Philosophy of Education

Expected Student Learning Results

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)

To achieve the above mentioned purpose, CCU seeks to accomplish the following:

• To provide students with the fundamentals of the Christian faith, and to stimulate them to evaluate knowledge in the light of scriptural truth.
• To encourage growth in Christian character in each student and to help the student accept responsibility in faithful Christian service.
• To increase the student’s awareness of the world of ideas and events which are influencing our contemporary culture, and to prepare the student to effectively participate in our society.
• To enable the student to develop sound critical and analytical reasoning skills.
• To provide sufficient opportunities for students to become part of a vibrant fellowship of believers.
• To offer opportunities for academic specialization and practical preparation for graduate study and to assist the student in selecting and preparing for a vocation.
• To foster the student’s appreciation of the participation in wholesome vocational and cultural activities.
• To provide an avenue for selfless, Christ-like service to others.
• To develop and encourage healthy interpersonal relationships.
• To train up godly leaders who are hungry to live the obedient life in Christ by faith for the glory of God.

Essence – Core Values

The essence statement of CCU is a philosophical description of the institution and its people-  students, staff, faculty, administration, trustees and alumni.  While acknowledging that as individuals we are at different points along the way, we are all nevertheless journeying toward the ideals described in the five perspectives that follow: Christian, Academic, Developmental, Service and Values.

Christian

We are Christians who:

• Believe that God is the origin of all things and the source of the values made known to us in His creation, in human experience, and finally and fully, in Jesus Christ.
• Hold the Bible as the Word of God, the basis of our faith, and the primary record by which these values are made known.
• Rely on the Holy Spirit to help us discover these values and thereby call into question the values of the world.
• Confess Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, our college, our world, and as the final authority for our faith and life.
• Recognize that redemption by Jesus Christ and personal acceptance of His forgiveness are necessary for human wholeness.
• Show love toward God (holiness of fear) and love toward each other (holiness of life).   This love is expressed in worship, self-denial, a special concern for the oppressed and an abandonment of those distinctions that divide us.
• Practice community among ourselves as members of one body of Christ and maintain a nonsectarian openness toward all Christians.

Academic

We are students and scholars who:

• Believe that all truth is of God; therefore, we recognize the importance of each field of study both for its own significance and for its interrelationship with other areas of knowledge.
• Believe that God desires that we pursue excellence according to the standard of His will for us.
• Exhibit intellectual curiosity, flexibility, and critical open-mindedness.
• Are able to deal with complexity and ambiguity, communicate effectively, carefully consider evidence and make godly decisions.
• Recognize that knowledge of history is key to understanding our world, our future, and ourselves.  History is simply “His-story”.
• Have a basic understanding of Christianity, the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.
• Know the language and customs of at least one other culture or know the cross-cultural issues within one’s own discipline in order to develop understanding of, respect for and cooperation with those of all other cultures.
• Promote and expand the body of knowledge related to our profession in a discipline.
• Have a thorough command of the primary sources, methodology and research skills, major issues, vocabulary, and facts in at least one academic field of study as well as understanding how the skills acquired in this way may be adapted to other fields of endeavor.
• Encourage and make provision for any person to learn at any period of life.

Developmental

We are persons who:

• Seek to develop a creative Christian lifestyle whose purpose flows from a commitment to God through Jesus Christ.
• Honor our commitments and take responsibility for our personal behavior, decisions and continuing growth.
• Know from experience that self-discipline, struggle, risk and confrontation are necessary for growth and that because of the grace of God, we grow even through our failures.
• Have experiences in self-assessment in every dimension of our lives including values-clarification based on biblical truths and in planning for continuous individual growth and renewal.
• Understand the capabilities of our physical bodies and are committed to the lifelong nurturing of our physical selves.

Services

We are servants who:

• Are able to joyfully follow Jesus’ example of service in the world and to pour out our individual and corporate lives for others because of God’s love in Christ for us.
• Share our faith unashamedly, disciple other Christians, participate in missionary endeavors, minister to the needs of all persons regardless of their agreement with our beliefs, and affirm the unique worth of every individual as one given gifts and talents to be discovered, developed, and directed toward service.
• Are faithful stewards of our time, talents, and resources who welcome and seek opportunities for service as a means to clarify and practice our faith and knowledge.

Values

• We value truth and humility in the inward parts. (Psalm 51:6, Psalm 51:10, 1 Peter 5:5)
• We value a spiritually surrendered life in both our work and our walk with the Lord. (1 Timothy 4:7)
• We value infectious, optimistic and enthusiastic attitudes that have the best interests of the team at heart. (Deuteronomy 20:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• We value a teachable heart and growth in our lives and ministries. (Proverbs 1:28, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• We value the affirming, encouraging and celebrating of efforts often. (Deuteronomy 20:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• We value the holding up of each other’s arms by respecting, loving, protecting and supporting each other in all ways possible. (Exodus 17:11-12)
• We value holiness through obedience to God. (1 Peter 1:16, 1 John 5:3)
• We value the saving and life-changing grace of God. (Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:10)
• We value the responsibility to bear fruit through trusting God by faith. (Romans 1:17, Hebrews 11:6)
• We value the faithfulness of God’s Word. (Matthew 24:35, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 19)
• We value the privilege of developing and using the spiritual gifts of God. (1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-12, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 25:14-31)
• We value the unlimited ability and willingness of God to act on behalf of those who love Him. (Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 16:9)
• We value the unlimited power of prayer. (Jeremiah 33:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, John 14:12-13)
• We value the responsibility to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:39-40, Luke 10: 30-42)
• We value hard, faithful and smart work on behalf of building God’s kingdom. (Matthew 25:14-31, Ecclesiastes 5:3, Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 22:29)