Who we Are

Success in any endeavor requires adherence to one’s purpose and principles. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” Similarly, Christian educators must frequently review practices for a Christian philosophy of education.

The Christian philosophy of education, including its mission, purpose statement, and school goal is published in the student handbook, faculty, administrative, and academic manual, as well as the self-study guide. The School Improvement Committee works with a variety of stakeholders such as church leaders, school leaders, classroom teachers, students, and parents to identify spiritual, academic, and non-academic beliefs to determine whether or not they are extensions of the mission and belief statements.

The components of Central Baptist School work together to accomplish on all-encompassing goal: To direct students to God’s objective for them –godliness of character and action.

This broad goal has significant implications that provide a framework for our school agenda. First, the goal of godliness presupposes regeneration. If all education begins with physical birth, it is logical to deduce that Christian education begins with spiritual rebirth. However, to conclude that Christian education is solely for Christian students is to underestimate both the power and value of Christian education. We learn from 2 Timothy 3:15 that the Scriptures have the power to “make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Making students “wise unto salvation” is certainly a legitimate function of Christian education.

Secondly, development into godliness involves a step-by-step growth process that leads to conformity into the image of God in Christ (Romans 8:29). To accomplish this goal, the Christian school must follow the instruction King David gave to his son Solomon in 1 Chr. 28:9: “And thou, Solomon my son, know the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind.” Applying this verse to the role of Christian education, we see that we are to teach our students to know God and to imitate Him in character and in works.

Teaching students to know God is foundational because the Bible reveals that all truth is of God. He is the God of truth (Psalm 31:5); His Son is the Lord of truth (John 14:6); and His Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16, 17). From these passages we conclude that all truth is in harmony and that the Bible is the starting point for all rational inquiry and interpretation of reality. As a result, the Bible will be the centerpiece of the curriculum and Biblical truths must be integrated into each subject to demonstrate the Bible’s harmonious relationship with truth and reality.

To further students’ knowledge of God, Christian education presents God’s highest creation for study. The Bible reveals that God created man in His image; therefore, Christian education places emphasis on the humanities: the study of language, literature, art, history, mathematical reasoning, and other forms of personal and cultural expression. Christian education’s focus on the humanities does not, however, disregard natural sciences. The masterful design of the universe allows further knowledge of God. It reveals that He is a God of beauty, order, efficiency, and power (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). While teaching students to know God is mandated by Scripture, it does not complete the mission of the Christian school. Christian education must add challenges for the students to imitate God. The Scriptures tell us to imitate God’s holiness in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Holiness of character is manifested in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Believers are also instructed to imitate God by committing to a life of service. Mark 10:45 records, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Furthermore, Christian education must also help students imitate God by developing their creativity and tastes. Unlike the secular world, the Christian’s creativity should seek to reflect God as completely as possible. Students need to possess both aesthetic and moral perceptions to prefer the best in all areas of experience (Philippians 1:10). Attendance at Central Baptist School is not a right, but a privilege that may be forfeited by any student who does not conform to the standards and regulations of the institution. At any time, any student who, in the opinion of the administration, does not fit into the spirit of this institution may be dismissed. It is necessary that all parents and students understand the following information.

• We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. II Pet. 1:21; II Tim. 3:16-17
• We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Gen. 1:1; John 10:30; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4
• We believe Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; Col. 2:9
• We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners by birth and by choice, positively inclined to evil, and are therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse. Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12-21; Ps. 51:5, Ps. 58:3; I Cor. 2:14; Rom. 1:20; Gen. 1:26-27
• We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. I Cor. 15:1-4; II Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 2:24; Rom. 5:9; I Pet. 1:18-19
• We believe in the “blessed hope”, the personal, bodily, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Thess. 2; John 14:1-3; Matt. 24:44
• We believe that all who receives by faith Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and are thereby children of God and are eternally saved. John 3:3; Gal. 3:24-26; I John 5:13
• We believe that Satan is literal and personal, the agent of the fall, the prince and power of this world, and that he shall be judged and eternally punished. Rev. 20:1-10; Eph. 2:1-4
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, the just and unjust. We believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades and are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, (Luke 16:19-31; II Pet. 2:9), when their bodies shall be raised from the grave, be judged according to their works, and be cast into the place of final and everlasting punishment. Mark 9:43-48; I Thess. 4:16-18; Jude 13; Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8
• We believe that immersion is the only form of baptism revealed and commanded in the Scriptures; that it has NO saving power, but is only for those who are already saved; and that the new birth, which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the scriptural prerequisite to baptism; therefore, only those old enough to believe for themselves should be baptized. Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5
• We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ and that only those who have been saved through faith in His atoning blood and are walking in fellowship with Him ought to partake of it. I Cor. 11:23-32
• We believe that a New Testament Church is a body of baptized believers, organized for worship, service, and the spread of the Gospel in all of the world. Acts 1:8; Acts 2; Matt. 28:19-20
• We believe that all the saved are called into a life of separation. This separation is in at least three areas: moral, personal and ecclesiastical.
  1. Moral – We are commanded to perfect holiness (II Cor. 7:1) in the fear of God and to be clean in body and mind. II Cor. 10:5
  2. Personal – We are called to personal holiness-separation from the world. I Peter 1:15, 16
  3. Ecclesiastical – While recognizing the unity of all true believers it is also evident that unbelief and error in many organized fellowships has developed to the point where recognized and indisputable apostasy exists. We, therefore, disavow the position of the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals and any other association or fellowship that would be in sympathy with them. We stand in opposition to the Ecumenical Movement, Neo-orthodoxy, New-evangelicalism, and cooperative evangelistic programs between churches and people not of like faith. II Cor. 6:14-16; Eph. 5:11-12; Luke 12:51
• Though we recognize that there are many true and sincere believers in the modern charismatic movement, we are convinced from Scripture that the movement is in serious error. I Cor. 13:8-11, 14:33

Central Baptist School was started in 1973 with seventeen students in grades kindergarten through fourth. The school had been organized in 1970 but did not start until 1973 when the church moved to the location on Raleigh-LaGrange Road. The church building was finished in 1986 , a gym/classroom complex was completed in 1994, and a new elementary addition was occupied in 2004.

Central Baptist School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs