Glorifying God and Benefiting Our Community
Our mission statement reads:
“Capstone Classical Academy engages students to acquire wisdom, cultivate virtue, and pursue rigorous academic study within a Christian worldview. Our students will study what is Good, what is True, and what is Beautiful for the purpose of glorifying God and benefiting their community.”
The purpose for which we seek to acquire wisdom, cultivate virtue, and pursue study of what is Good, True and Beautiful is to glorify God and benefit our community. While it is possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons, at Capstone, we strive to align our efforts with their intended purpose. This approach raises important questions about how our students' work glorifies God and benefits their communities.
Isaiah 43:6-7 informs us that we were made for the glory of God. All things—even our eating and drinking (1 Cor. 10:31)—are for God’s glory. This principle extends to our learning. When first graders study the seven continents, third graders examine the water cycle, or sixth graders sing in choir, their participation glorifies God. We want students to be captured by the awe and wonder of God’s creation and study it for the sake of his fame. Likewise, when we contemplate the words and discoveries of great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Einstein, or Newton, we remember that the wisdom they impart is ultimately from God and forHim. There is no concept of what is Good, True, and Beautiful without God. To orient these things to anyone but God is to send our affections in the wrong direction.
What, then, is the benefit to our community? The Apostle Paul tells us that knowledge puffs up but love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1). Without love for our neighbor, the accumulation of knowledge feeds our pride. Too often we strive to help our children memorize facts, write well-structured paragraphs, and think critically about their readings because we hope that they will be successful and experience the “good life.” However, as believers who strive to do everything for the glory of God and to serve our communities, our ultimate goal should extend beyond personal achievement. While it is personally rewarding to acquire knowledge, we are called to love our community and contribute to its welfare. The virtues Capstone teaches—integrity, humility, temperance, fortitude, charity, reverence, and prudence—are rooted in Biblical principles of loving one another. A community of people lovingly laboring toward what is Good, True, and Beautiful will benefit the community in which they live.
There is a reason that our mission statement extends beyond the first sentence. Education exists not only for personal benefit, but also for the sake of others—both divine and human. As we seek to raise and educate our children, let’s remember that goal.