Why Christian Education?

Why Should You Value a Christian Education?

The educational program at Illiana Christian High School is designed to help give its students a well-rounded Christian view of life. It aims to interpret all aspects of life in the light of the Bible and as articulated in the Reformed creeds. Illiana graduates students with competence academically, but also aims to graduate young people who know, serve, and love God and their neighbor. All courses must be God-centered, meet the best educational standards, and be taught by a faculty committed to Christian instruction and scholarship.

To attain these goals, Illiana students are expected to at all times to live a life consistent with Christian principles. The honoring of God in all activities and living to the service of Christ is most important. The following ideals should be constantly held before student, teacher, and parent:

1. The development of Christian virtues such as love, honesty, courtesy, obedience, respect, sincerity, and the discipline of body and mind in accordance with the Holy Scriptures.
2. The development of Christian citizenship and leadership in the school, in one’s chosen occupation, and in the community in accordance with the Bible.
3. The development of Christian scholarship according to God-given ability.

At Illiana Christian High School we believe that God promises to be our God and the God of our children. It is our covenantal responsibility to educate our children in the light of this relationship and in the light of this understanding of scripture. It is not enough to subject our children to a secular education and then hope to add in some religious understanding. We strive to train our children into a deep and discerning understanding of life. We hope they will learn from us how to think, feel and live as a Christian.

This covenantal understanding also shapes us as a school for families whose children have many different gifts, interests, and vocational and academic plans. We are not just a college preparatory school, even though a large majority of our students to go on to college and do very well. We are intentionally also a school for students who do not intend to go to college and for students who have special educational needs. Although there are some limits to what we can provide, we intend to be a school for all Christian families.

When God gave his people the Ten Commandments, he instructed us to impress them on our children, to wear them on our foreheads and put them on our doorposts. We are to talk about them both morning and night. We believe this demand of God’s is a demand for Christian schooling. Christian schooling is not merely a safe alternative to public education and its greatest value is not even in its academic excellence. Christian schooling is an essential tool for Christian families to bring up their children in the ways and knowledge of the Lord.