Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 20

S ER VING C HRISTIANS IN IN D EP END ENT S C H O O L S
Continued from page 17
Government classes. His self-identified liberal
teacher encouraged Andrew to speak out
and applauded him when he made thought-
provoking and respectful points—even tell-
ing his other classes how he wished he could
clone Andrew to foster healthy debate in all
his classes.
Along these lines, one of my Leadership Fo-
rum students in St. Louis gave a “Ted Talk” in
his independent school science classroom
this past spring on the belief that “God cre-
ated the heavens and the Earth.” He noted the
hundreds of scientific factors necessary for
Earth to support life (that he believed would
be mathematically difficult to happen by
chance), as well as several weaknesses in the
Big Bang theory. His thoughtful and scientifi-
cally-based presentation was well-received by
his teacher and classmates.
This type of atmosphere provided in secu-
lar schools opens the door for true dialogue
among different viewpoints—better prepar-
ing students to bring civility to an increasingly
polarized world.
“This type of atmosphere
provided in secular
schools opens the door
for true dialogue among
different viewpoints—
better preparing stu-
dents to bring civility
to an increasingly
polarized world.”
Page 18 Winter 2018
Understanding the Faith of
Historical Figures
Lastly, encouraging students to use their faith
and God-given abilities to be culture makers is
consistent with many of the artistic and inno-
vative geniuses throughout history who gave
God the glory for their work—from literature
to the fine arts to the printing press to the
telegraph to motion pictures.
Viewing others as image-bearers of God is not
only an important concept for one’s identity,
but impacts how we view others as well. This
view has played a major role in defending the
rights of men and women throughout Ameri-
can history—whether it be the ideals present-
ed in the Declaration of Independence, the
Abolitionist movement, the mistreatment of
Native Americans, the formation of women’s
colleges, the abuse of the mentally ill and pris-
oners, or the Civil Rights movement, to name
a few examples.
The motive of seeking rights for other humans
because they are all created in God’s image is
often omitted or not discussed in today’s his-
tory textbooks—a premise presented in both
Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream
Speech.” (This is a heritage parents and students
need to learn about—hence my interest in equip-
ping schools to be more culturally responsive.)
Concluding Thoughts
As an educator, Head of School, and parent,
my vision has always been for my students

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