Pointing to the Light
For believers, Christmas time presents some pretty extraordinary paradoxes: a virgin gives birth? a King is born in a stable? a religious nation rejects its Saviour? And, most mind boggling, the Creator of all becomes a newborn child?
“The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.” Said author J.I. Packer.
But there’s a smaller paradox too, one that applies to the Christian school movement in North America and it comes in a seemingly innocuous statement: “he (John the Baptist) came only as a witness to the light” (John 1:8).
Odd if you think about it, very odd in fact. A witness to the light??? If people had been used to living in spiritual darkness, and Isaiah said the people of Israel were doing just that, why would they need someone to show them the light? You’d think it would be obvious. Any kind of light, even a tiny candle flame, shows up in almost startling brightness when it appears in a darkened room. So why did God need to send John to point out the Light of the World? The problem wasn’t with the Light, it was with the viewers. At the time of the Incarnation, some Israelites didn’t want the Light, people like Herod, people who enjoyed the advantages that came with compromising their faith to gainpower, prestige, and wealth. And they’re around in the 21st century too. Scripture says that Herod was troubled by prophecies about the coming Messiah. No surprise. The Messiah was a threat to his position. But what about the people of Jerusalem? Wouldn’t they be eager to welcome their Saviour? Apparently not: “When Herod the King heard this he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him!” (Matt 2:3).
You could speculate about why they were troubled, but the scriptures don’t say, except “the darkness didn’t understand it.” Well, for what it’s worth, here are an old man’s thoughts on the attitude of “all Jerusalem.” First of all, there’s the principle that people tend to think and behave like sheep, at least in certain respects—that’s one of the messages of Psalm 23. We take comfort in familiar things and assume we’re safe following the crowd. “But all the other kids are doing it,” we hear our children say. And it’s not just children. (Next time you attend an entertainment or sporting event where there are multiple lines for tickets, note how many people choose to join the longest line!) All Jerusalem felt a degree of security under Herod’s religiously and morally compromised rule. It wasn’t what they needed. They needed the Messiah. But the false security of Herod’s rule and the comfort of an ‘all the kids are against the Light’ crowd mentality was what they preferred. They may even have adopted some pseudo-spiritual mantra to affirmtheir choice. Even today it takes unusual faith and courage to depart from the crowd or hold an opinion that’s at odds with political correctness. It can be the same in modern churches. Although political correctness is often scorned, it is sometimes replaced by a form of ‘religious correctness.’ And too often, part of religious correctness is that families send their children to secular rather than Christian schools so they can be ‘salt and light.’ “All the families in our church send their kids there!” says the voice of false security. Sometimes it takes faith and courage for parents to do otherwise.
There’s no point in once again disproving the ‘salt and light’ idea. All studies about the effects of secular education on children from Christian families, including the Cardus reports, Barna surveys, Bibbey’s studies and Christian Smith’s book, Soul Searching, show the same thing. The ‘salt and light’ principle for school children hasn’t worked in the past and isn’t working now. Facts suggest that statistically, following that principle appears to have an affect directly opposite to the intended one. Exposing church-raised children to an education where for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 11 or 13 years, God is ignored or mocked doesn’t produce effective evangelization. It appears to coincide with disturbing percentages of young people who turn away from the faith their parents’ thought they were passing on.
So considering the precedent in Jerusalem and humanity’s general ovine tendencies, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when many church families turn away from Christian schooling, the very place where Christ has been born into the world of education. It’s an old pattern: “9The true lightthat gives light to everyonewas coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,the world did not recognize him.11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1: 9 – 11).
The pattern isn’t surprising but our response can’t be mere passive acceptance of the status quo. We need to take on John’s uncomfortable mantle and point to the Light of the world who is also the Light of education: “Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
Mark, “Avis la Fin”
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In the News
Canadian Students Rate 4th in Science in a Worldwide Assessment
“Canadian students are among the top performers in science, according to a new international ranking that shows a marked departure from the challenges faced in math.
Canada placed fourth overall in science, tied with Finland and behind Singapore, Japan and Estonia, in the latest results from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the highly anticipated survey conducted every three years that measures how 15-year-old high-school students are doing in science, math and reading.
The education assessment of 72 countries, released Tuesday morning, paints a picture of Canadian students having a strong grasp of science literacy, but, at the same time, experts say educators and governments need to do a better job of helping students apply that interest to careers.” AROLINE ALPHONSO- EDUCATION REPORTER, The Globe and Mail,Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2016
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Only 85 of Toronto District School Board’s 55O Schools offer Accessibility
There’s an old truth about government legislation, “An Unenforceable law is a bad law”. That’s why the American Prohibition law that banned the sale of alcohol died 84 years ago despite the best efforts of the anti-drinking lobby, (which included hatchet wielding grandma, Carry Nation). The law wasn’t bad. It addressed a social evil that was especially widespread at that time. But because government lacked the means or, in some cases, the will to enforce it Prohibition was a failure.
The new Ontario legislation to make all provincial businesses accessible is based in the best motives and we in Christian schools should be quick to comply with it. But if the new law is unenforceable, even in government run institutions like the 465 Toronto area public schools cited in the title of this article, it needs to be re-evaluated and redrafted.
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Canadian Household Debt Reaches All Time High
Statistics Canada reports that household debt as a share of income hit a record high in the third quarter of 2016 according to the Globe and Mail on Dec 11, 2016.
The ratio of debt to disposable income is now 166.9 which means Canadians owe $1.67 for every dollar of disposable income they have.
What does that have to do with Christian schools? Just this, Canadian Christian families will be less likely than ever to enroll their children in our schools UNLESS:
They truly ‘get it’ about the importance of Christian schooling. That means we need to proclaim and proclaim and re-proclaim the biblical distinctives of our ministry, highlighting them far above our academics, athletics and discipline standards. If Christian families understand what Christian schooling is all about but reject it, that’s up to them. But if we don’t present the character of our ministry clearly, how can they make an informed decision?
That people see our schools as thoroughly Christian in our staffing and operational policies and curriculum. A Christian school that operates just like a public school, offering exactly the same curriculum taught in the same way, is a bit like a Lexus car that has a Lada engine. Sooner or later people start asking, “Why should I pay for a Lexus when I can get the same performance for a lot less money?”
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The Human Rights Case, Media Misinformation and Learning How to Answer the Press
“If you don’t read the newspapers you’re uniformed. If you do read them you’re misinformed.” Mark Twain
A young man approached me at a recent ACSI event about the current Ontario Human Rights case that involves a member school. He proceeded to show me an article on the case in what he described as “a very conservative newspaper.” It seemed that in his mind, ‘conservative’ meant authoritative and trustworthy. I read it and discovered that the ‘facts’ of the case were either badly skewed or just plain lies. (Not surprising, years ago a newspaper reporter confided “It’s not the facts that matter, it’s the story.”) On top of that, it bore the standard press slant in any article involving evangelicals and the LGBT community: ‘Evangelical Christians are haters, bigots and hypocrites.’ I pointed out the errors to the young man but I had the feeling he put his trust in the ‘conservative’ press rather than in someone who is actually involved in the case.
When the Ontario Human Rights Commission announces its decision on this case, no matter what that decision is, we can expect a flurry of articles and press interviews. And you can pretty well guarantee that evangelical Christians in general and Christian schools in particular will once again be stereotyped and attacked on the usual ‘hater, bigot, hypocrite’ basis. Maybe they’ll throw in something about intolerance and lack of inclusiveness too—conveniently overlooking their own intolerance and non-inclusion of anyone who doesn’t affirm their very rigid beliefs. They won’t just interview the school in the case or our ACSI office. Local press people are likely to call you and your school too.
So we all need to know how to answer the press wisely and without fear. That’s why there will be an all -day session with past Legal Head of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Don Hutchison on HOW TO ANSWER THE Media at the Ontario Board/ Administrators Conference on Saturday Feb 4 at Peoples Christian Academy!Who should come? School leaders, board members, school secretaries and anyone else who is likely to be approached by the press!
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The ACSI Eastern Canada Leadership Certificate Programme has been Launched
At the Ontario Teachers’ Convention in November, the first course in this new programme was launched. Dr. Steve Sider engaged 12 principals, administrators, and emerging leaders in the first part of the course, “Making Hamburger: What are your biggest leadership beefs and what can we do about them?” Several weeks later, Steve presented the conclusion live via our online “GoToMeeting” software.
All future courses in this programme will be available live, online with a limit of 12 participants. If more than 12 apply, we will try to arrange a second presentation of that course.
The ACSI Leadership Certificate has four levels and the completion of six courses will give a certificate for each level.
For more information about upcoming courses, dates, and the registration form, please go to our website: and select the Administrators tab. You should find all of the information there you need about taking any of the courses.
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In this Newsletter…
A Christmas Gift for You English Teachers!PLEASE NOTE A COUPLE OF CHANGES
Ontario World Concerns Day Report
Stephen Leacock’s Leaking Roof and Christian School Finances
In the News
oCanadian Students Rate 4th in Science in a Worldwide Assessment
oOnly 85 of Toronto District School Board’s 55O Schools offer Accessibility
oCanadian Household Debt Reaches All Time High
oThe Human Rights Case, Media Misinformation and Learning How to Answer the Press
Nimbus Christian Education Professional Development Opportunities
The ACSI Eastern Canada Leadership Certificate Programme has been Launched
Quotes
oThe Nativity
Regional Calendar
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A Christmas Gift for English Teachers!
Writing tips from Mark Twain:
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.
The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.
Don’t say, “The old lady screamed.” Bring her on and let her scream.
The wit knows that his place is at the tail of a procession.
In the real world, nothing happens at the right place at the right time. It is the job of journalists and historians to correct that.
As to the adjective; when in doubt leave it out.
I never write ‘metropolis’ for seven cents because I can get the same price for ‘city’. I never write ‘policeman’ because I can get the same money for ‘cop’ (keep the cookies on the lowest shelf).
Writing tips from Hemingway:
Below are excerpts from The Kansas City Star stylebook that Ernest Hemingway once credited with containing "the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing."
Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative.
Never use old slang.
Eliminate every superfluous word.
Be careful of the word “also.” It usually modifies the word it follows closest. "He, also, went" means "He, too, went." "He went also" means he went in addition to taking some other action.
Be careful of the word "only." "He only had $10" means he alone was the possessor of such wealth; "He had only $10," means the ten was all the cash he possessed.
In writing of animals, use the neuter gender except when you are writing of a pet that has a name.
Try to preserve the atmosphere of the speech in your quotation. For instance, in quoting a child, do not let him say "Inadvertently, I picked up the stone and threw it."
Read more here:
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PLEASE NOTE A COUPLE OF CHANGES
1. Our office postal code is now: L9X 0G7
2. We plan to phase out our fax machine in January 2017 which means you should scan and email registration forms or use snail mail for all ACSI events.
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Ontario World Concerns Day Report
By Virginia Kennedy
458 students and teachers participated in our Ontario World Concerns Day on October 13TH at Philopateer Christian College—a record attendance! Students were challenged by the testimony of Grace Pat, the daughter of an Iranian ayatollah, as she told of finding forgiveness and peace with God through Jesus. Delegates were moved by the courage and perseverance of Cyndi Desjardins-Wilkins. Cyndi shared about how the Lord brought her through the terrible trial of losing her hands and feet to a flesh-eating disease.
The conference highlighted other issues facing young people including: mental health concerns, gender confusion, euthanasia, and persecution of Christians. Special thanks to Phoebe Wasfy and her staff at Philopateer for hosting us! We pray that these conferences will have a positive long term influence on the thinking and actions of your students. Please email us any ideas for future speakers or topics and mark October 17, 2017 on your school calendar for the next Ontario World Concerns Conference, and October 18, 2017 in the Maritimes.
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Stephen Leacock’s Leaking Roof and
Christian School Finances
I can’t find a reference for the following anecdote (except it was part of my speech 54 years ago when I was in grade six) so maybe it’s apocryphal. But the point it illustrates isn’t.
A friend once asked Canadian humourist Stephen Leacock why he had buckets on his living room floor.
“The roof leaks.” The author explained.
“Well why don’t you fix it?”
“I can’t. Every time it rains, it’s too wet to go outside and fix it. And when it’s not raining there’s no need.”
Pretty silly isn’t it? You’d think he’d fix the roof whenever the opportunity presented itself, instead of relying on a stop-gap bucket solution.