitement for the future of the nations.  I personally love testimonies, especially those found in scripture.  One of the great testimonies received by a generation was, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6b, NKJV).   The impact those believers had on their culture was revolutionary.  Yet, a simple study of history demonstrates that many other generations of believers have similarly impacted the cultures of their day.  This causes one to ask sincere questions about what was different about their form of faith and ours.  The answer lies in the development of a comprehensive Christian worldview and an education in goodness, truth and beauty.  What has happened in our generation is that Christianity has been caged in the realm of personal devotion rather than a mandate to bring all things under the rule of God’s love.  A Fortis education seeks to reconnect our generation to the potent faith of previous generations.

This brings me to the Christian worldview movement.  We just began reading “Total Truth” by Nancy Pearcey in our Fortis Christian worldview small group.  Nancy describes the fact that:

“Redemption is not just about being saved from sin, it is also about being saved to something—to resume the task for which we were originally created. And what was that task? In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The first phrase, “be fruitful and multiply,” means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, “subdue the earth,” means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations—nothing less.”[1]

The goal of a classical Christian education at Fortis Academy is to equip our children with the virtue and skills necessary to be successful in fulfilling the biblical cultural mandate.  I have long wrestled with the generally accepted idea that people only turn to Christ when they “hit rock bottom.”  While I know that many do, I also see in the book of Revelation that when troubles come, people often harden their heart and curse God.  When tragedy strikes, people often turn away from God and question whether there can there be an all-powerful and all-loving God when there is evil in the world.  Such questions are easily resolved through an authentic Christian worldview.  Yet, when that Christian worldview becomes culture, then people see the goodness and love of God in real life.  Then they often surrender their hearts to Him.  Our goal is to plant the dream of city of God into the hearts of our children so that they go and bear fruit for Him as ministers of Christ in the God given vocation and by doing so they are our hope to transform culture.

 

[1] Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth (Study Guide Edition – Trade Paperback): Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity (p. 47). Crossway. Kindle Edition.