Beliefs of Manhattan Christian School
1. We believe that our ultimate basis is in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments which we believe are the written Word of God, the revelation of the Triune God; the truth by which He enlightens our understanding of God, man, and the universe; and the infallible authority by which He directs and governs all of our activities, including the education of our children.
2. We believe the foundation of Christian education is in the Creator-creature relationship as taught in the Bible. Imbedded in creation is the pattern of our educational task: understanding the universe, communication with God, and creative performance.
3. We acknowledge the disruptive effect of sin, man's estrangement from God, and his blindness to the true meaning of life. We heartily acknowledge the restorative work of Jesus Christ (e.g. Col.1:16-20), His reconciliation of the world to God, and the redemption of our life in its entirety. This implies the necessity of a distinctive and peculiar dimension in our educational task, namely, to direct and guide the child to commit his heart to Christ, the Truth.
4. We believe the primary responsibility for education rests upon the parents (e.g. Deut. 6:6-9, Eph. 6:1-4). They may delegate a part of this responsibility to an institution that is able to carry forward their God-given task. While standing in place of the parent, the teacher, as servant of God, exercises authority in the performance of his office in educating the child in the school.
5. We believe the child, created in the image of God, is regarded as a spiritual - physical creature who through grace is capable of learning the laws of God's creation and knowing and obeying the truth of God's Word. He is, as image-bearer, regarded as a social creature standing in relation to his fellow man, having moral, intellectual, and emotional needs.
6. We believe the total educational program of the Christian school should be designed to orient the child to a life in Christ, through his culture, for fellowship with and service to God and his fellow man.