Biblical Philosophy
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that the “Great Commandment”—to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbors as yourself—provides the philosophical foundation for a holistic education. We, therefore, seek to establish in our students the intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical, emotional and social habits necessary for prolific, long-term success in all facets of life. Ignoring any of these great disciplines is to launch students into the world with an incomplete education. This philosophy is reflected in several academic principles that govern our educational program. These principles are:
Teach all truth as God’s Truth
Rivendell Sanctuary holds an Orthodox view of the Triune God as the Creator, Source and Unifier of all true knowledge and, therefore, strives to connect all subject matter to His “Grand Story,” His “Developmental Mandate” and His “Great Redemptive Plan.”
Make genuine apprentices of Christ
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that the Triune God and His Kingdom represent Ultimate Reality and, therefore, can find no greater purpose for education than making genuine apprentices of Christ—men and women who love God and, in the words of Christian author Dallas Willard, “who strive to live and bring the life of His Kingdom into every corner of human existence.”
Be “Life” focused
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that being “life” focused should precede being “vocationally” focused. Vocation is a part of life, but it does not define life. Choosing a vocation is important and will not be ignored; however, at Rivendell, vocation is understood and taught within the larger and grander context of the biblical worldview.
Develop self-learners
Rivendell Sanctuary seeks to produce lifetime learners by teaching the art of self-learning. Therefore, spoon-fed information is limited. We teach students the essential tools for learning that are needed to independently think their way through a subject and figure things out for themselves. Imparting information is necessary and good, but teaching someone the art of self-learning lasts well beyond his or her time at Rivendell.
Pursue academic excellence
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that academic excellence is not a right or an entitlement, but something to be achieved through hard work. We do not lower academic standards or expectations in order to inflate grades. Such an approach allows for a false sense of achievement and does a disservice to both the student and society. At Rivendell Sanctuary, we expect excellence and actively seek to cultivate the passion to pursue it in our students.
Show no fear
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that learning is meant to be fun, stimulating and inspirational. As a result, we encourage our faculty to show no fear when it comes to creativity in assignments and within the classroom. Our faculty members are given an enormous amount of freedom to experiment with new ideas and are held accountable for avoiding monotony. We see instructor creativity as fundamental to delivering a genuine learning experience to our students.
Make ‘life’ the classroom
Rivendell Sanctuary believes that knowledge is to be fleshed out in day-to-day practice and not to remain simply in a theoretical realm. Therefore, unlike many academic institutions today that merely impart information in hope that some of it may be applied, we do not leave application to the hands of fate. A significant portion of student learning at Rivendell Sanctuary materializes outside the four walls of a classroom.
Evaluate students according to biblical standards
Rivendell Sanctuary evaluates student development according to a biblical criterion, rather than a Western or other cultural criterion. For example, when Jesus finished teaching the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37, He followed it with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Those present responded correctly signifying they had the correct knowledge. If they were evaluated according to Western standards, they would be given a perfect score and, thus, graduate with a 4.0. However, that was not the criterion Jesus used to measure if an individual truly understood His “lecture”. What followed were those dreaded words: “Go and do likewise.” That was the standard Jesus used to measure if someone truly understood the content. Did the student’s knowledge penetrate his or her heart and mind? Using this approach, Rivendell evaluates its students according to their day-to-day, working knowledge and demonstrated proficiency.