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                                                                   November 11, 2009

 

 

Dear Friends of Grove City Christian Academy,

Change. Perhaps the one word that best describes the past year is “change.” Certainly, it was the dominant theme of the 2008 election cycle. And, indeed, we’ve seen tumultuous change initiatives embroil the nation in controversy. How will our children deal with the world they inherit? Will they be guided by their own understanding or will they seek to be guided by Truth in all they do?

Much of my reading over the past year focused on the worldview of American progressives.  Progressivism is a philosophy that has been developing since the late 1800s and has been growing in influence. Although a minority, millions of Americans, like those holding the most influential positions in our elected federal government today, identify themselves as progressives. Central to the worldview of modern progressives is the concept of change.

Who could be opposed to change? After blessing Adam and Eve, God said to get active changing the world: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” God commands change and that we participate in it. 

The critical issue is what or Who is our guide? Do we lean on our own understanding or are we guided by objective truth found outside of ourselves, Biblical truth?

Progressives are guided by man-made truth. In fact, according to Bradley Watson in his new book, “Living Constitution, Dying Faith,” the progressivism of the 1930s, 1960s and today was inspired by Charles Darwin. Following the publication of “On the Origin of Species” 150 years ago, biological Darwinism – atheistic evolution – began to influence how people thought about society and societal institutions. To begin with, progressives would throw out the beginning – the truths and documents that created our nation. It’s better for society to evolve from the thought of the current times, they would say,than look to foundational truths for guidance. Societal change unencumbered by our founding documents is the key to societal progress. To be guided by founding truths and documents – those things that created our nation – is to look backward, to bring about decay and even societal death. 

One of the leading progressives of the early 20th century was John Dewey. Dewey is the father of modern public education. Dewey applied Darwin’s biological evolutionary thought to education. Dewey didn’t want teachers to pass along time honored truths – no, children should be encouraged to discover and loosely define truth on their own. For Dewey, traditional truth would only retard the growth and potential of children. “Indeed, if a student were to claim to know what is ‘true,’ he might receive a low mark from Dewey because such a claim would be ipso facto proof positive that he is not ‘intelligent,’” says Henry Edmondson in “John Dewey & The Decline of American Education.” In the Dewey mode of thinking, teachers are to provide an environment in which children can evolve intellectually without being held back by traditionally valued truths, curricula and teaching methodologies.

So here we are today. Progressives – those leading our country – think that objective truth leads to societal decay. Illogical? Yes.  Where do children fit in this equation? How are they to make sense of who they are and their world if they are not taught to seek Truth in all they do?

Grove City Christian Academy exists to give parents an alternative pathway for their children. A pathway lit by God’s truth where children learn they are valuable because they are made in the image of God, that they need a Savior, that God loves them and provides their Savior in Jesus Christ, that He has a plan for their lives and that they are to study every subject in the light of God’s Truth. This is a pathway that leads to moral and spiritual clarity, peace of mind and joy.

Yes, the world is changing and God commands us to participate in that change process guided by His word, not by our own understanding. For the past 38 years, Grove City Christian Academy has been engaged in this process and has benefited from Grove City College professors serving on the Academy’s board. Sharing the Academy’s Christian worldview, these outstanding professors have shaped a curriculum consisting of knowledge and teaching methods proven valuable throughout the ages. The Academy hires and trains teachers who share the board’s passion for academic excellence and they pour their lives into their students. The outcome of this boardroom-classroom partnership is an exceptional academic program that provides parents a striking educational opportunity for their children.

This academic year, 21 new families chose to place their children in Grove City Christian Academy. On the other hand, many families had to withdraw their children due to financial strain. Even though the cost of a Grove City Christian Academy education is one-third of the public option, families struggle mightily to make ends meet when tuition is a large component of their budget. When families struggle, the Academy struggles. This is a difficult year and next year looks even more challenging. The good news is that our administrator, Kennedy Henriquez, is making great strides in the area of fund raising. He is actively developing relationships with people who are committing financially to sharing the Academy’s mission and this is welcome news! Still, we need your help if you are able.

Please consider the work of Grove City Christian Academy and its impact on children who are growing up in a world that is increasingly departing from Biblical truth in favor of a model of human progress that often leads to personal confusion and, today, societal upheaval. Grove City Christian Academy needs your help to remain strong and to strengthen the children and families it serves. Please, if you are able, consider making a significant gift to Grove City Christian Academy. Please pray for the Academy’s work in this challenging time. And if you have friends who would be interested in sharing in this work, please pass this letter along.

Thank you for the many ways you have supported Grove City Christian Academy over the years.

Sincerely,

Lee Wishing

President, Grove City Christian Academy Board of Directors