The Principle Approach has a foundation of seven governmental principles:

 

1. God’s Principle of Individuality


Individuality is the state of being undivided within oneself, but distinct from the rest. God has marked each individual to distinguish him from all others.


Individualism is a belief in the individual; thus, the individual’s needs and wants are at the center of his actions and motives. In contrast, individuality is a state of being. Because God has created each individual, and He is infinite, each individual is unique. He has a special purpose for each individual, and each individual’s heart must be undivided, that is, completely devoted to living out God’s intended purpose.


God’s principle of individuality is at the heart of mathematics and science. The study of numbers reflects God’s infinity, and His diversity and creativity are evident in all aspects of Creation, from the very large to the very small.


2. The Christian Principle of Self-Government


Government is more than elected officials in Washington or our state houses; it is the direction, regulation, and authority in our lives. Self-government is directing or controlling the self. Most modern definitions stop there, and we refer to it as self-control. However, the Christian principle of self-government means putting Christ in control. Each individual must choose to give Jesus Christ the ultimate authority in governing his life. When individuals are fully governed by Christ, the need for external control is eliminated. To quote Robert Winthrop,


“All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or the bayonet.” 1


Christian self-government must be practiced in the mathematics classroom (as in all subject areas). Students should prefer to be internally governed, rather than relying on external control as they go about their daily activities. With liberty comes responsibility.


3. America’s Heritage of Christian Character


The etymology of character reveals the sense of cutting or engraving. By definition, character is “the peculiar qualities, impressed by nature or habit on a person, which distinguish him from others.” Christian character is the stamp of Christ on the individual’s life. The Christian life should be distinguished from others, because the power of salvation in an individual’s life reveals itself in his conduct. Dr. Augustus Neander writes of Christian character,


“In a time when the inclination of self-interest to evade the laws in secret was combined with the timorousness of a slavish spirit, the Christian set the example of the conscientious observance of the
laws for God’s sake, and of unbending mental freedom, which, as it only obeyed the rulers of the world as placed in their office by God, so no power on earth could force to obey when anything was required that contradicted the divine laws.” 2


The character of Christ is the goal of Christian education. This is developed in every class and activity. To learn mathematics is to gain a clear and certain perception of what was once unknown, exercising through practice to gain comprehension and discipline. The disciplines of accuracy and precision in the study of mathematics reveal those aspects of God’s nature.


4. “Conscience is the Most Sacred of All Property”


Each individual is God’s property, by right of creation. Because I belong solely to God, my purpose is to glorify God. Conscience is “the faculty, power, or principle within us, which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own actions and affections, and instantly approves or condemns them.” The law is God’s, and thus, the faculty within an individual to determine whether or not he is obeying God’s law is his most sacred property, enabling him to serve his primary purpose, glorifying God.


The idea that the individual is God’s workmanship gives the student purpose in his life. As he pursues knowledge of God’s nature through his academic subjects, he models his character after that of the Master.


5. The Christian Form of Our Government


“The determining factor as to whether our nation is a Christian nation, and as to whether the Constitution is a Christian document is – not whether Christians formed the Constitution – but whether the form is Christian. The basis for judgment is the Bible.” 3


Our nation’s Constitution has both internal and external aspects. The concept of property is Biblical, as discussed in the previous principle. There is a need for Christian self-government to uphold our Constitution, as well as unity with union. In the matter of the Boston Patriots in 1775,


“The action taken by the Boston Patriots brought down upon them the cruel economic strangulation of the Boston Port Bill. But instead of isolating Boston, it had the effect of uniting all the colonies for the first time in their history. Within two months the flow of Christian support and unity of purpose had cemented together the thirteen colonies in a manner which all their efforts at unification had never achieved. This was the true Biblical Christian unity, produced by voluntary support on the part of the many communities and tiny towns and cities all over America. They were united in a cause which they felt to be God-ordained.” 4


Externally, there are three main components to our Constitution: representation, separation of powers, and the dual form. Deuteronomy 1 establishes representative government. Isaiah 33:22 outlines the three branches of government – judicial (Lord is our judge), legislative (Lord is our lawgiver), and executive (Lord is our king). God is perfect and has no need for separation of powers, but man is sinful and must be checked in his authority. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus gives two commands, to love God and to love man. These two commands reflect the dual form of our government, our national-federal system.


6. How the Seed of Local Self-Government is Planted


John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Individuals can only be self-governed if they first acknowledge God as their authority. Our nation’s government can only be sustained by the practice of Christian self-government and Christian character in the lives of individuals.


“Because their love of liberty was first evangelical liberty, second political liberty, the Pilgrim Separatists, in fleeing from the despotism of a centralized church did not reject a government of laws. But they recognized that law must spring from an internal conviction rather than derive its sanction from the force of external control." 5


The seed of local self-government is planted by the spread of the Gospel. As Christ takes hold in an individual’s life, he can begin the process of developing Christian self-government. Salvation brings liberty, and a saved soul who has given God authority in his
life does not need an oppressive central government to externally control him.


7. The Christian Principle of American Political Union


The Pilgrims modeled Christian unity:

“Individuals and families, drawn toward each other by their common trust in Jesus the Christ, and their common interest in the good news concerning the kingdom of God, became a community united, not by external bonds, but by the vital force of distinctive ideas and principles.” 6


As quoted above in the fifth principle, the colonists voluntarily chose to unite when they saw an invasion of rights.


Christians are called to unity. Our purpose is to glorify God, and He has given each individual a unique calling toward that end. Our differences, however, are not meant to divide us. Rather, they are meant to fulfill different aspects of God’s plan. In order to do that, we must voluntarily choose to unite in common purpose.

1 Hall, V. & Slater, R.(1983). Our Heritage of Christian Character and Government. The
Bible and the Constitution of the United States of America, 5.

2 Slater, R. (1965). America’s Heritage of Christian Character. Teaching and Learning
America’s Christian History, 211.

3 Slater, R. (1965). The Christian Form of Our Government. Teaching and Learning
America’s Christian History, 240.

4 Slater, R. (1965). The Christian Principle of American Political Union. Teaching and
Learning America’s Christian History, 263-264.

5 Slater, R. (1965). Liberty Under Law. Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History,
261.

6 Slater, R. (1965). The Cement of American Union. Teaching and Learning America’s
Christian History, 267.