We want our students to not only know the Word of God but to love it, too. This means receiving the stories, people, and teachings (doctrines) as their own—the Bible is part of their own story. Its people are their people, the teachings are for them.

Students will learn this through study of all the books of the Bible, memory verses, and catechesis (a structured way of learning Biblical truths.) With this, they will have a ready answer of what the Bible teaches, for their own understanding and to share with the world.

As students grow older, they delve into the teachings of Scripture as well as church history. With a formal Apologetics class, they learn how to defend and proclaim the faith in grace and in truth. Our distinct Bible classes provide foundational teaching for the rest of their classes all of which are taught from a Biblical worldview.

We know that our words are important since God revealed Himself as the Word, giving His people His written Word and the Word made flesh. God communicated with us through His Word, and we also communicate with Him and others with our words. As Christians, we want to do this as faithfully as we can, using our words to build up His kingdom through praise, story, and a “word fitly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11) and written in various circumstances. The tools towards this expression are
Grammar, Logic, and the five canons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery.

In the Lower School, we begin with the basics of language: phonograms, penmanship, spelling, English grammar (including sentence diagramming), and learning the mechanics and forms of writing through classical exercises. With these ancient beginning writing exercises, known as the progymnasmata, students in 4th-9th grades imitate through manipulating original writings by quality authors. By supplying young students with the content, the common sentiment of “I don’t know what to write about” is removed, freeing the children to focus their efforts on formative skills.

The way is then paved for more informed and effective creative expression during their “Poetic” stage of development (Rhetoric or high school years.) Through exercises like Thesis projects and Declamations, and extra-curricular opportunities like Mock Trial, they hone their skills further to be effective persuaders for the kingdom.

We want our students to know the story of God’s world with a focus on their heritage, beginning with their city, state, and country which descended from Europe, which was once a part of the Roman Empire, leading back through the Middle East and then Creation. While we teach the broad history of the world, our focus is Western History because this is predominant in the history of the Church and our faith. Western history also birthed America, our country. The value of narrowing our historical focus brings the value of learning it more thoroughly, rather than shallowly. With this in mind, we briefly cover the history of the Far East because we want our students to know what occurred simultaneously to the events of our Western History.

Beginning in second grade, students go through the sequence of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern histories three times in the duration of their study at Agape Christi with increasing depth and complexity each time in accordance with the development of the child and the classical methodology of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. For example, Grammar students memorize the major events along a timeline of history while Logic students are led in discussion of the cause and effect relationships of these events. Rhetoric students are given practice in leading discussions and wrestling with nuanced issues; and are evaluated more on the quality of the questions they ask and adeptness at formulating and expressing ideas rather than their ability to answer multiple choice quizzes.

Mistakenly thought of as a “neutral” subject, the Christian view is that mathematics belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). Mathematics is the language of creation, spoken into existence by the mouth of God. To study math, then, is to study an aspect of God himself. The vision for the Agape Christi mathematics program is that students gain:

• Mastery of fundamental concepts
• Confidence in mental calculations
• Practical understanding of mathematics (solving and creating word problems)
• Understanding of math in the context of science and history
• Recognition that everything must exist in submission to Christ

We are attempting to give students the tools to build calculators and computers, not just use them. To accomplish this vision, students in the Lower School master arithmetic through a multi-sensory approach of oral word problems, rote chanting, speed drills, games, and an abacus. In seventh grade, students transition from instruction in computation to thinking mathematically. Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus are all discussed within their philosophical and historical backgrounds with an emphasis on life application, thus answering students’ infamous question, “Why do I have to learn this stuff?” Most importantly, their eyes will be opened to the beauty and mysteries of creation, fostering a deeper reverence and awe of God.

We want our students to love Story and to love Truth. Each piece has its own story which speaks something of the Truth. Are the characters faithful? Are they wise? Our desire is to have the student’s imagination awakened to the time period of the book, often chosen to fit the time period of study. In addition, books are chosen because of their classical value at an opportune age of reading.

Logic and Rhetoric school students take an all-encompassing Omnibus course that integrates Literature, History, and
Theology. Students engage with the best works that man has to offer to either emulate or refute as called for when held next to the Word of God. The purpose of a Christian school is not to shelter students from controversial and even blasphemous literature in such a way as to never allow exposure, rather, a shelter is created to practice battling with those ideas under the instruction of their teacher as preparation to dispel them from the public sphere. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

At Agape Christi Academy, music is not an elective. The Lord commands that his people worship through song out of love for Himself (Psalm 66:1-2, Psalm 68:4) and love for others (Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19). It is therefore imperative for Christian students to learn to sing, particularly the Psalms. The Bible tells of several men and women who were not musicians by profession and yet composed music unto the Lord: Deborah, Miriam, Moses, Hannah, Mary, and Paul. It is our goal then for all students to learn how to sing and compose with joy and skill for the glory of God and cultural transformation.

Lower school students will learn how to read music through solmization (do, re, me, etc.), rhythm-duration syllables (counting rhythms by chanting), and the Curwen hand signs. Following classical methodology, upper school students focus on musical analysis, composition, and performance.  Students in all grades will be introduced to the great composers of music and follow the course of music throughout history.

Logic is the art and science of reasoning well. God gave man the ability to reason so that we could communicate with Him and each other. Like love, logic is not created by God, but is one of His attributes. The goal of studying logic is not to be more argumentative, but to learn to do as Johannes Kepler said and, “Think God’s thoughts after Him.” We also do not want to be like the weak women Paul referred to who were forever learning, but never coming to knowledge of the truth. Rather, logic serves to open our minds in order to close on the truth.

The apostle Paul instructs us to set our minds on that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely; we are to meditate on those things which are of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy. Furthermore, because the invisible Word became visible, the pictorial expression of idea is a Christian concept, necessitating the study of art in a Christian education. As a Christian school, we seek to instruct our students to: glorify God in their handiwork, reject aesthetic relativism and nihilism, and make aesthetic judgments in humility.

Students begin with learning the elements of shape through imitation of beautiful artwork. As they progress, other aspects of drawing are introduced such as shading, perspective, and composition. Students in all grades analyze and discuss the works of classical and modern artists with an emphasis on identifying worldview themes in the upper grades.

In order to take advantage of the sensitiveness of the ear, the elasticity of the muscles of the throat and tongue, and the
power of mimicry found in the very young, Agape Christi Academy introduces foreign language exposure as soon as
children enter school. This exposure is particularly beneficial when learning spoken languages. Agape Christi Academy
introduces Spanish in grades K-2. In order to avoid any confusion with English phonics in these grades, Spanish studies focus solely on the first two stages of natural language acquisition, listening and speaking. Latin study, which begins in 3rd grade, is a defining feature of a classical education because it is the foundational operating language for western civilization. A proper understanding of western culture cannot be achieved without knowledge of the culture’s chief language. Consider how many Latin phrases are engraved on colonial government buildings and universities–words that used to be common knowledge to the educated. Latin has the added benefit of increasing students’ English comprehension (as evidenced in higher verbal scores on standardized tests), as roughly fifty percent of English words are derived from Latin. Also, Latin students are able to learn other Romance languages (such as Spanish) more quickly as up to eighty percent of those vocabularies come from Latin.

Science is the study of God’s creation. Part of loving God is to share an interest in what he cares about. Since “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” Christian students have a reason to be curious about the work God made and declared good. The study of science is also a means of loving our neighbor inasmuch as advances and discoveries bless the world.

Lower school students study one aspect of creation in depth each year: Astronomy, Botany, Zoology, Anatomy, or Geology. Logic students move from learning names and definitions in creation to understanding the “why” and “how” of it. Beginning in seventh grade, students are guided in the art of reasoning consistently and faithfully in the truth of God. Some secular texts are intentionally used to show students that the story of science varies with the vantage point of the narrator, such the role the church played in the development of the scientific method. Throughout their pursuit of science, the word of God is foundational to their discovery, discussing questions such as, “What role does the sovereignty of God play in quantum mechanics?” All students in 10th-12th grades then take the sequence of Chemistry, Biology, and Calculus with a shift towards guided independent study and collaborative research over classroom lecture.

Rhetoric is the art of communicating ideas in the most effective and engaging manner. It is not enough for students to be skilled essay writers; they must be able to write essays that people actually want to read. The final test of the students’
rhetorical skills is the Senior Thesis, a year long project requiring all of their previously acquired tools. Hopeful graduates develop arguments on a topic of debate. They must then defend their arguments before an examining board, where they will be evaluated on originality, reasoning, expression and overall competence.

The scripture teaches that physical education has some value, but godliness has value for all things (1 Timothy 4:8). In light of this, we place priority on seeing the student transformed to the image of Christ rather than the image of the latest popular
athlete. Learning how a Christian should respond to a win and a loss is more important than learning techniques to win a game. Other character traits we desire to see developed in students through physical education are perseverance, ambition, encouragement of others, and humility. Additionally, we desire to cultivate biblical masculinity through our boys’ athletic program and biblical femininity through our girls’ athletic program. This affects the students’ speech, mannerisms, attire, and selection of activities. We do not abandon classical methodology in gym class, but intentionally seek ways to implement the trivium. Lower School students will learn the various rules and procedures of the activity or sport, while Upper School students focus on strategy, form, and leadership. The national physical fitness tests are given three times each year. Basic nutrition and sports medicine topics are integrated throughout.

The Scripture illuminates all of life like the sun giving light to its orbiting planets. Christian apologist Cornelius Van Til taught that Scripture is authoritative on everything about which it speaks, and it speaks about everything. Scripture informs how we should think about God’s world and all the various parts of it we call academics. Our goal is to teach all subjects as parts of an integrated whole, with Scripture at the center. The Bible is the sun, and all the subjects are the planets. We do not need to spend all our time staring at the sun, but we do need the sun to see the world rightly.

A man-centered education disregards God’s word. Without an objective truth, the classroom dynamic shifts to reaching a consensus rather than finding the right answer. Since all values are supposedly equally valid, any truth claims are seen as arrogant and bigoted.

Education has a formative effect that will either directs us toward or distracts us from the command to love God and our neighbor. What we are trained to love is ultimately more important than what we are trained to know and our goal is to guide students to love what is true, good, and beautiful. By love, we don’t mean a bundle of undefinable fleeting feelings triggered by a chemical reaction in the brain, but it is 1 Corinthians 13 active in our daily lives. Beginning in second grade, students go through the sequence of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern histories three times in the duration of their study at Agape Christi with increasing depth each time in accordance with the development of the child and the classical methodology of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. For example, Grammar students memorize the major events along a timeline of history while Logic students are led in discussion of the cause and effect relationships of these events. Rhetoric students are given practice in leading discussions and are evaluated more on the quality of the questions they ask and adeptness at formulating and expressing ideas rather than their ability to answer multiple choice quizzes.

The secular view of education believes academic study can be morally neutral and reduces it to mere transfer of information. The religious nature of education is inescapable however, and so instead of pursuing God’s glory, a man-centered education encourages students to pursue self-actualization, personal peace, and affluence.

It is no coincidence that the spread of the gospel coincides with the growth of the West. The gospel does not end in the West, but to date, that is where the most fruit has developed. This the heritage of every Christian. A huge Kingdom growth spurt occurred with the Reformation and the cry of “Ad fontes!” which means, “To the sources!” Because of this influence, our upper school curriculum is comprised of original documents and Latin and Greek are required courses. Students are then able to engage with the world’s greatest thinkers in what is called the “Great Conversation.”

The influence of Christianity in the development of western civilization is generally ignored or marginalized. Without an appreciation for truth, goodness, and beauty, there is no “Great Conversation” to engage in. Textbooks with alternate interpretations then take the place of original documents and the “dead language” of Latin is offered as only an elective, if at all. This is the best case scenario from the more conservative government schools. In other schools, the vitriol towards our forefathers is more obvious.

Lower school students will learn how to read music through solmization (do, re, me, etc.), rhythm-duration syllables (counting rhythms by chanting), and the Curwen hand signs. Following classical methodology, upper school students focus on musical analysis, composition, and performance.  Students in all grades will be introduced to the great composers of music and follow the course of music throughout history.

Have you ever wished you could always know the right thing to do in any circumstance? This is a desire for wisdom, the ability to apply knowledge to live rightly. Our goal is not for students to think for themselves, but to think biblically, interpreting the world according to the Word. Faithful Christians continue to grow in knowledge in all kinds of disciplines in order to apply that knowledge to a greater number of circumstances (2 Peter 1:5).

G.K. Chesterton said in his autobiography that, “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” Inquisitiveness and open-mindedness can only get us so far before running out of gas on the quest for truth and prosperity. We need the wisdom from above that is more valuable than riches (James 3:13-17; Proverbs 16:16).

We recognize and respect the fact that parents, not the school, ultimately have the Biblically-mandated responsibility for the education of their children (Ephesians 6:4). The school is not intended to supplant the responsibility of parents before God for the education of their children; rather, we require parents to be active supporters of the educational process.

The goal of progressive schools has been to undermine parental authority through taxpayer-funded compulsory education with limited input from parents on what is taught. Children are not seen as belonging to a mother and father, but are primarily the responsibility of the state or community. The initiator of the public school system, Horace Mann, openly admitted, “We who are engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages [their children] to our cause.”