Baptist Christian School is enrolling for 2012-13.

Baptist Christian School Promo Video

Baptist Christian School has put together a promo video which can be viewed here.

Baptist Christian School at the Crossroads

Back in the 1970’s and through the 1980’s, we who are involved in Christian schools continually heard something that was music to our ears: “One to two new Christian schools are starting daily in this country.” The Christian school movement was growing by leaps and bounds, and that became visually obvious by the number of teachers who attended the annual ACSI Teachers’ Convention in Anaheim. Sadly, that trend has reversed. It has now been estimated that an average of one Christian school a day is closing.

Baptist Christian School has been blessed over the years. The school began in 1965 and quickly expanded to include all grades from preschool to nine. In 1983, a tenth grade class was added, followed by eleventh and twelfth over the next two years, and that class of seven students graduated in 1986. Now there are 517 graduates, a large percentage of whom went on to college, including many B.A. Degrees, a significant number of Master’s Degrees, and even a few Ph.D. Degrees. This number of 517 includes our current senior class, which is scheduled to graduate on June 2. It will be the 27th graduating class. However, the sad truth is that unless a miracle happens, the class of 2012 will be the last class to graduate from Baptist Christian High School.

After a record enrollment just five years ago, including an all-time high of 121 in the high school and over 400 in the entire K-12 school, plus over 100 in preschool, serious consideration was given to doubling the secondary grades by asking other schools to feed into BCS, the only Christian high school in the area. Our goal was to have a junior high of 100+ and a high school of 200+ with a full elementary school of 175 – 200 students. This all seemed very possible and reasonable just five years ago.

As we all know, shortly after that time things began to change. There are many factors that contributed to the change, the most significant of which was the downturn in the economy. As the economy slipped, so did Christian school enrollment almost everywhere. Baptist Christian was no exception. Many parents were no longer able to afford the cost, and efforts to make up the shortfall in tuition by other means were simply not enough to keep up. Baptist Christian School had reserves to get through much of it, but as more and more students were lost, the situation became unsustainable.

We know that God is capable of taking care of His people and His ministry, but there is a point at which it becomes necessary to conclude He may be putting on the brakes. I have heard it said that “there is a fine line between faith and folly, and wisdom knows where to draw that line.” With this in mind, our leadership has concluded that something must be done. Rather than wait until the end of the summer and leave people hanging before making a decision, it has been wisely decided that if the enrollment in grades K-12 for next year does not reach the number 361 by March 18, the junior high and high school will, of necessity, be closed at the end of the current school year. The enrollment this year is 264, so we are looking at an increase of 97 if the secondary school is to stay open.

This is heartbreaking to me and to many others – students, parents, teachers, staff members, church leadership, and others. Having been involved with the beginning of the high school, I had hoped never to see this day come. However, this is one of the burdens of leadership that I no longer have to bear. Difficult decisions are necessary, and those who bear the responsibility end up bearing the pressure that will come their way from having to make those decisions. We need to pray for those in leadership as we go through this difficult time. We also need to ask God for a miracle, bearing in mind that He may say “yes,” and He may say “no.” I have come to grips with the reality of the situation and am ready to accept that if it truly His will to close the secondary school, then it must be closed. The years spent in ministry at BCS have not been wasted. Many, many of our graduates and other former students are faithful servants of the Lord today, and that certainly makes it worthwhile, no matter what happens in the future.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NASB).

That having been said, I also believe He can use us to preserve the school, if He so wills it. I would rather make the effort and come up short than to just sit back and hope for a miracle. I encourage everyone with an interest in the school to make every effort to recruit Christian children and young people as students at BCS. Push the biblical philosophy of education. Help parents see the importance of teaching their children from a Christian perspective so they will be prepared to face the challenges this world will bring their way. Talk up the school! Be an ambassador for BCS! Be an active recruiter! This is not over yet!

March 18 is a month away, and that will go by very quickly. However, we can also say that we have a whole month to be used by the Lord to accomplish His purpose. The last thing we want to have happen is to let the month go by without making the necessary effort.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9, NASB).

Interview of James Bramblet by Ron Livesay

My father-in-law, James Bramblet, is a true pioneer in the Christian school movement. Even though I had heard of him before I met and married his daughter Janet in 2003, I had no idea what a great man of God and a giant among Christian school educators he truly is. It has been my privilege and blessing to get to know him. I appreciate his insight and wisdom.

The following interview was conducted at his house in Tacoma, Washington on July 31, 2005. Many thanks to the administrative secretary here at the school for converting the tape of this interview into a transcript.

RL: This is Ron Livesay. I’m interviewing my father-in-law, James Bramblet, and I’m going to ask him to introduce himself and tell a little about himself before we get into some of the specific questions.

JB: My name is James Bramblet and I’ve spent most of my adult life as a Christian school worker, covering a period of well over 40 years. I started way back – I’m an old man now – and I started way back when I was quite young. I started several schools, was on the board of ASCI for a while, working in Oregon, Washington, and California. I have some very definite ideas about Christian education.

RL: How did you get started? When did you know the Lord wanted you involved in Christian education and how did it all develop?

JB: The first I ever heard about Christian schools was when I was 19 or 20 in Bible school at Multnomah. A person came to chapel and told us about the school he was starting, a school in Portland – Portland Christian. I’d never heard of that before. I thought I was in Bible school to become a missionary or a pastor. I began at that time to think about Christian schools. And then before I graduated, I decided I would go back to Idaho where I came from. There were a lot of communities in Idaho without a church. So I would find a job as a teacher in one of those communities and start a church at the same time. Turned out I didn’t end up doing that.

I finished Bible school, went to the University of Idaho, majored in education and became a teacher. I worked as a teacher in Elk River, Idaho for a couple of years, and by then I had four children. I didn’t particularly want them to go to public school. I saw what was happening there, so I contacted Portland Christian to see if there were any job openings there, and I was put in touch with a new Christian school in Portland. I was interviewed by their board to become principal and teacher at West Hills Christian School. That’s when I began to realize that’s what the Lord wanted me to do.

While I was there, I took a course … on the philosophy of Christian education … and it changed my mind. I had taken a course on the philosophy of education at the University of Idaho and realized it was all wrong … that it was not Christian. I began, from then on, to change my way of teaching so that it was definitely Christian rather than secular.

RL: Could you summarize what you mean by Christian or Biblical philosophy of education?

JB: Yes, I think it’s summarized best in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This has several things about Christian education. First of all, it says who is responsible for educating children – …it’s fathers who are the ones responsible. So, as far as I’m concerned, Christian schools are there to help parents educate their children.

The second thing we have in this verse is the definition of the word “educate.” It’s “bring up a child.” We have a phrase, “lead out,” which is not right. It’s not what the word “educate” means. They deliberately changed the meaning of the word “educate.” When you go to the modern dictionaries, it says “to lead out.” But when you go back 100 years, dictionaries say “to bring up a child.” The difference is that the responsibility is given to the parents. If the parents turn that responsibility over to a teacher, then the teacher has that responsibility. But you’re not “leading out.” Children are born sinners, so if you “lead them out” then you’ll be leading out the sin. What we have to do is “bring them up.” We have the responsibility to enforce with them a Christian standard and teach it to them.

That’s the second thing, the meaning of the word “education.” Then, in the “nurture and admonition,” that’s two different kinds of education. One has to do with discipline or moral training, the other has to do with instruction of the factual things you teach. We’re responsible for both. In order to have moral training, that’s what we call discipline, that’s part of education, that we enforce Christian standards on these children. We don’t allow them to decide what they’re going to do. We have Christian standards, both in the Christian home and in the Christian school, and those standards are enforced.

The other one has to do with instruction. It says it is “of the Lord,” and there is a Christian way to instruct about the facts. Many Christian educators, so called, have been deceived by the world into thinking that there are such things as secular subjects. The only reason they seem to be secular is that they’ve been secularized. Scripture makes if very clear that God created everything. In other words, all truth, then, is God’s truth. If it’s not God’s truth, it’s not truth. So then we need to realize that mathematics is not a secular subject. English is not a secular subject. History is not a secular subject. Even physical education is not a secular subject.

Our God has created us in every aspect of our lives, and this too needs to be passed on to our children in every subject. This doesn’t mean that if we are teaching them mathematics, that every lesson is all about God. But they need to understand that God created mathematics and that He gave the truth about mathematics to us … and as they work these problems, they need to know that they are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. If they make a mistake, then they’re not thinking God’s thoughts. God stands for truth, and they need to try to strive to find the correct answer … and they need to understand that they’re dealing with things of God, because when God created the universe, He did it mathematically. Scientists who study the universe have to know mathematics. God created the universe after a mathematical formula. It’s very easy to demonstrate that, and the students studying math need to understand that so that when they come out of math class, they should have confidence that they’ve been studying the truth of God. It’s the same thing when they come out of their science class. They’ve been studying the things that God has created, and there should be rejoicing over all the wonderful things that He has made … And they will appreciate knowing that they are not just studying dull old subjects, but that they’re studying the truth of God.

RL: Obviously you’ve seen a lot of changes in the schools since you were a pioneer in Christian schools. What changes have you seen over the years?

JB: One the of the things that has dragged down Christian schools is that so many want to have the approval of the state – have state certified teachers and state approval of the schools. But the problem is that the people who are in the secular philosophy of education, really started by John Dewey, purposely wanted to get rid of Christian emphasis, so in order to get a state teacher’s certificate, you have to go to one of their colleges and be brainwashed into this secular idea of education – just as I was at the University of Idaho.

… John Dewey said this very clearly, “If we are going to have a really democratic country, we’ve got to get rid of the Christian idea that there are two kinds of people, the saved and the lost.” He said we must have a religion that’s for everybody. And this business of “dividing the county, between the saved and the lost … we have to get rid of that.”

RL: One of the things we hear so much about today in modern education and modern psychology is this concept of self-esteem – that we don’t have to worry so much about what the students learn as we do about how they feel about themselves.

JB: This idea of self-esteem – I call it a cult. It has taken over the thinking of so many people. It isn’t in the Bible. It didn’t start in a Christian place. It started in modern psychology. Then we had Christian psychologists who picked it up and brought it over into the Christian realm. When we look at the Bible, we discover that “self” and “esteem” are only used together in one verse of Scripture. That’s in Philippians 2:3, where it says, “let each esteem others better than yourselves.” That’s not self-esteem, that’s other esteem.

All through the Scriptures we are told that we’re sinners and that we need to be saved. This doctrine is trying to get around that. I think we live in a day when Satan is attacking in this one particular doctrine of human depravity. This is the thing the world hates – telling them they’re sinners – to say as Dewey didn’t like people saying, “the saved and the lost.” And it’s an attack on our Christian standards, and it should be recognized as such. When we try to teach children to esteem themselves, we’re teaching them to be proud. We’re teaching them to think higher of themselves than other people. And that’s exactly what Satan taught Adam and Eve in the garden. “You’re better than God says you are.”

I consider this doctrine of self-esteem to be a great threat to our Christian standards, and I wish more pastors and teachers, and teachers in Bible colleges, would pick this up and really teach strongly against it. There is plenty of Scripture on this subject. It can definitely be demonstrated from the Bible that it is a false doctrine that is doing a great deal of damage in our churches and in our Christian schools and also in our society.

"Evidence" for Evolution?

“It’s clear that Haeckel may have fudged his drawings somewhat to look more like his ideal than they actually are. Now, does that actually take away from what we know about the relationship of embryology to evolution? Not a bit. The whole Haeckel’s embryo story has been greatly blown out of significance. It is a minor footnote in the history of science, and actually it’s been known for ten or fifteen years that Haeckel’s embryos are not to be relied upon. The reason why the diagrams are reproduced is because they’re easily available. There’s no copyright on them. It’s an easy way to illustrate a point. And I would argue that the basic point that’s being illustrated by those drawings is still accurate.”  (Eugenie Scott, Ph.D., Director, National Center for Science Education.  From the DVD, “Icons of Evolution,” Jonathon Wells, The Discovery Institute, 2002.)

So that is what the evolutionists pass off as "science." What's next?  Maybe some "scientist" will say, "We are all aware that Piltdown Man was a hoax, but that does not diminish its importance as evidence of the evolution of man from an ape-like creature." Or maybe another one will say, "Everyone knows that Nebraska Man was nothing but a pig's tooth, but that does not diminish the importance of the find as evidence for evolution." Right... faked evidence is just fine as long as it supports the pre-conceived notions of evolutionists. Vary sad and very absurd.

Such illustrations could go on and on, but what would be the point? It is obvious to those who look at the facts that evolution is nothing but a house of cards that has been successful in fooling many people for quite some time. Nevertheless, it is not worthy of our consideration, and it should become nothing but a joke as it is seen more and more for the hoax it really is.

Consigned to Hell?

I recently received an anonymous document in which an individual consigned a man, who had passed away in recent months, to hell. The writer of the document seemed to be very jubilant about it, celebrating and loving the thought that this man would be condemned for all eternity. As I have contemplated this, I have a number of observations.

Anyone who chooses to consign another human being to hell is stepping over into an area where no man has any right to tread. Such is God’s business, and it is not only arrogant, but it is quite dangerous, to stick our noses into areas that concern God, and Him alone. None of us should dare to judge someone else’s salvation. Do we really know who has or has not come to Christ by faith? Of course not. We can see their fruit, but being a “fruit inspector” does not make us God, and it most certainly does not qualify us to discern who really is and is not one of His own.

We know there are those who will end up in the lake of fire. The Bible tells us that the devil, his angels (the demons), the beast, and the false prophet will be there. We also know that those whose names are not in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. There are, however, no names attached to these people. We do not know who they are. There is one man we know has been in hell since the time of Christ – the rich man of Luke 16. Obviously there are others, but to take upon ourselves the position of being able to consign specific individuals to hell is extremely self-righteous and is to invite God’s judgment.

The individual who wrote the document determined that the man is in hell based on a specific sin he allegedly committed. Of course, the writer has no proof other than the belated word of someone who may well have had an agenda. An assumption is being made that cannot be verified, and a complete lack of understanding of the exceeding sinfulness of sin and of the grace of God is being demonstrated.

What do I mean by that? We must sometimes be reminded that all sin, no matter how “small” or “minor,” is evil in the sight of God. ANY sin is sufficient to condemn a human to an eternity in the lake of fire, because sin is an offense against a holy God whose standard is perfection. God does not put up with sin. He does not arbitrarily overlook some sins because those sins are not sufficiently “bad” to result in condemnation. We step over a line which we ought not to even approach when we overlook our own sin but consign others to eternal condemnation because of their sins.

On the other hand, true believers in Christ are capable of any sin in the book, and any sin committed by a believer is already taken care of by the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. That is the grace of God. We don’t deserve His grace, because if we did, it would not be grace. Is God’s grace only for me and for those of whom I approve, or is it even for those of whom I do not approve? It does us well not to presume on the grace of God only for ourselves.

Just look at David, a “man after God’s own heart.” While shirking his duty as head of his army, he lusted after another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, tried to make it look as if her husband was the father of the resultant offspring, had the husband murdered, and tried to cover the whole thing up. That is all a pretty “bad” sin, yet David did not lose his salvation and suffer the pangs of hell because of it. Note that he did not ask to have his salvation restored, but instead prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12, NASB). He did not lose his salvation. Instead, he lost the JOY of God’s salvation. None of what David did was minor. None of it was acceptable to God. David certainly suffered a number of consequences because of it. However, no one has authority to consign him to hell because of it.

Such a view of who goes to hell and who does not based on behavior is nothing other than a very faulty view of salvation that says we are saved by our works. Clearly, the Bible teaches that we are saved “by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that we could never be saved by being good, since the Law of God, itself a good thing, is unable to save us. “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3, NASB).

Taking pleasure in the condemnation of the lost is most certainly not what should be done by a true believer in Christ. If the man really did go to hell, where we all actually deserve to go, should we rejoice in that? How arrogant would that be? Even God Himself does not do that. “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11).

I did not know the man who passed away and who was accused of horrible behavior by someone else. I do not know what he did or did not do. Even if I had known him, and even if I had some way to know if he did this thing, I would certainly not be so arrogant or presumptuous as to consign him to hell. Whenever any of us goes about to condemn someone else, we need to remember that we would all, except for the grace of God, be under His condemnation. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36, NASB).

It would do us all well to heed the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5, NASB).

Joseph: A Man of Great Faith

My favorite Bible character from the Old Testament is Joseph, the son of Jacob and his beloved Rachel. He proved himself to be a man of great faith, even though he was hated and sold into slavery by his brothers, even though he was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit, and even though he was thrown into prison and then forgotten by the cupbearer of Pharaoh after he had done the man a great service. Joseph never did give up and blame God for his predicament. Instead, he remained faithful, and God blessed him greatly.

However, this article is not about that Joseph, as important as he is to the Bible narrative. Instead, I want to consider another Joseph, one who is much less well-known, but who nevertheless also showed himself to be a man of great faith. At this time of year, we think of Mary and Joseph, the newborn Jesus, and all that goes with the Nativity scene. Much attention is paid to Mary, the Christ-child, the shepherds, and even the wise men who showed up many months later. The one individual who tends to be somewhat and sometimes totally ignored is Joseph, who, although not the biological father of Jesus, assumed all the legal responsibilities of fatherhood.

Joseph revealed himself as a man of great faith from the time he first heard his wife-to-be, Mary, was pregnant. This was no minor situation. The period of engagement was certainly different in that time and culture than it is today. Engagement (“betrothal” or “espousal”) was a binding commitment that could only be broken by a bill of divorcement, and unfaithfulness during that time was no less of an issue than unfaithfulness during marriage. The penalty for the guilty party could be death by stoning. Clearly Joseph at first believed Mary had been unfaithful, because he knew he had not had a physical relationship with her, and he knew she was pregnant. Without a doubt, his heart was broken, but he still loved her and opted for a private bill of divorcement rather than exposing her to public disgrace and having her stoned. His faith is shown by his response to the message the angel brought to him.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25, NASB).

The angel told Joseph that the child to which Mary would give birth would be the very Son of God. Many men might have doubted this and would have gone through with the divorce. Joseph, however, quite obviously believed what the angel said, because he acted on the message. Obedience is the best evidence of faith. It is quite easy to say, “I believe,” but it is another thing entirely to act on a message that seems difficult or even impossible. Joseph was asked to believe and act on the reality of a virgin birth. This is clearly impossible with man, but not with God.

A virgin birth is not like a “married bachelor” or a “square circle.” These things are logical absurdities. A virgin birth is not a logical absurdity; it is merely an impossibility. God is powerful to accomplish the impossible, and Joseph both believed and acted on this fact. He “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” There is no indication that Joseph wavered or doubted. He believed the message from God and acted on it. He knew Mary was still a virgin, and he kept her so until after the birth of Jesus. His actions were likely illogical to others around him, but he acted in obedience to the Lord, so the opinions of his friends and acquaintances were irrelevant.

Some time after His birth, King Herod heard from the wise men that one had been born who would be the new king. Of course, Herod being the paranoid scoundrel he was, immediately came up with a plan to kill this threat to his throne. Many young children were slaughtered in the carrying out of Herod’s evil plan, but of course Jesus escaped. Joseph was warned to take Mary and the child Jesus to Egypt. Once again, Joseph acted in faith and immediately obeyed.

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON” (Matthew 2:13-15, NASB).

Many men might have replied with skepticism and questioned the wisdom of the angel’s message. It was surely a scary prospect to move to a different country with no notice ahead of time and no time to plan, yet Joseph, in another display of great faith, immediately “got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.” He did not delay, nor did he express doubt. He simply obeyed the Lord’s command and did something that would have seemed illogical to many, but Joseph obviously knew that the only place of safety was in the center of God’s will.

After a period of time, an angel again came to Joseph and told him to return to Israel.

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2, 19-23, NASB).

By this time, the little family was certainly settled in Egypt, and again, it would have been easy for Joseph to second-guess the angel’s message. He could have considered Egypt to be the best place to safely raise Jesus, since it was away from the place where His life had been in jeopardy. However, just like in the other situations, Joseph acted in faith, believing the message and acting on it. He “got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the Land of Israel.” After coming back to Israel, Joseph was warned by God in a dream and again responded in faith and “left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth.”

Every step of the way, Joseph responded in faith by acting on what God told him. We know very little more about this man other than what we can assume from his godly character. We assume he died some time between the visit to the temple when Jesus was twelve years old and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. We can also assume that he was faithful to the responsibility of being the earthly, adoptive father of the Son of God, teaching Him many things, including the carpenter trade.

The Scripture tells us that Joseph was “a righteous man,” and there is no reason to believe he did not operate in the rest of his life in the same manner in which we observe him operating in the parts of his life we know about. He is frequently overlooked among biblical heroes, but what we do know of him makes Joseph a great hero of the faith.