From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
When it comes to choosing a school for their children, parents have many directions they can go in: regular public schools, charter schools, non-religious private schools, and religious private schools, many of which are Christian schools. Bethel Christian Academy is a Christian school, distinctively Christian; and this overarching quality carries with it many outstanding benefits for the children and families who attend. These benefits are unmatched by other schools (of whatever type) in our area. Consequently, Bethel, I believe, is the school of choice. The first great benefit of Bethel Christian Academy is that the Bible is taught and preached. It is confidently and continuously proclaimed in classroom instruction, in one-on-one conversations, in Bible class, and in chapel. It is also modeled by the teachers up and down the grades. The fact that the Bible is taught and preached here benefits children in many ways, including their understanding of salvation.
Of all the topics a child can learn, none is more important than salvation. Salvation from sin, death, and hell, and eternal life with God is the paramount decision a person can make. To be saved, a person must surrender his will to Jesus Christ; he must repent of his sins and of his sinful way and believe on Jesus Christ alone. To repent and believe the gospel requires knowledge and understanding of the gospel. This is where the teaching at BCA comes in. The Bible teaches that the message of salvation should be taught to children. Paul said to Timothy, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15). At Bethel the knowledge of salvation is taught through Bible stories; through teaching about God, man, and sin; and through regular teaching of the gospel itself. As children learn the gospel, they can come to the point of choosing to believe so they can be saved. But it all begins with hearing the Bible taught and preached.
Children will not hear the gospel in a public school. They will hear everything but the gospel! In fact, they will be discouraged from believing in God and the way of God. Gender identity, sexual orientation, evolution, social justice, global warming, “coexist,” and other anti-God themes are the order of the day in the public school. (I am for racial equality and being a good steward of the earth, but not the direction of the modern social justice of climate change movements.) The combination of not hearing the gospel and of hearing an ungodly worldview influences a child toward secularism, which at its root separates God from society. Secularism prompts a “no-God” mentality, which is rebellious. Even if children come away still believing that God exists, we should want them actually to follow Jesus Christ, not just say “on paper” that they believe in God.
At non-religious private schools and even at most religious (Christian) schools, either the gospel is not preached, a false gospel is preached, or a watered-down version is taught. These places are spiritually dangerous. Psalm 1 teaches that the blessed man is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. When the gospel is removed, it is replaced with condemning error. We should want to protect our children from error and to expose them day by day to the truth. This happens at Bethel.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
When it comes to choosing a school for their children, parents have many directions they can go in: regular public schools, charter schools, non-religious private schools, and religious private schools, many of which are Christian schools. Bethel Christian Academy is a Christian school, distinctively Christian; and this overarching quality carries with it many outstanding benefits for the children and families who attend. These benefits are unmatched by other schools (of whatever type) in our area. Consequently, Bethel, I believe, is the school of choice. The first great benefit of Bethel Christian Academy is that the Bible is taught and preached. It is confidently and continuously proclaimed in classroom instruction, in one-on-one conversations, in Bible class, and in chapel. It is also modeled by the teachers up and down the grades. The fact that the Bible is taught and preached here benefits children in many ways, including their understanding of salvation.
Of all the topics a child can learn, none is more important than salvation. Salvation from sin, death, and hell, and eternal life with God is the paramount decision a person can make. To be saved, a person must surrender his will to Jesus Christ; he must repent of his sins and of his sinful way and believe on Jesus Christ alone. To repent and believe the gospel requires knowledge and understanding of the gospel. This is where the teaching at BCA comes in. The Bible teaches that the message of salvation should be taught to children. Paul said to Timothy, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15). At Bethel the knowledge of salvation is taught through Bible stories; through teaching about God, man, and sin; and through regular teaching of the gospel itself. As children learn the gospel, they can come to the point of choosing to believe so they can be saved. But it all begins with hearing the Bible taught and preached.
Children will not hear the gospel in a public school. They will hear everything but the gospel! In fact, they will be discouraged from believing in God and the way of God. Gender identity, sexual orientation, evolution, social justice, global warming, “coexist,” and other anti-God themes are the order of the day in the public school. (I am for racial equality and being a good steward of the earth, but not the direction of the modern social justice of climate change movements.) The combination of not hearing the gospel and of hearing an ungodly worldview influences a child toward secularism, which at its root separates God from society. Secularism prompts a “no-God” mentality, which is rebellious. Even if children come away still believing that God exists, we should want them actually to follow Jesus Christ, not just say “on paper” that they believe in God.
At non-religious private schools and even at most religious (Christian) schools, either the gospel is not preached, a false gospel is preached, or a watered-down version is taught. These places are spiritually dangerous. Psalm 1 teaches that the blessed man is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. When the gospel is removed, it is replaced with condemning error. We should want to protect our children from error and to expose them day by day to the truth. This happens at Bethel.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton