Philosophy of Christian Education

Shoals Christian School is not simply a school with a “Christian emphasis.”  It is, first and foremost, a Christian school.  “Christian,” in its most basic meaning, is “of or pertaining to CHRIST.”  Since education consists of transmitting truth from one generation to the next, central to any education philosophy must be the answer to the question, “What IS truth?”  At Shoals Christian, we embrace the answers that Jesus Christ Himself gave:  “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life….” (John 14:6) and “Your Word is Truth….” (John 17:17)

We affirm the authority of the Scripture as the highest truth.  Unless we first know God, Who is truth, we cannot know anything correctly.  At Shoals Christian School, the Bible is the infallible point of reference for our lives, the lives of our students, and the standard for all academic subjects.

At Shoals Christian, we believe that the learner is not just a social and physical being but fundamentally a spiritual being in need of reconciliation with his/her Creator.  Our purpose is to encourage students toward a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as we provide a biblically based, college-preparatory education experience.  Our desire is for them to be productive, responsible citizens with a deeply ingrained Biblical worldview as the foundation of their belief system.

We take seriously the command in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:  “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

This truth leads us to objective methods of teaching with continuing emphasis on ethical reasoning, critical thinking skills, and personal growth in Christian character and virtues.  The teacher at Shoals Christian School is seen as the primary example of this character and virtue.  It is our commitment to provide a faculty who excel as educators and who model biblical truths and Christ-like character.