Keeping the Faith: A Case-study of the Foundational Values of Christian Parent Controlled Schools in Australia. Charles Justins.

Transcription

1 Keeping the Faith: A Case-study of the Foundational Values of Christian Parent Controlled Schools in Australia. Charles Justins Tony d'arbon Shukri Sanber AARE Conference - Problematic Futures: Educational Research in an Era of... Uncertainty Brisbane, December Abstract Christian Parent Controlled (CPC) schools in Australia are an increasingly significant component of the non-government, non-catholic schooling sector in Australia. They have experienced rapid growth in the forty years of their existence and now enrol over students. These schools have frequently asserted that they promote explicitly Christian values. They tend to be non-elitist and are widely accessible through their low fee paying policies. The foundational values of CPC schools have never been clearly expressed. This paper seeks to identify and record these values. Data was collected through document analysis and through interviews and questionnaires with various pioneers. The four foundational values identified by the study were that: parents' should control the education of their children; the focus of the school should be on the needs of Christian families, including affordability and the importance of a protected environment; the curriculum should be thoroughly Christian, guided by the Bible with Christ at the centre of all school activities; and courses should be developed and taught by Christian teachers.

2 Introduction Christian communities over many centuries have sought to ensure that the education received by their children was informed by their particular values and beliefs, whether that education was conducted within the home, church, school or in some combination of these. Wolterstorff (1980) maintained: From the beginning of the Christian church, Christian parents have considered it desirable and even obligatory to educate their children so as to induct them into the vision and life of the Christian community... most Christian parents have thought of their children not as outsiders to the community but as members of it already. They have accordingly sought to give them a Christian education (p. vi). Christian education in Australia is arguably as old as European settlement itself. "In the early settlement of Sydney, as the number of children on the loose in a mainly penal colony increased, Richard Johnson, the evangelical Anglican chaplain who accompanied the first fleet, initiated Christian schooling for them" (Hill, 1997, p. 280). Shellard (1983), maintained, "The Christian contribution to the educational scene in the early colonial years was far from lightweight or lacking in social concern... the first school-house in NSW was a church and the first superintendent was a clergyman" (p.61). In the intervening years, Christian schooling has been sponsored in Australia by a variety of churches. The Catholic Church has made the most significant contribution to Christian schooling in Australia and presently enrols 20% of Australian students in their schools. In addition to the Catholics, the Anglicans and other mainstream protestant denominations have established schools, most of which would now be regarded as relatively high feepaying schools enrolling students from the wealthier sections of the community. The Lutherans and Adventists have also established schooling systems and more recently the 'newer Christian schools' such as Christian Community Schools (now incorporated into Christian Schools Australia), Christian Parent Controlled schools and schools under the auspices of Accelerated Christian Education have commenced (Justins, 2002, pp ). Christian Parent Controlled Schools Christian Parent Controlled (CPC) schools began in Australia in the early 1960s as a result of the initiatives of Dutch immigrants of the Reformed Christian faith who gave a high priority to the provision of Christian education, particularly schooling for their children. The establishment of these schools coincided with a wider concern by many Christians that available schools were not reflecting their beliefs and values. In particular, there were fears that the pluralism of state schools was undermining the Christian faith. Lambert (1997) suggested: The reasons commonly given for the emergence of these relatively new alternative Christian schools centre on what their supporters perceive to be the failure of the multi-faith approach in many state schools which they argue has led to chaos in the area of personal values and morality, and a devaluation and/or marginalisation of Christian perspectives in the curriculum in many state and traditional church schools (p. 275). CPC schools were established by Reformed Dutch migrants who were part of the post WWII influx of European settlers to Australia. Their distinctive educational philosophy was shaped by deeply held religious beliefs and convictions which compelled them to make Christian schooling a priority in spite of the difficult financial circumstances which afflicted most

3 migrants of that time. These migrants, who also established the Reformed Churches of Australia (RCA), had left behind a schooling system in the Netherlands in which parents were able to choose from Government, Catholic, or Protestant (Calvinist) schools and were thus able to take responsibility for the education of their children. These Dutch schools had on the whole, reflected the "religious" perspectives and value systems of the parents. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 80% of all the schools in the Netherlands were privately run. (Lambert 1996, pp ; VanderStelt 1972, pp ). One of the Reformed Dutch migrants, Hoekzema (1990) recalled the climate in which CPC schools commenced and pointed to a number of issues that were important to the migrants: Some Dutch migrants of Reformed persuasion arrived in this country in the early fifties and woke to the fact that something they had always taken for granted, a Christian school, was not available, non-existent. This was quite baffling for a supposedly Christian country and mind you, these migrants' grandparents had won the battle for equality of education only forty years before.... They realised they would need to establish Christian schools because on arrival, choosing a school for their children was taken right out of their hands. There was only the state school and from the reactions of the children, it was soon evident there was conflict between the home and the school.... At home they spoke of God the creator, at school it was the Darwinian theory. Sure there were some lovely Scripture lessons, but this very method would lead the children to believe that God and religion was something separate and had little or nothing to do with real life. After all, are we not to acknowledge God in all things?... Frustrated by the lack of control over the education of their children and the means to effect any change, they started doing something. It is worthwhile to note, that the whole [RCA] community was behind it, not just the parents of school-going children. An insight into the priorities of these migrants was captured in the very first issue of the RCA magazine, Trowel and Sword of October 1954 in an article by one of the migrant women - 'Van Vrouw Tot Vrouw' (From Woman to Woman): On Empire day... I was invited to participate in the celebrations with the class. The children recited their poems very nicely and the principal of the school spoke. The children were above all asked to be friendly and helpful, especially towards children from other countries. They should be courteous towards older people and do many good deeds. In the end, it culminated in this: that they should make the world a better place to live in. How? Beginning the fight in their young lives with the help of God? O no, not necessary at all. Goodness, friendliness, politeness. Our children, who are, just like us, prone by nature to hate God and their neighbour - and they are supposed to, through their virtues, make this world of murder and violence into a better place? My thoughts went out to all our children, who are under this influence for so many years. In Holland I had never felt so closely tied to my ancestors as that morning in that classroom, and I understood anew that the fight [for Christian schooling] was worth fighting.... You all remember the almost super-human things which women have done during and after the war? The same women are still alive and can still do great things in God's strength. Shall we, immigrant wives, together fight the fight for the Christian school? For our children and our grand-children? The saying of Kuyper 'Hold on to the child and hold on to the cross' has lost

4 nothing of its power. May God give us all [we need] to be faithful and prepared (Translation cited by Maguire, 1975, pp ). The first CPC school, Calvin Parent Controlled Christian School, the planning for which began in 1954, commenced in Hobart in 1962 with 77 students and three teachers. Tyndale CPC School in Blacktown, NSW, and Rehoboth CPC School in Perth, both started in A national organisation which eventually became Christian Parent Controlled Schools (CPCS) Ltd. was also established in 1966, to support not only these three schools, but a number of other associations which were still in the planning stage. By 1975 there were just six schools in this movement, but this had increased to 46 in In 2002, CPCS Ltd. have 58 member associations operating 84 schools with students. Duyker (1987) in his wide ranging consideration of Dutch migration to Australia argued that CPC schools had made a significant contribution to Australian society in their own right and that they had provided an important model for the emerging schools of other conservative Christian groups: From a broadly cultural perspective, sponsorship by members of the Reformed Churches of parent controlled schools... is likely to have an enduring impact. Like the Catholic Church in Australia, the Reformed Churches have sought to direct the hearts and minds of its young by controlling the schools in which they are taught. The parent controlled John [sic] Calvin Christian School in Kingston, Tasmania, has served as a pioneering model - not only for Australian Calvinists, but also for other conservative Christian denominations in Australia (pp ). This view is supported by Bouma (1997) who argued that even though: the Reformed Churches of Australia [is]... a small denomination... it has had a significant impact on the religious scene in Australia. It has been active in promoting reformed theology beyond the borders of its own denomination. Its most notable contribution has been in the model of parent-controlled schools (p. 41). The Purpose and Significance of this Study This study is concerned with values, in particular the foundational values of CPC schools. The values of a school or a schooling system are critical elements in shaping the character and quality of education: It is evident that different conceptions of education as interpreted at different times, and by different cultures, embody different values. These values are near the heart of the educational enterprise. Change the values a little and the education which emerges, ie. the kind of qualities and capacities the children possess when they leave school, changes a lot (Ormell, 1980, p.71). Values are defined, for the purposes of this paper, as beliefs, codes or standards that persist through life and provide a constant motivation toward action (Flynn, 1993, p. 42; Hill, 1998, p. 5; Wallace, 1998, p. 20). Values are not simply sentiments or inclinations. They find active expression in those behaviours, activities and lifestyles regarded as worthwhile and important.

5 Very little research has been conducted on the foundational values of CPC schools in Australia. Concerning the new wave of Christian schools in Australia about one third of which are CPC schools, Lambert (1997), commented: While alternative Christian schools have been operating in Australia for over three decades, a clearly defined history and explanation of the character of these schools is yet to emerge. The inability of contemporary Australian scholars to clarify the nature and motivations of these schools demonstrates a general lack of theological / educative analysis in the wider research community.... A sufficiently balanced understanding of the growth of these schools has, generally, been clouded by a lack of scholarly research and writing. Consequently, numerous misconceptions exist (pp. 269, 270). One of the purposes of the research on which this paper was based was to dispel some of the 'misconceptions' that Lambert mentioned and to provide a greater understanding of the foundational values of CPC schools in Australia. The research question addressed in this part of study was: What are the foundational values of Christian Parent Controlled (CPC) Schools in Australia? To establish the foundational values of CPC schools, a research design was constructed which involved a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative procedures. The intent of qualitative research is to understand a particular social situation, event, role, group or interaction. A qualitative methodology is used where the focus is on participants' perceptions and experiences, where meanings and interpretations are negotiated with human data sources because the subjects' realities are being reconstructed, and where the researcher seeks 'believability' and 'trustworthiness' (Creswell, 1994, pp ). Qualitative procedures then, are appropriate instruments for the process of identifying foundational values which involve the perceptions, experiences and 'reconstructed realities' of pioneers and early leaders of CPC school communities. The use of quantitative procedures was also an important feature of this study. A quantitative method was used to test the validity of a provisional set of foundational values (composed on the basis of the document study). Numeric results were calculated on the basis of respondents' replies to survey items (Likert scale), and were reported in the form of percentage agreement or disagreement. The quantitative survey made it possible to collect larger amounts of data from a broad cross-section of respondents than would otherwise have been possible. The Identification of Foundational Values The two most important sources of information concerning the foundational values of CPC schools were the documents which were written at the time and the people who were involved in establishing and leading these schools in their formative years, hence the process of identifying the foundational values involved a study of the relevant early documents and consultation with many of the surviving pioneers and early leaders of CPC schools.

6 The Document Study - Foundational Values A variety of document types associated with the establishment and development of the Christian Parent Controlled Schools movement in Australia were analysed for the purpose of identifying the movement's foundational values. The documents fell into two categories and thoroughly covered the literature relating to the foundational values of CPC schools. The Documents 1. Formal / Official Documents - These included: a. Papers delivered at early CPC School Education in Focus conferences. These were national conferences, primarily targeting CPC school teachers, but also involving a number of parents. These conferences occurred annually from 1973 and (usually) biennially since b. Early editions of the movement's magazine - the Christian School Reporter, now called Nurture. These magazines, copies of which are held in the CPCS Ltd library commenced in 1966 and frequently addressed foundational issues. c. Two books and a chapter in an edited book provided particularly important data for this study. No Icing On the Cake - Christian Foundations For Education (Mechielsen, 1980); 'Church and School', (A. Deenick, 1991) in A Church En Route - 40 Years Reformed Churches of Australia (J. Deenick, 1991) and The Christian School: An Introduction (Weeks, 1988a) were written by pioneers and early leaders and were rich in data concerning the foundational values of CPC schools. 2. Informal / Popular Documents - These included: a. Early promotional literature, particularly brochures explaining the purposes and commending the perceived virtues of parent controlled Christian schooling. A large amount of this material was made available by the pioneers and early leaders. b. Unofficial documents such as articles and clippings from church magazines, church bulletins, newspapers and magazines, discussion papers, letters, notes from speeches and minutes of early meetings, including minutes from the first meeting of the 'National Union of Parent Controlled Christian Schools' in The Surveys of Pioneers and Early Leaders - Foundational Values The pioneers and early leaders were predominantly men who were involved in the very early days of the establishment of Christian Parent Controlled schools in Australia. Twenty-five pioneers and early leaders were invited to complete the survey and 23 (92%) of the questionnaires were returned. Five of the pioneers and early leaders were involved as early as the 1950s in associations which were planning schools, another four were involved from the 1960s, five in the early 1970s and the remaining nine were first involved in the late 1970s. The 23 pioneers and early leaders represented 15 of the early school associations. A 36-item survey using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, not sure, disagree, and strongly disagree) was used as it allowed for a measurement of the degree of agreement of the pioneers and early leaders' to the suggested foundational values. Two open-ended questions were incorporated into the questionnaire to allow the pioneers and early leaders the opportunity to comment on the preceding items and to discuss other issues relating to their conception of foundational values. It was hoped that this would allow the

7 pioneers and early leaders to add any foundational values that were missing and / or to modify the emphases of the foundational values in the survey. The open-ended questions were: 1. From your own involvement in the establishment of Christian Parent Controlled Schools in Australia, are you aware of other foundational aims, objectives and values? Please describe. 2. Please add any other comments you would like to make regarding the foundational or original aims, objectives and values of Christian Parent Controlled Schools in Australia. Interviews were also subsequently conducted with 12 of the pioneers and early leaders to refine the set of core values. The interview type was 'semi-structured', which was suggested by the exploratory nature of the issues to be investigated and also as it was regarded as a more respectful approach to the pioneers and early leaders who had greater liberty to digress or focus on issues of significance for them. Subsequent to the interviews, nine of the pioneers and early leaders provided written feedback on a draft of the foundational values. Van Prinsterer, Kuyper, & the Worldview of the Dutch Migrants In order to understand the worldview of the CPC pioneers and their determination to establish their own schools in Australia, it is important to consider the significant contributions made to the thinking of Dutch Reformed Christians by the Calvinist philosopher-politicians, Groen Van Prinsterer and Abraham Kuyper. Guillaume Groen Van Prinsterer was born in 1801 of wealthy, aristocratic parents and became an historian, a politician, and a strong advocate for Christian schools. As a young man, he was appointed to the Protestant House of Orange as archivist, and while there was converted through the ministry of one of the court chaplains to an uncompromising Reformed faith that acknowledged the lordship of Christ, not only over the individual, but also over politics and society as well. (Kalsbeek, 1975, p. 16) The two major ideologies that Van Prinsterer observed at work in Western Civilisation were the principles of the Revolution and the principles of the Reformation. By the 'Revolutionary Principles', he referred not so much to the political beliefs that led to the French Revolution of 1789, but rather to the accompanying ideology which undergirded and inspired it, an ideology which had held sway throughout Europe since the 18 th century. In 1847, Van Prinsterer published 'Apostasy and Revolution', a Christian critique of the ideals of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment and a manifesto for Christian political and social action. Van Prinsterer saw the essence of the French Revolution in the notion that humankind could independently restructure society according to the dictates of reason alone. This system of thought Van Prinsterer regarded as atheistic and opposed to God's sovereignty in every sphere of life, including politics. He argued that revolutionary philosophy and Christian principles were antithetical, demonstrated clearly by the revolutionary cry, 'No God, No Master!' and he formed the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) in order to revive public Christianity and to contend with the Dutch liberals and the ideals of the French revolution (Heslam, 1998, pp ; Kalsbeek, 1975, pp & ; Skillen, 1974, pp. 7-9; Van Essen and Morton, p. 28). Consistent with this approach, Van Prinsterer was unequivocal in his opposition to government control of education. He asserted that in the public school, "so-called neutrality

8 grows into the most pernicious partiality favouring unbelief and ends in proselytism for the religion of reason and nature" (as cited in Van Brummelen, 1986, p. 22). Van Prinsterer argued further that the notion that the state, separated from the church, had the right and the duty to govern education according to its own discretion and insight was destructive. While he believed public schools ought to be adequately equipped he also wanted separate, government-sponsored schools for Protestants and Catholics. Van Prinsterer maintained that where public schools were imposed on people without regard to their beliefs or needs, then those people were being oppressed. Freedom of education would be limited to those who had enough money to establish a free (bijzondere) school. While supportive of public schools for those who wanted them, he was not convinced that these schools could support children from Christian families, as they could not be strictly neutral (Van Essen and Morton, 1990, pp. 60&81). The neutral public school remained an incongruity as far as Van Prinsterer was concerned: The moment you provide education, there is rearing there, which is based on some moral doctrine rooted in some religion or in none. And where the nature of your school excludes positive religion, people fall into the generalities of rationalistic deism and sentimentality. What is intolerable in this is that the state school is made compulsory, that this religionless education is forced upon a Christian nation (as cited in Van Essen and Morton, 1990, p. 84). The basis of Van Prinsterer's struggle was his belief that a Christian nation, or at least the Christian portion of the nation, had the right to access an education for their children which thoroughly and openly espoused values consistent with their Christian beliefs. It was the school issue that brought Van Prinsterer and Kuyper together. They met at the Calvinistic Christian school movement's 'Society for Christian National Education' in Utrecht in May Kuyper said later of his meeting with Van Prinsterer, "From that hour I became his spiritual associate, no, more his spiritual son" (as cited in Vanden Berg, 1960, p.52.). A few months later, Van Prinsterer pointed in a public meeting to Kuyper as the future leader of the ARP and it was the schooling issue that eventually led Kuyper into politics because he recognized that it was only parliament that possessed the constitutional power to legislate on education. Kuyper argued that Christians should be involved in their culture without shedding their primary identity and loyalty as followers of Christ. His vision was of a pluralistic society, in which Christians would participate in society without seeking hegemony over it (Heslam, 1998, pp ). In 1874, Kuyper entered parliament and delivered his first major speech on the question of grade schools. He argued that education should be given autonomous status, free of parliamentary control, with local, provincial and national boards to direct the whole school system. At the same time, Kuyper recognised the rights of the state regarding education, arguing that the state should legislate on such things as general instructional standards, teacher certification, and school attendance. In turn, he felt that the state had an obligation to ensure that all parents including the poorer could send their children to schools of their choice. He maintained that the state should reimburse the non-government schools for the money they saved the government (Heslam, 1998, pp ). In 1889, the ARP under the leadership of Abraham Kuyper led a coalition with the Catholics to defeat the liberals and form a government which legislated the first subsidies for nongovernment schools. Kuyper himself became Dutch Prime Minister in 1901, however progress was slow and it was not until 1917 that parliament decided to completely finance both public and private education from the public treasury and give 'free' schools the independence to choose their own teachers and teaching materials.

9 The thinking, writing and political activities of Van Prinsterer and Kuyper had a significant impact on schooling in the Netherlands in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and subsequently on the establishment of CPC schools in Australia. This perspective is given support by Long (1996) who maintained in his study of low-fee paying protestant Christian schools that "Kuyper's influence upon Dutch Reformed Christian schooling is foundational to an understanding of Christian Parent Controlled schools" (p. 124). Similarly Weeks, one of the non-dutch Australians who was attracted quite early both to the Reformed Churches and to the parent controlled Christian school movement, observed, "There is no question that the migrants were on the whole 'Kuyperians'... and that some had caught his [Kuyper's] view that Christians should 'claim every square inch of the universe for Christ'" (Pioneer Interview 1). Rev. J. Deenick also agreed that Kuyper's influence was significant, "Kuyper's perspective was part and parcel of your whole being... the worldview was Kuyperian, and you never questioned that" (Pioneer Interview 6). Results - Foundational Values I. Parent Control The first foundational value identified in this study arose from the belief of the Dutch Calvinist parents that they had been given a responsibility by God for their children's upbringing and education. Many of the early documents used to identify the foundational values contained discussion of a number of interwoven values, including parent control, similar to the following extract from a speech by Tony Smit, the chairman of the board of Maranatha Christian Parent Controlled School (Doveton, Victoria), at its opening in 1970: This school is a Parent-Controlled Christian school. It is a fairly new concept for Australia. This school is not run or supervised by a church. Neither is it run by the State. To put it simply, this is a school established, maintained and directed by a society of Christian parents. It is a school in which God and his Word, both the living Word in the Lord Jesus Christ and his written Word in the Bible, occupy the central place (as cited in Dickson, 1995, p. 63). The following comments regarding parent control were made in early promotional brochures and are representative of the perspective of the CPC school pioneers: In Holland during the 19th Century Parent-Controlled Christian Schools were started by people whose understanding of the Bible led them to see that it was the direct responsibility of the parents to educate their children.... This responsibility cannot and must not be taken over by either the state or the Church. The function of the state is to rule and exercise justice, and that of the Church is to preach the whole counsel of God; neither has been given a mandate for education (Donvale CPC school, circa 1974, p.4). It is the Church's task, according to the Lord's commission, to evangelise the world and teach men the gospel. To the State or Government, on the other hand, God has committed the task of maintaining law and order and of promoting public welfare and justice. But it is with the parents, that the responsibility of educating their children rests (NUPCCS brochure: Why - Christ-Centred Education - early 1970s)

10 In their survey responses, the pioneers and early leaders unambiguously confirmed the importance of the concept of parent control in the establishment of CPC schools. The following item contains a number of concepts which were combined in order to retain an accurate and complete sense of the 'parent control' value prevalent in the early literature of CPC schools. All 23 of the respondents agreed that Christian Parent Controlled Schools were established with the expectation that parents would fulfil their responsibility before God for the upbringing of their children for a life in God's service. (19 strongly agreed and 4 agreed). Only one of the other 36 survey items had such strong support from the pioneers. II. Focus on Serving Christian Families IIA. Support for Christian Families Consistent with the view that Christian parents ought to give direction to their children's education and that that education ought to be Christian education was the associated notion that the particular group for whom this education was being offered, was the Christian family. Bongers (1974) maintained that: Parents can no longer fulfil their God-given mandate in our culture and civilisation without calling upon others to assist them. Therefore the main task of a school is to assist the family with its proper functioning in society (p.1). J. Deenick, now a retired Reformed Church minister and one of those responsible for establishing the national organisation, CPCS Ltd (originally called the National Union of Parent Controlled Christian Schools - NUPCCS), commented on the singular importance for his contemporaries in the Reformed Churches of establishing Christian schools to support Christian families: IIB. Finances Christian education was so much part of our background, that even before we talked about establishing churches, we were quite sure we needed schools. We needed Christian schools, because you couldn't teach apart from being committed to Christ.... it was part and parcel of your whole faith, your thinking. It was very much a follow-up of what you did in the home... as parents you wanted your children to have an all-round, comprehensive Christian education (Pioneer Interview 6). In order for CPC schools to support Christian families in their endeavours to nurture and educate their children, it was necessary that fees and other costs were set at a level that Christian families could afford. While this was a largely tacit purpose, it is evident on the basis of the meagre financial resources available to the largely migrant constituency, that it was a critically important and widely accepted value. Hoekzema (1990) described the conditions that many of these migrants faced: Uprooted from their centuries old communities, many left their parents, brothers and sisters behind. These migrants were thrown together in circumstances that could hardly be called ideal. Most did not have a cent to their name. Many started their lives here in barracks, garages, chicken sheds and some even in their packing cases (p.2). In his response to the survey, Schippers made the issue of finances explicit, maintaining that one of the foundational aims of CPC schools was "to structure the cost of education in such

11 a way to provide lowest income parents with Christian education for their children without forcing mothers to work." (Pioneer Survey 15). IIC. Protection During the interview process, many of the pioneers maintained that there were parents involved from the outset whose major concern was to protect their children. "The vision we had in starting Christian schools was partly fear. We wanted to keep our kids free from the influence of the world", (De Graaf, Pioneer Interview 8). J. Deenick agreed with this assessment, but made it clear that protection was not a motivation for those in leadership: Among the parents there possibly was a concern to protect their children, but certainly not amongst the leadership, the leadership of the movement was definitely not for the way of protection.... many parents may have felt safer sending their children to a Christian school, though (Pioneer Interview 6). Miller was also aware of a desire on the part of some parents to protect their children: III. Christian Curricula Apart from the few who had the big picture, ie, the reformational approach who also provided the impetus in starting the schools... a great many of the others wanted a church school. There were some lovely well meaning people whose horizons went only as far as 'protect our children from the world and do the catechism' (Pioneer Interview 5). IIIA. Thoroughly Christian Curriculum Throughout the early documents and supported unequivocally by the pioneers and early leaders in the surveys and interviews was the view that everything that occurred in the Christian school, ought to be intentionally Christian. Delivering the opening address at the inaugural meeting of the NUPCCS at Blacktown in January, 1966, the Rev J. Deenick underscored the integral relationship between education and Christianity for CPC schools: It is for this and for no other purpose that we establish our Christian day school movement. Education ought to be Christian education, ought to acknowledge the Cross and the Crown of Jesus Christ, and ought to prepare for his return, so that generations come and go, but the church remains and Christian service and Christian life and Christian culture and Christian learning remain. (J. Deenick, personal communication - original notes from address, 14 December 1998). In outlining the difference between government schools and Christian schools, the NUPCCS suggested in the brochure, 'Is the State School a Christian School?': The Christian believes that there are no neutral facts, that everything is related to God and has significance beyond this life.... Christian education, therefore, has to do with every subject of knowledge. Adding a few courses in religion and Bible study to a school curriculum, or holding religious exercises and chapel services, does not make a school Christian.... Christian education requires a Christian point of view for the whole curriculum; a God-centred program in every department... A Christian school seeks to be Christian every hour of the school day (NUPCCS, circa 1970).

12 This early booklet made clear that CPC schools rejected a view that confined Christianity to discrete aspects of a school's operation because they believed that all aspects of school life should be considered from a Christian perspective. There was substantial support in the survey of pioneers and early leaders for the view that Christian curriculum was a foundational feature of CPC schools: Twenty-two of the 23 respondents (96%) agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that students would acquire a Christian perspective on the world (20 strongly agreed and 2 agreed) and 21 of the 23 respondents (91%) agreed that one of the foundational aims was thatteachers would devise a curriculum consistent with Christian principles, (18 strongly agreed and 3 agreed). IIIB. Bible as Foremost Guide The pioneers' belief that Christian education was more than just schooling involving Christian teachers, regular corporate worship or Bible Study, and ought to be thoroughly and distinctively Christian, raised a number of issues, including the role of the Bible. Numerous early documents could be cited to demonstrate CPC schools' commitment to the Bible as the central and authoritative document for all aspects of education. The following examples are taken from promotional brochures and illustrate the fundamental role accorded the Bible in CPC schools. [A Christian school is] "a school where His [God's] Word is allowed to give direction and purpose to the whole process of learning" (Donvale CPC school, circa 1974, p.4). A Christian school is a school in which God and His Word - both His living Word in the Lord Jesus Christ and His written Word in the Bible - occupy central place.... The Christian school has one basic textbook. It brings the Bible from Sunday's church into Monday's classroom. And it opens all of its other books in the light of that basic text. But a Christian school is not a weeklong Sunday school. It is, rather, a week-long school that no more ignores God's Word in education, (NUPCCS brochure: Why - Christ-Centred Education, circa 1970). There was support in the survey of pioneers and early leaders for the view that the Bible was of primary importance for school curriculum and school activities: Twenty-two of the 23 respondents (96%) agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that the wider school curriculum was designed to give central place to the Bible (17 strongly agreed and 5 agreed) and 22 of the 23 respondents (96%) agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that parents would ensure that all school activities are in harmony with the Word of God (17 strongly agreed and 5 agreed). IIIC. Christ Central The expression "Christ-centred education" was and remains in common usage in CPC schools and is sometimes employed as though it is synonymous with the movement. A number of early brochures published by NUPCCS used this expression to consider various aspects of CPC schooling. The brochures were entitled: o o Christ-Centred Education Call to Christian Parents - Christ-Centred Education

13 o o Introduction to - Christ-Centred Education Why - Christ-Centred Education? These brochures maintained that a Parent Controlled Christian School "has Christ central to every sphere of learning", that "the fundamental aim of Christian education is to prepare the child for a life with Christ", and that a Christian school "is a school that understands and seeks to practise Christ-centred education, and that seeks to be Christian every hour of the school day". Togetherness in the Christian school must start with togetherness in Christ as Saviour and Lord.... [the school community should] witness to Christ's lordship in education, first to the students in the school but also to the wider Christian community and to the educational world (Miller, 1980, p.104). A number of those aware of the priorities in the early years also spoke of the importance of Christ. Bongers (1974), in similar vein to Miller, saw the centrality of Christ impacting on relationships within the school: "board members and teaching staff must reflect in their mutual relationships the love of Jesus Christ (pp. 8). J. Deenick understood that faith in Christ would impact directly on the teacher and the curriculum they were teaching - "you couldn't teach apart from being committed to Christ.... the issue straight away was how to bring faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the teachings of the Word of God to permeate through the whole of the curriculum" (Deenick, Pioneer Interview 6). In response to a question concerning the priorities in the early days of CPC schools, Burggraaf commented that "The intention was Christ-centred education not control" [H. Burggraaf, personal communication, 8 October, 1999] The Constitution of the NUPCCS stated that: As Christ is the Saviour and King of the whole of human life (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1: 20-22; Col. 1:16, 17) we understand by a Christian School, such an educational institution in which Christ is not only honoured by prayer and study of the Bible, but all subjects are taught by the light of God's revelation in Jesus Christ contained in the Old and New Testament. The survey results indicated strong support for the concept of Christ-centred education. The pioneers and early leaders agreed that the foundational educational purposes included honouring Christ, modelling behaviour based on the life of Christ, unfolding the truth about Christ and acknowledging that Christ is central to an understanding of reality. All 23 of the pioneers agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that the wider school curriculum was designed to honour Christ in every facet of education (17 strongly agreed and 6 agreed) and also all agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that teachers would understand their task as unfolding the truth about Christ in the universe (15 strongly agreed and 8 agreed). Twenty two of the pioneers (96%) agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that the wider school curriculum was designed to acknowledge that the person and work of Jesus is central to an understanding of reality (17 strongly agreed and 5 agreed). Separating 'Foundational Value III - Christian Curriculum' into three components was not straightforward. A commitment to a 'thoroughly Christian curriculum', with 'the Bible as the foremost guide' and 'Christ as central', was not a sequence of separate commitments on the part of the CPC pioneers, but was, rather, one commitment to an interrelated and interdependent set of values. For these Dutch migrants, steeped in a Calvinist theological

14 tradition, all of life, including a school curriculum was religious, the character of which was shaped by the Christ revealed in the Bible. However, while these three concepts were closely related, they nevertheless possessed distinct characteristics and therefore needed separate consideration. IV. Teaching by Christians CPC school pioneers were adamant that their schools should employ only Christian teachers. This was evident throughout the early documents and from the surveys and interviews with the pioneers and was clearly necessary if the other foundational values were to be sustained. For schools to give active support to the values and beliefs of Christian families and to offer a curriculum which was distinctively and thoroughly Christian, required teachers whose own values and beliefs were consistent with that approach. This perspective is supported in the comments of CPC pioneers at early CPC conferences: It is quite clear that the teacher at the Christian school must be a Christian, that is, must be a person whose heart has been opened to the Gospel by the Holy Spirit and who has submitted his or her life to the rule of Jesus Christ as Lord.... an essential qualification of a Christian teacher at a Christian school is that he or she will be committed to the idea that it is possible to develop a truly Christian curriculum in every subject (Fackerell, 1972, p.4). Each teacher must be a Christian in word and deed, not a teacher who happens to be a Christian.... This means that Christianity is not attached as a personal label, but a power, that works as a leaven (Bongers, 1974). The survey of pioneers and early leaders also support the contention that teachers in these schools had to be in relationship with Christ: All 23 pioneers agreed that one of the foundational purposes of Christian Parent Controlled schools was that teachers would model behaviour based on biblical principles and the life of Christ (16 strongly agreed and 7 agreed) and 21 of the pioneers (91%) agreed that one of the foundational aims of Christian Parent Controlled schools wasthat teachers would be motivated by their own relationship with Christ, (14 strongly agreed and 7 agreed). The following table summarises the foundational values of CPC schools identified by this study. The Foundational Values of CPC Schools in Australia Foundational Values Value Descriptions Parent Control Christian parents should control the direction and purpose of their children's education. Focus on Serving Christian Families CPC schools should support Christian families in the task of educating their children

15 CPC schools should be affordable for Christian families CPC schools should provide a protected environment for children in which the beliefs and values of Christian families should not be undermined Christian Curricula The school curriculum should be thoroughly and distinctively Christian The Bible should be the foremost guide in all areas of schooling Christ should be central to, and honoured in all school activities Teaching by Christians All courses should be developed and taught by Christian teachers The second stage of the study considered the prevailing practices of these schools in relation to their foundational values. References Bongers, G. (1974). The organisation of a school. Paper presented at the 2 nd "Education in Focus" Conference in Sponsored by the National Union of Associations for Parent Controlled Christian schools. Bouma, G. (Ed.). (1997). Many religions, all Australians: Religious settlement, identity and cultural diversity. Kew, Victoria: The Christian Research Association. Burns, R. (1997). Introduction to research methods. (3 rd ed.). Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. Cresswell, J. (1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: SAGE Publications. Deenick, A. (1991). Church and School. In J. Deenick (Ed.), A church en route - 40 years Reformed Churches of Australia (pp ). Geelong, Victoria: Reformed Churches Publishing House. Deenick, J. (Ed.). (1991). A church en route - 40 years Reformed Churches of Australia (pp ). Geelong, Victoria: Reformed Churches Publishing House. Dickson, L. (Ed.). (1995). Maranatha Christian School: To be continued - A history of Christian education. Doveton, Victoria: Association for Christian Education of Dandenong. Duyker, E. (1987). The Dutch in Australia. Melbourne: AE Press.

16 Fackerell, E. (1972, Sept.). Qualifications essential for a Christian teacher. Christian School Reporter, 6(4), 4-6. Flynn, M. (1993). The culture of Catholic schools. Homebush, NSW: St Paul Publications. Heslam, P. (1998). Creating a Christian worldview: Abraham Kuyper's lectures on Calvinism. Grand Rapids Michigan: Eerdmans. Hill, B. (1997). Alternative Christian schooling: A search for meaning. In K. Watson, C. Modgil and S. Modgil (Eds.), Educational dilemmas: Debate and diversity. Vol. Three - Power and responsibility in education (pp ). London: Cassell. Hill, B. (1998). Facts, beliefs and values: Which am I teaching? The Journal of the College of Christian Higher Education, 3, Hoekzema, R. (January, 1990). Unpublished paper presented to Tyndale Christian school staff. Hughes, R. (1997). Introduction. In R. Hughes and W. Adrian (Eds.), Models for Christian higher education: strategies for success in the twentieth-first century(pp. 1-9). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans. Justins, C. (2002). Christian Parent Controlled Schools in Australia - A study of the relationship between foundational values and prevailing practices. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Australian Catholic University. Kalsbeek, L. (1975). Contours of a Christian philosophy - An introduction to Herman Dooyeweerd's thought. Wedge Publishing Foundation: Toronto, Canada. Lambert, I. (1996) Australian society, education and the Christian school movement. In I. Lambert and S. Mitchell (Eds.), Reclaiming the future - Australian perspectives on Christian schooling (pp ). Sydney: Centre for the Study of Australian Christianity, Macquarie University. Lambert, I. (1997). Alternative Christian schooling: The historical and contemporary context of the Australian experience. In K. Watson, C. Modgil and S. Modgil (Eds.), Educational dilemmas- Debate and diversity. Vol. 3: Power and responsibility in education (pp ). London: Cassell. Long, R. (1996). The development of themelic schools in Australia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Western Sydney. Maguire, J. (1975). Dutch Reformed migrants in post-war Australia and the movement for parent controlled Christian schools (Unpublished Paper). Mechielsen, J. (Ed.). (1980). No icing on the cake - Christian foundations for education in Australia Melbourne: Brookes-Hall Publishing Foundation. Miller, S. (1980). From the ground up. In J. Mechielsen (Ed.), No icing on the cake - Christian foundations for education in Australia (pp ). Melbourne: Brookes-Hall Publishing Foundation.

17 Ormell, C. (1980) Values in education. In R. Straughan and J. Wrigley (Eds.), Values and evaluation in education (pp ). London: Harper and Row. Shellard, J. (1983, July). The Christian component in colonial education: Some perspectives on the development of public education in New South Wales,Journal of Christian Education 77, Skillen, J. (1974). The development of Calvinistic political theory in the Netherlands, with special reference to the thought of Herman Dooyeweerd.Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Duke University, USA. Van Brummelen, H. (1986). Telling the next generation - Educational development in North American Calvinist Christian schools. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. VanderStelt, J. (1972). The struggle for Christian education in western history. In J. Vriend (Ed.), To prod the slumbering giant (pp ). Toronto, Canada: Wedge Publishing Foundation. Van Essen, J. and Morton, H. (1990). Guillaume Groen Van Prinsterer: Selected studies. Ontario, Canada: Wedge Publishing Foundation. Wallace, T. (1998) Beliefs, values and attitudes: Exploring the connections - a biblical case study, The Journal of the College of Christian Higher Education, 3, Weeks, N. (1988a). The Christian school: An introduction. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust. Wolterstorff, N. (1980) Educating for responsible action. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans.