You have many choices in your child’s education, both secular and Christian. We recognize that within Christian education, theological differences can greatly impact the direction of a school curriculum.

At John Nelson Darby Academy, we unapologetically teach a dispensational approach to Scripture. In brief, this means—

• We interpret the words of the Bible literally and believe all the words in Scripture are literally true.
• When the Bible speaks figuratively, we literally recognize figurative speech. That is, figurative speech is taken figuratively, as it is literally meant to be taken.
• We do not believe that every promise in the Bible can be claimed. When we see a promise in Scripture, we look to see who the promise was for. If there is not legitimate reason to apply the promise to believers today, we do not claim the promise.
• We do not believe that every obligation given in Scripture is to be placed upon every believer today. When we see a spiritual obligation, we look to see who the obligation was for. If there is not legitimate reason to apply the obligation to believers today, we do not place the believer under that obligation.
• We believe that God has revealed His will progressively, and that, from the time of the Apostle Paul, God revealed the Body of Christ (the church) which is neither Jew nor Gentile, but people of all nations, both male and female, who trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation.
• We reject Calvinism and Reformed theology, believing that anyone can receive the gift of salvation anytime or anywhere that the gospel is proclaimed.
• We do not believe that sign gifts are valid for the Christian today, thus we reject speaking in tongues, faith healing, the Word of Faith movement, the New Apostolic Reformation, and continued revelation or new prophecy.
• We believe the Kingdom of God is the future millennial earthly reign of Jesus Christ.

These are theological positions which can affect a myriad of practical applications throughout a child’s education. Therefore, we closely examine our curriculum and adjust it so that it aligns with our theological position. (Note: If you find something in a lesson which doesn’t appear to align with our dispensational theological position, please let us know!)

 

 Why is this so important?

We believe we live in a post-Christian world. The foundation of Judeo-Christian values in our society has crumbled. Because of this, our children are faced with much more scrutiny of faith than any previous generation. It is our conviction that we must be skeptical Christians in order to answer the skeptics all around us. Our skepticism is faith-based and positive (not sour and closed minded). Our skepticism causes us to question the assumptions of the “Sunday School answers” that are common but overly simplistic. Our goal is to give your child such a firm understanding of how to read and apply Scripture that your child will not be phased by the skepticism of his or her surrounding society.