Who We Are

Let’s say you have a cousin from Atlanta, Georgia, and one from Brooklyn, New York.  One of them calls you on the phone. Can you tell which one it is just by how they say, “Hi there. How are you doin’ today?”  Of course you can! That’s because even though your cousins both speak English, they each speak it with a different accent. 

 

That’s a good comparison to use when talking about different groups of Christians. We all speak the same language in many cases, but we speak it with different accents or emphases. Here at Sioux Center Christian School, we speak with a Reformed accent. And, if you’ve wondered what “Reformed” really means—and if you’ve felt like you needed a translation—here’s what it means at SCCS. 

 

Reformed Christians emphasize the Bible as the foundation of all we believe and all we do. That means that we are reshaped (or re-formed, get it?) by what God’s Word says, not by someone’s opinion or by what modern society says is a good idea. The only opinion that matters is God’s, and we learn about what God says in the Bible. From that Holy Book, we can learn about God, ourselves, the world, and the relationship between God, ourselves, and the world. 

 

The Scriptures tell us many things about God: how He has worked in the past and how He works today.  Reformed Christians see a theme: God is in control! He is the sovereign God, the One who is ruling and the One who is in charge. That means that no matter what we see on the news or on social media, our world is not spinning out of control. God has all things in His hand, and He will work them out according to His divine plan.

 

One of the most important things that is under God’s control is salvation. God does the work of saving us, providing a Savior while we were yet sinners. We can’t save ourselves. We don’t earn or deserve eternal life with God in heaven. Our salvation is a gift—by grace through faith—because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. God’s control over our eternal destiny is the source of great comfort! It doesn’t depend on good works (which are never good enough) or feelings (which are bound to vary). Salvation depends on an all good, loving, merciful, sovereign God who never changes. 

 

When Reformed Christians look at the story of the Bible, they notice another thread running through the Old and New Testaments: the idea of covenant. God makes covenant promises with Noah, Abraham, David, and the children of Israel. Even when the human parties don’t hold up their end of the agreement, God is faithful.  Amazingly enough, God wants to include us in His covenant as well!  God promises to be our God and we will be His people, and He makes that promise to us and to our children. 

 

That’s why Reformed Christians believe so strongly in Christian education. Sioux Center Christian School partners with Christian homes and churches to work together in the important task of raising children to know and follow Christ. But Reformed Christian education is about so much more than chapel and Bible class. It’s about how the Lordship of Christ affects every area of life, every subject, every action, every activity. So SCCS emphasizes that science and history, blending letters and band, lunchtime and basketball practice all have to do with our faith in God. There’s no area that’s not sacred; there’s no part of school life where we can hang up a “Keep Out” sign for God.

 

Education from a Reformed perspective often uses the idea of Kingdom—God’s Kingdom. That’s a Kingdom which is already here, but is not yet fully realized. God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is still working today to redeem the world He created and loves, and He asks us—His creatures—to join Him in that redemptive work. That means we don’t run away from this world or hide from it just waiting to go to heaven. No! God calls us to work for Him and His Kingdom today to redeem all aspects of life:  movies, music, politics, technology, and more!

 

That opens up an exciting world of possibilities for Sioux Center Christian School students:  God can use them in a wide variety of ways both now and in the future. Our calling today is to help students learn, so that they can be effective disciples both now and in the future.

 

One way to explain what Reformed Christianity is all about is to go back in church history and explain the connection between churches on the family tree of denominations. But Reformed ideas aren’t really just associated with one church; the word “Reformed” is a way of explaining and acting on faith that crosses denominational lines. This emphasis on the Word, a sovereign God, salvation by grace alone, God’s covenant faithfulness, His Kingdom, and our role in it, is how we speak Christianity with a particularly Reformed accent.

 

And at Sioux Center Christian School, we do our best each day to make sure that’s coming through loud and clear!

 

The Bible. God, by His Holy Word, reveals Himself; renews human beings’ understanding of God, of themselves, of others, and of the world; directs human beings in all their relationships and activities; and guides His people in the education of their children.

 

God. There is one infinite, holy, loving, personal God who speaks to believers in Scripture and reveals Himself in His acts of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As finite human beings created in God’s image, we declare that it is our purpose and privilege to worship, honor, serve, and obey Him.

 

Creation. The world belongs to God, who created it and faithfully sustains it by His providence. Creation is the theater of God’s glory, displaying His power and majesty. God calls us to discover creation’s resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are responsible to God and to our neighbor.

 

Sin. Our ability to carry out our human calling to honor God, serve our neighbor, and care for the creation is marred by the corrosive effects of sin, which touch every part of life, including education. Human sin brought upon all people the curse of God, alienating them from their Creator, their neighbor, and the world, distorting their view of the true meaning and purpose of life, and misdirecting human culture. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, and, ultimately, death are all the inevitable fruits of sin in our world.

 

Covenant. However, God has not rejected or abandoned His world but has turned it in love. He pledges to be faithful and to care for all His children. God always keeps His promises. We acknowledge with gratitude and joy that He is our God and the God of our children, that we are His people, and that this is His world.

 

Jesus Christ. Through our Savior Jesus Christ, there is renewal because He is the Redeemer of and the Light and the Way for our human life in all its range and variety. Only through Him and the work of His Spirit are we guided in the truth and recommitted to our original calling.

 

Redemption. As He promised, God, in love, send Jesus Christ into the world to save it from sin and its consequences. The atoning death of the Son of God is the only payment for the debt of human sin, and Christ’s resurrection is the only liberation from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends the Holy Spirt to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build a community of love and holiness. It is this community’s mission to proclaim and live this good news and to make disciples of nations.

 

Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and He reigns over all things for our good. To be a citizen of His Kingdom is a privilege, a joy, and a responsibility. Led by the Spirit, we place our every thought, word, and deed in service of Christ’s present and coming reign, and we live daily in the confident hope of the triumphant return.

 

Schools. The purpose of the Christian school is to educate children for a life of obedience to their calling in this world as image bearers of God. This calling is to know God’s Word and His creation, to dedicate their lives to God, to love all people, and to be stewards in their God-given tasks, talents, and calling. The Christian school enables and equips all its children to serve the Lord, to love their fellow human beings, and to care for God’s creation. The school provides an environment of love and care with which students are nurtured. As an indispensable partner with the home and the church, the Christian school leads children to live according to biblical wisdom.

 

Parents. The primary responsibility for education rests upon parents to whom children are entrusted by God. Christian parents should accept this obligation in view of the covenantal relationship that God established with believers and their children. Parents partner with the Christian school to train up their children in the way they should go.

 

Community. Because God’s covenant embraces not only parents and their children but also the entire Christian community to which they belong, and because Christian education contributes directly to the advancement of God’s Kingdom, it is the obligation not only of parents but of the entire Christian community to establish and maintain Christian schools, to pray for them, to work for them, and to give generously for their support.

 

Staff. Staff members of the Christian school, living in joyful fellowship with God, model the love of Christ to children. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and dedicated to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, Christian staff members view their work as a vocation, as a calling. The calling of a Christian staff member is to pass on the wisdom of the Christian tradition to students and to help them understand and apply the transforming power of the gospel to contemporary society and culture. In all things, they cooperate with parents, who have the ultimate responsibility for their children.

 

Students. Students are God’s image bearers, entrusted to parents and the Christian community as His gifts. The Christian school encourages students to develop their gifts in response to God and in loving service to fellow human beings. Students are led to know God and to respond to Him in every dimension of the creation and in every aspect of their lives in obedient and faithful service. Christian schools must take into account the variety of abilities, needs, and responsibilities of students, and adults should view students as fellow disciples.

 

Curriculum. The Christian school curriculum is developed and organized so that children may come to know God more deeply and richly and live for Him more faithfully. Since human experience in all its rich variety is a good gift from the Creator who remains involved in His world, the Christian school curriculum explores all dimensions of creation. God’s design for the creation and His will for human society and culture must be understood and obeyed. This is the way of godly wisdom. Students are taught to recognize the brokenness that sin brings to God’s carefully designed world and are challenged to bring the healing power of Jesus Christ to a fallen world.

 

Educational Freedom. Christian schools, organized and administered in accordance with legitimate standards and provisions for schools, should be fully recognized in society as free to function according to these principles.

 

Sexuality. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person and is against Christian belief and practice.

 

Marriage. The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union. God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, cohabitation, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.

 

Life. All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.