An Explanation of the Parent’s Responsibility with the Artios Academies Statement of Beliefs
The Statement of Beliefs, which appears below, provides the core Biblical truths that are the foundation from which Artios derives the worldview that is incorporated into everything we do and teach. These truths are expressed in the classes and activities in many different ways, depending on the student’s age and the classes being taught.
You, as parents or guardians, are the primary educators of your child, and we believe that it is important for you to understand the foundation from which we teach. Your enrollment in Artios confirms that you understand and will not object to the Biblical worldview, based on the Artios Statement of Beliefs, being integrated into the curriculum, teaching, and other activities that are part of Artios Academies.
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Artios Academies Statement of Beliefs
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone):
We teach that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, and thus the 66 books of the Bible constitute the complete, verbally inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), and plenary (inspired equally in all parts) Word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21) and that inspiration and inerrancy extend to the original manuscripts as they came from God. Scripture is sufficient for interpreting itself. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine, and they are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. As the authoritative, inspired, inerrant, and timelessly relevant Word of God, the Scriptures have binding authority for the doctrinal beliefs and moral practices of believers, churches, and Christian institutions (2 Sam. 7:28; Prov. 30:5; Matt. 4:4, 5:17-20, 24:35; 2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:16-21, 3:2)
The Trinity:
We believe that God is one in essence, but that He exists in three distinct and equal persons: Father, Son & Holy Spirit, and that these three persons have precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections. (Matt. 28:19; John 14:26, 15:26; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2)
Creation:
We believe in God as absolute and sole Creator of the universe. We believe that creation was by divine fiat, not by evolutionary process, and the account of origins in Genesis is a factual narrative of historical events (Gen 1:1; Ps. 33:6; Ps. 100:3; Ps. 139; Is. 42:5; Is. 44:24, 45:18; Col. 1:16-17).
Original Sin:
We believe that God created man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:27-28) to enjoy His fellowship; that by their own choice, they decided to rebel against their Creator; that every person since that time has been born with the propensity to sin (Rom. 5:12); that our personal sins cause us to have need of justification and redemption; and that sin is universal and without excuse (Rom. 3:23; I John 1:8).
Sola Fide (by Faith alone) and Sola Gratia (by Grace alone):
We believe that God, by his sovereign choice, grace, and out of love for humanity, sent Christ into the world to save sinners. We believe that we are justified before God simply by placing our personal trust in Christ (Rom. 3:22), and that we are eternally secure in grace from that moment on. Righteous works do not provide any merit towards salvation (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:15-16; Eph. 2:8-9) but are a result of salvation. However, sin may interrupt the joy of fellowship with God and may bring the loving discipline of our heavenly Father. We believe that there is no way of salvation other than through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; I John 2:2).
Jesus Christ:
We believe that Jesus Christ is both God and man; that His death paid a sufficient price to redeem any person who would believe in Him as personal Savior (John 1:1-14; I Cor. 15:3-4; Acts 4:10-12); that He rose from the dead bodily; that He ascended to the right hand of God the Father; and that He will return to the earth bodily and visibly to set up His eternal kingdom (Dan. 12:2, Matt. 25:31-46, Rev. 20:11-15, 21:26-27).
The Marriage Relationship:
We believe that marriage is an institution ordained by God to be a covenantal life-long relationship and prescribed by Scripture to be a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman as they were originally physically created in these respective genders by God. We believe that Scriptures make plain that this first marriage (i.e. Adam & Eve) was intended to be an authoritative pattern for all future human marriages as evidenced by the teachings of Moses (Gen. 2:18-24) , the Wisdom books (Prov. 12:4, 18:22, 31:10; Eccles. 9:9), the Prophets (Mal. 2:13-16), the Apostles (1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:14-19; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7), and Jesus Himself (Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:1-9). We believe God intended heterosexual marriage to be an enduring, covenantal relationship established before Himself and man to propagate the human race, lovingly express healthy relational and sexual intimacy, and picture the covenant relationship He has with all genuine believers (Eph. 5:22-23).
Human Sexuality:
Human sexuality is part of God’s divine design for human beings (Gen. 1:28). However, the Bible restricts all forms of consensual sexual activity to within the boundaries of the marriage relationship (I Cor. 7:1-5; Heb. 13:4). The Bible clearly prohibits not only non-consensual sexual misconduct (Deut. 22:25-27) but also any consensual sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage (1 Thess. 4:1-8). Furthermore, the Bible specifically names as sinful and prohibits any form of sexual activity between persons of the same sex (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:10), polygamy (Matt. 19:4-6; 1 Cor. 7:11), incest (Lev. 18:6-18; 1 Cor. 5:1), bestiality (Exod. 22:19; Lev. 18:23, 20:15-16; Deut. 27:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5), adultery (Exod. 20:14; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; James 2:11), and fornication of any sort, including pornography (1 Cor. 6:9-10; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; Lev. 18:20).
Gender Identity:
God created man and woman in His image as two distinct but equal genders which He intends to use for His glory (Gen. 1:26-27). Furthermore, individual gender is assigned by God and determined at conception (Ps. 139:13-16). Therefore, we believe that to intentionally alter or change one’s physical gender or to live as a gender other than the one assigned at conception is to reject God’s right as a Creator to assign gender to His creatures and is a personal rejection of His plan to glorify Himself through the original gender He assigned that individual (I Cor. 10:31).
Sanctity of Life:
We believe that human life begins at conception (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5); and that the child in the womb is a person created in the image of God and is deserving of all rights afforded to all living human beings. We believe that numerous texts assume the personhood of unborn children (Gen. 25:23-26, 38:27-30; Job 31:15-18; Ps. 22:9-10; Isa. 44:2).
We reserve the right to make institutional decisions consistent with these positions for employment, hiring, retention, student admissions, discipline and all other matters.
Should you have any questions concerning your understanding of the Statement of Beliefs, please do not hesitate to contact John Lane at [email protected].