The Christian faith is public, not private. The creed of the early church was “Jesus is Lord” (cf. Phil 2:11), a very public and subversive proclamation which brought about very public persecution. Despite what many assume today, the early church did not suffer deeply merely because they believed in the forgiveness of sins, or the resurrection from the dead, or that God loved them. They suffered because, as they would publicly confess at baptism, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was also “Lord”, and he has “ascended to the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”[1] He has been given all authority (Matt 28:18) and has been made “head over all things” (Eph 1:22). And if Christ is Lord, Caesar is not. This public fact was not overlooked by imperial powers. Christ has not simply carved out a private niche for himself in some secluded corner of creation, nor has he been given authority over a small portion of our hearts. He has ascended to the right hand of the Father, where he is currently ruling until his enemies are made a footstool (Psalm 110:1; 1 Cor 15:25), and he has dominion over the entire cosmos.
That is not to deny, of course, the very personal nature of the gospel. Christ must be received by faith, personally. But the reality of Christ rules out a simply private faith. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a public event (cf. 1 Cor 15), and a public triumph (Col 2:15), like a victory parade for a Roman general, and the implications are public. A purely “private faith” is a contradiction in terms.
The reality of the public nature of our faith is one of the driving convictions beneath our efforts at KCCS. We realize that Scripture exhorts us to raise the kind of children who will one day, by God’s grace, “stand in the gates’” (Psalm 127:5). They will not join the mob or follow the smooth-talkers. They will not cower in fear. By faith, they will possess the kind of character and competencies required to “give an answer for the hope they have” (1 Peter 3:15).
This is more important than ever, as recent world events have shown. In many ways, the recent turmoil and division are the fruit of failures to train up children to fear the Lord. Folly, not wisdom, rules. Hate, not love, reigns. We have enjoyed, in the West, a measure of peace and freedom and opportunity that the world has never known, and we are seeing that disappear at a rapid pace. We are trying to raise the kind of children who will not only survive in a chaotic world, but thrive, and offer the light of the gospel to a world in darkness. What our world needs most is not one particular leader, or a potent vaccine. Our world needs Jesus Christ, and Christians who will boldly confess his name.
These kinds of people are not accidents. The virtues of faith, hope, and love are not produced in an instant. They are cultivated over years of faithfulness. Does a school or faculty alone produce these kinds of people? Of course not. Apart from the Lord, all our labour is in vain (Psalm 127:1–2). We know that even when we sow, it is God who gives the growth (1 Cor 3:6). But we are called, as parents, teachers, and supporters, to sow the seeds in faith, and leave the rest with God. We must do our part.
At KCCS, we have embarked on a difficult journey of offering a private education. But the goal of the kind of education we are giving our children is that it would equip them with a very public faith. Please join us in this endeavour.
[1] Apostles Creed
Alex Kloosterman | Chairman of the board
Alex is married to Rebecca and is the father of Grace and Ruth. He serves as Lead Pastor of Hill City Baptist Church, and is a founding board member of KCCS. He teaches history and theology to the school’s older students and has been known to frequently reference The Lord of the Rings.
