Body of Values 2: God, Family, Country

Value number 2: God, Family, Country

Thoughts from Headmaster, Rebekah Hagstrom

Liberty Classical Academy values and encourages love of God, Family and Country. While all three are important, students are encouraged to understand that when emphasized in their proper order—as they appear here—they bring peace and fulfillment in life.

Love of God

Liberty encourages love of God as first and foremost, for when a person has a right relationship with God, they are much more likely to place importance on family and the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Jesus stated in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you.” So by placing God first, everything else falls into the proper order.

In order to emphasize God first, we seek to model Christ-centered relationships and living throughout the entire organization. Our desire being that seeking God first would permeate every aspect of our students’ lives: from what they choose to read and watch, to how they treat their friends and acquaintances both in person and on social media, how they decide for whom to vote, how they choose to spend their time and with whom, how they spend their money, honoring God with their bodies, etc. If this is to be accomplished, students must be given ample opportunity to question, discuss, and debate all aspects of Christianity and be exposed to other religions and world views in a safe environment, while being directed towards the truth of scripture. They must be given reason for their faith rather than simply being told what to believe. The goal being that our students would avoid compartmentalizing their faith and allow it to penetrate and flourish in every crevice of their heart, soul, mind and life.

Love of Family

Love of Family is second, for it is critically important that families partner with their church and school to emphasize placing God first in their children’s lives. Strong families are essential to society. Healthy families are the best means of providing students the confidence to reach out beyond themselves and to take risks, to provide praise and encouragement to students in their work at school and in the development of their faith. Godly families are necessary to provide a robust model of Godly living.

Love of Country

Love of Country is third, for the name “Liberty” was chosen by the school founders because it represents all types of freedom that are also expressed in our country’s founding documents: political, economic, social and most importantly, religious freedom. The country’s founders recognized that God is the source of rights, not the government, and that all citizens have the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. These freedoms must be vigilantly and intentionally preserved by the citizens of this country. Therefore, emphasis is placed on responsible citizenship and what is entailed in maintaining the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

God, Family, Country. When each is valued and ordered correctly, freedom in Christ is more likely to reign and endure.