“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31 ESV)
Is there a way to take standardized tests to the glory of God? At Bethlehem College & Seminary, we certainly think so. If we’re to take Paul seriously, “whatever you do” applies to everything. Food or drink, word or deed (Col 1:17), anything and everything we do ought to be done to the glory of God. As Abraham Kuyper famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” We believe that applies to the 500 or so square inches of desk space upon which thousands of high school students will be taking standardized tests this fall as they prepare for college.
To that end, we’re excited to announce that in addition to the ACT and the SAT, we will begin accepting scores from the Classical Learning Test (CLT) during the 2016–2017 admissions season. The CLT is a new standardized exam whose educational philosophy is similar to Bethlehem College & Seminary’s approach to education. While other tests increasingly reflect a “value-neutral” approach to education, the CLT incorporates moral reasoning and readings from classic thinkers. Their practice exam features selections from Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton. For example, in a portion of the exam based on Lewis’s “The Inner Ring,” the exam asks:
“In the final paragraph of the passage, Lewis suggests that young people:
A. should search for intimate and trustworthy friendships. B. must set their sights on heavenly rather than earthly goods. C. need to take care not to pursue an elusive and illusory goal. D. will wander for years before they finally find their own inner circle.”
I won’t give you the answer; you can head to their website and take the practice test for yourself. My point is that even something as simple as taking a test has the potential to shape who you become. The two and a half hours spent taking an exam can and should be done for bigger purposes than merely getting into a good college, besting your classmates, or satisfying your parents. Do it to the glory of God! We think the CLT is a significant step in that direction.
At Bethlehem College & Seminary, we’re training students who love the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ as he is revealed to us in Scripture. We are launching graduates to apply what they’ve learned to every square inch of life. We’re excited to begin implementing it all the way down to details like applying to college.
Don’t waste your standardized test!
Daniel Kleven Director of Admissions
Tom Steller’s Message at Chapel, August 31,Serious Joy: The Bethlehem College & Seminary Story
Join us for our weekly Chapel Service on Wednesday, September 14th, 12:00-1:00pm, to hear Dr. Brian Tabb on Joy in the New Testament.
Prayer Requests:
1. For the admissions staff as we begin to seek the next class of students for 2017. We are dependent on the Lord to lead us to the right students to come to Bethlehem.
2. For our new students as they adjust to a new city, new school, new church, and new classmates. Pray especially that they will be knit closely to our church family here at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
3. For our faculty as they shepherd students through another semester of classes.
4. For the gospel to advance in this city. Opportunities abound to reach out to international students at the University of Minnesota, Somali immigrants in the Phillips neighborhood, or the family who lives right next store.
5. For some of our students to feel a burden for the unreached people groups of the world, and be willing to lay down their lives to reach them.
