To understand America’s true purpose, I’ve often reflected on the timeless words etched in marble of the Jefferson Memorial. The principles of self-government and the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness weren’t merely political innovations—they were spiritual revelations about human dignity, divinely inspired.
When we examine America’s founding principles through the lens of faith, a profound connection emerges between our national heritage and God’s redemptive plan for humanity.
An informed citizenry is essential to preserving America’s representative republic. Our founders understood that self-governance requires virtue—that inner moral compass that guides us toward truth. Without understanding tyranny’s nature and recognizing its signs, we cannot defend against the liberty that God intended for His creation. As George Santayana famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Over the past half-century, our public education system has increasingly failed to provide this crucial historical context. This transformation undermines the divine gift of freedom that our founders recognized comes not from government, but from our Creator. The right to life—sacred from conception; liberty—the freedom to worship and live according to conscience; and the pursuit of happiness—finding fulfillment in virtuous living and service to others—these principles reflect God’s desire for human flourishing.
This educational crisis mirrors what Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci described as a “war of position”—a gradual cultural infiltration of key institutions.1 While this strategy sought to undermine traditional Western values, it unwittingly challenges the very spiritual foundation upon which America was built: the understanding that our rights are endowed by our Creator and that righteous self-government requires a moral people.
In my conversations with parents and educators across the country, I’ve witnessed their growing recognition that education divorced from transcendent truth cannot sustain the miracle of American self-government. Just as Christ came to set captives free, America’s founding vision was to create a nation where human freedom could flourish under God’s providence.
The classical education movement represents not merely an educational alternative but a spiritual awakening to our divine purpose. Classical schools aim to develop virtuous citizens capable of exercising freedom responsibly in service of truth and goodness—echoing Christ’s teaching that the truth shall set us free. The goal isn’t merely earthly liberty but the cultivation of souls who understand that true freedom comes from living in accordance with God’s design.
This redemptive vision recognizes that America’s founding principles align with God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. Both acknowledge human dignity, the importance of moral virtue, and that genuine liberty requires self-restraint guided by higher truth. The founders’ vision of ordered liberty parallels the Christian understanding that we are set free not to indulge our base impulses but to live virtuously in community with others.
Classical K-12 liberal arts schools are at the forefront of this vital educational renewal, preparing young hearts and minds to embrace both their civic responsibilities and spiritual inheritance. Through this redemptive approach to education, we nurture citizens who understand that America’s experiment in self-government can only succeed when aligned with the eternal principles revealed through God’s Word and embodied in Christ’s perfect example.
In my own spiritual journey, I’ve come to see that the renewal of American education is not separate from God’s redemptive work in the world—it is one expression of it. By reclaiming education that honors truth, goodness, and beauty, we participate in Christ’s restoration of all things.
- Antonio Gramsci: The Godfather of Cultural Marxism, March 31, 2019, by Bradley Thomas. The Foundation for Economic Freedom. ↩︎
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