Geneva Academy Philosophy of Education
The chief end of man is to worship and glorify God, and in doing so, enjoy Him forever. In our Christian education philosophy, we worship, glorify, and enjoy Him by hearing and adhering to the great commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Recognizing that all education is inherently religious and serves as training for the worship of ultimate loves, whether that be money, status, worldly success, selfish liberty, or Christ, Geneva Academy commits to a Reformational classicism approach. We consciously educate students toward the love and worship of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As John Milton wrote, "The end then of learning, reflecting a profound Christian education philosophy, is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining the knowledge to understand God rightly. This understanding inspires us to love Him, imitate Him, and strive to be like Him. Through this pursuit, we can possess our souls with true virtue, which, when united with the heavenly grace of faith, embodies the highest perfection of classical education within the framework of Reformational classicism."
Geneva Academy seeks to support parents and the church in nurturing and maturing true lovers and worshippers of God. Through a well-directed Christian education philosophy rooted in Reformational classicism, we believe that right love and worship will lead, by the blessing of God and the work of His Spirit, to the sure growth of Christ’s Kingdom, fulfilling His promises to His children and their children. This approach to educating 'worshipping man' (homo adorans) can be best understood as a historical expression of classical education.
The Reformers studied language, philosophy, theology, natural philosophy, literature, and history of the ancients and medievals, seeking after the wisdom of God wherever it may be found. They understood that all truth is God’s truth, which aligns with the principles of classical education. They interacted faithfully and prophetically with their contemporaries, speaking God’s truth with God’s love into every situation. With a solid biblical foundation as their starting point, they engaged the world rightly, embodying the essence of Reformational classicism. Similarly, we begin with God’s Word and His way of thinking in order to properly engage with the ideas of all ages, learn from them, contend with falsehood, and live differently in the present. We train young men and women in how to think, feeding them God’s truth, while ultimately aiming for our students to live out that truth in a cruciform life of service to God and to others.
