I Believe A Christian School Teacher’s Creed November 2009 MACSA Convention

 Verb  requires action on the part of the subject  to accept as true, to credit with veracity  We believed his version of the events.  think, judge or regard  I believe her to be very smart.  be confident about something  I believe that he will come back from the war.  follow a credo  I believe in God the Father.... Believe

 Origin of the word believe  Believe comes from two old English words: BE and LIFON. BE meaning "life" (as in being) LIFON meaning "according to“  Therefore, to believe means to live according to (what you believe)!  What we believe is made obvious in the way we act. if we are out in the woods and we believe that a bear is chasing us, we will run just as fast as if a bear really is chasing us!  Believing is more than knowing  Knowing is the head  Believing is the heart Believe

 Latin for “I believe”  A standardized means of expression  Link to the past  Connection to the present  Legacy for the next generation Creed ~ Credo

Dr. Everett Piper, Ph.D. I believe that our future lies in the hearts and minds of today’s students and that all cultures are but one generation away from irrelevancy and extinction. I believe that what is taught today in the classroom will be practiced tomorrow in our churches, our companies, our communities and our country at large.

... hearts and minds  I believe that our future lies in the hearts and minds of today’s students and that all cultures are but one generation away from irrelevancy and extinction.  Heart Proverbs 4:23 – the heart is the wellspring of life Ethics and morality Guard your heart Watch over your heart Keep your heart with all diligence  Mind Proverbs – Book of Wisdom Choose instruction ~ Choose Knowledge

 I believe that what is taught today in the classroom will be practiced tomorrow in our churches, our companies, our communities and our country at large.  What should we be teaching?  Mind – We Know School  Heart - We Believe Christian  Hands - We Do Christian School... taught today ~ practiced tomorrow

 I believe that the best education is one which is tested by time, confirmed by experience, validated by reason, and ultimately grounded in Scripture.  Tested by time  Confirmed by experience  Validated by reason  Grounded in Scripture... the best education

 I believe that all intellectual and moral training must be anchored in our Creator who endows us with the rights of life and liberty and that if we build education on any foundation but Him we will lose our conscience and shortly thereafter lose our freedom, our joy, and our ability to pursue happiness....intellectual and moral training

 I believe in absolutes and that if we don’t teach them, learn them, and cherish them that we will be cast about by every wave of human desire, political promise, and selfish ambition.  Believe in the Bible  Believe in the Primacy of Jesus Christ  Believe in Practicing Wisdom  Believe in the Truth... absolutes

 That it is true. Not transient.  That it is inspired. Not constructed.  That it is accurate. Not relative.  That it is not to be added to or subtracted from.  That it is to be hidden in your heart and proclaimed with your mouth.  That it is given by inspiration and breathed by God himself.  That it is the inerrant, infallible, and authoritative written word of God that guides us in all matters of faith, learning and living. Believe in the Bible

 He is the beginning and the end  the Way the Truth and the Life  the great I AM  the word become flesh, Emanuel – God with us  your Savior and your King, your Lord and your God  the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God  your Redeemer, your Guide, your Peace, your Joy, your Comfort, your Life, your Light  Believe that He is risen and incarnate:  the Son of God  the Alpha and Omega  the lens of all learning and  the Lord of our daily lives. Believe in the Primacy of Jesus Christ

 Practice what you preach.  Be men and women of integrity.  Work out your faith with fear and trembling. Not as though you have already attained all this.  If you love him you will obey him. Believe in Practicing Wisdom

 Understand that there are self-evident truths that no human being can deny.  Believe that such truths are revealed by God not constructed by man, that they are objective and attainable, immutable and constant.  Believe that truth gives salvation to the damned and freedom to the slave.  Be energized by the unapologetic pursuit of truth. Believe in the Truth

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds; Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us— Truths unchanged from the dawn of time That will echo down through eternity. And by grace we'll stand on Your promises, And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built And the earth is filled with Your glory "Speak, O Lord" Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend Believe in the Truth

Believe... and live accordingly

Believe... and teach accordingly