Position Papers
Position Paper #2: What Constitutes "Classical & Christian for ACCS?
Approved: 6/27/01
Christian
We address "Christian" first because we are first, and foremost, Christian schools. Our understanding of all things, including all things pertaining to education, is shaped by Christian truth. Thus, to acquire a sufficient understanding of classical education, one must first be able to view it from a Christian perspective. While in other ages and other times, the "Christian" in classical education was assumed, today it is not so. Given the present state of affairs, we believe it is important to clearly spell out the Christian presuppositions that underlie classical and Christian education.
The ACCS Confession of Faith defines the scope and elements of Christian truth individuals or organizations must affirm to be considered for membership in the ACCS. We see no need to add a second definition here as the Confession is sufficient. However, we do want to emphasize certain principles inherent in the Confession of Faith as they relate to education:
Sovereignty
God is sovereign. He possesses absolute authority over all things. He has created all things, sustains all things, and governs all things. He is the fountain of all being and truth. He works all things together for His own glory.
Antithesis
The principles by which believers live are squarely opposed to the principles by which unbelievers live. The Scriptures are clear that we are to bring "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." Thus, to provide a God-centered and truly Christian education, it is necessary to break completely free from the educational philosophies that surround us. We must build from the ground up, with the Scriptures as the foundation, both our educational philosophies and the framework in which we understand and present all subject matter.
Worldview
Christianity is more than a set of propositions supported by proof-texts. It is rather an entire system of thought. A worldview shapes our perspective and interpretation of everything in the world. Christianity must be viewed as a whole and not just as a collection of discrete elements. The Christian worldview is the "lens" through which we see, understand, and teach all things. It is antithetical to all other worldviews and thus requires that we present all ideas and concepts as part of a larger whole defined by Christian truth.
Neutrality
Because God is sovereign over all of His creation, there is no aspect of creation that does not reflect His glory and truth; hence, there is no place, subject, or issue that is neutral and that does not point to the Creator of all.
Classical
From its beginning, ACCS has advocated as its definition of "classical" the form of education that Miss Sayers described in her 1947 essay, The Lost Tools of Learning, and subsequently popularized in Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson. Both of these authors advance the pedagogical methodology of the Trivium, which includes three aspects: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Further, ACCS advocates, along with Miss Sayers and Mr. Wilson, that children tend to grow through developmental stages that generally coincide with the three areas of the Trivium. The Poll-parrot stage in which young children like to memorize and chant various bits of information coincides with the grammar stage of the Trivium. As children grow into their pre- and early teens, they become more argumentative and questioning; this is called the Pert stage, and coincides with the dialectic aspect of the Trivium. In their mid to late teens, children seem to be more vocal and expressive; this is called the Poetic stage, and conforms to the area of rhetoric. Children that are taught with these developmental stages in mind are receiving an education using classical methodology.But there is another aspect to this, and that is to teach children their Western heritage through reading the great works of the West. These books provide the classical content. Such books are necessary to appreciate the arguments that have formed the way we think. This is so that our children can adequately provide the Christian antithesis to the humanistic arguments of our heritage that are still being advocated by our godless culture today. ACCS recognizes that there are other definitions of what constitutes "classical" education which may have their strengths. Whereas ACCS is not necessarily antagonistic to these other definitions, it does not seek to embrace all of these other schools of thought. ACCS willingly acknowledges that it has a defined understanding of what constitutes a classical education and seeks to encourage that concept without apology.
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Position Paper #4: ACCS Statement on History and Protestant Education