Biblical Worldview Teaching
We believe it is vital that the Christian school designate time at each grade level for the focused study of God’s Word. During this time, the grace of the gospel and the obedience of the Christian life are emphasized as students learn biblical content. Every Stillwater graduate ought to know the broad strokes of the biblical story, how biblical history develops through historical epochs, how the Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Christ Jesus, and how a Christian ought to live, among many other important truths. It is our hope that our graduates humbly submit their hearts, minds, and wills to God, love him with a full heart, exercise personal faith in Jesus Christ, and commit themselves to lives of obedience, service, and leadership. The Stillwater Bible class is the primary place where these aims are pursued.
It is equally vital that Christian instruction not be limited to Bible class. Every teacher at Stillwater is a Bible teacher, in that every subject of study must find its place in relation to the absolute authority of God as expressed in his Word. Christianity affects the way we study everything; thus, Stillwater teachers will use the language of creation, fall, redemption, and glorification as reference points when they teach about science, math, history, literature, art, music, etc. The world as we know it can only be explained by the biblical worldview, and the Christian school should teach no subject as though it can be fully understood in isolation from Christian truth.
The Bible was not written to provide nuanced and technical instruction for all fields of study, however, and so it serves as a textbook only for Bible class. God’s general revelation must be consulted in order to understand physics, biology, and the like. We believe that nature and Scripture are always in agreement, being two forms of the revelation of the one God, but they focus on different truths according to God’s perfect purpose.
SCS Core Values
FOR BIBLE INSTRUCTION...
Authority. The Bible is our sole authority for belief and behavior, so we will not teach any doctrine nor promote any practice which is not taught in, or inferred from, Scripture.
Spiritual Formation. Even though content knowledge is the backbone of our Bible curriculum, we study the Bible to train students to be obedient to God’s revealed will, engaging their hearts for Christian service and leadership.
Integration. The Bible applies to all of life and to every area of inquiry, though its primary focus is God and his redemptive relationship with people.
The Bible as Textbook. As early as possible, our students study the Bible itself. Books about the Bible, theology, and Christian life are never more than supplements to the Word itself.
Memorization. We believe that the study of Scripture, meditation on its precepts, and its application in individual lives are strengthened by memorizing it.
Contextual Study. In order to provide tools for learning and enable discernment and application of God’s Truth, we teach students how to study the Bible and apply it to their own lives.
Critical Thinking and Rhetorical Emphasis. We teach Bible in a way that encourages student discussion of various positions, theological and practical, within the scope of historic Christian orthodoxy. Students become familiar with different views, and are expected to explain and express these views in speech and writing.
Unity and Diversity. While individual teachers may espouse views consistent with their own denominational perspectives, teachers and students alike are to exercise charity and tolerance when promoting any and all beliefs consistent with the SCS Statement of Faith.
Charity toward Unbelievers. As an open enrollment school, teachers will demonstrate and require charity and respect toward students and families who do not subscribe to the SCS Statement of Faith.
Academic Approach
Our academic approach is rooted in our mission to equip students with the tools for learning through a Christ-centered education. Christian education properly acknowledges that truth is found in God and so true education stresses the need to be united to Christ and then to learn in relation to him.