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Education
May 7, 2025
To the NSA Graduating Class of 2025,
You have been entrusted with a profound power—a balm to heal, a sword to defend, a shovel to build, an easel to create, and a pen to proclaim. What you now carry is nothing less than the blueprint of the greatest civilizations: the only true faith, armed with the unmatched infantry of truth, freedom, and enduring prosperity.
You are now equipped for war. You are crowned with the tools to shape worlds. From the moment you stepped into the forge of cultural leadership at New Saint Andrews College, you were trained in the ways of virtue. The rigor you endured was never an end in itself—it was a deliberate preparation for the battles and blessings that now lie within your charge.
If it is not already clear to you, what you now know—and what you have become—is anything but common in this present age. In a world where mediocrity is celebrated, vanity paraded, and vice normalized, you are an oddity. You are a living contradiction to a culture built on lies. You are an offense to those enslaved by cheap pleasures, a threat to the ignorant and embittered, a vexation to the anxious and discontented, a rebuke to those ruled by consumerism.
This is your calling: to make truth, beauty, and goodness tangible wherever you dwell.
And in such a world, to shine will cost you. Do not be startled when your presence fails to summon applause. Do not be shaken when wicked men are unmoved by your excellence. To face such scorn is to stand in noble company—among the reformers who left deep marks on history: hated—but undeniable.
But be warned: the temptation to appease your pride will be subtle and persistent. The great gift you have received could, if misused, render you of little use to your fellow man and of little consequence to the advance of your Lord’s kingdom. You may speak with the tongue of angels— even in Latin. You may outthink your adversaries in philosophy and outclass your contemporaries in aesthetics. But without love, all of it is hollow.
The power you now wield is not for your acclaim, but for the good of your neighbor. Your mastery of Latin should lead to greater literacy in those around you. Your capacity for clear thought should inspire others to think in ordered categories. Your love of art and beauty should produce works that confront onlookers with glory.
This is your calling: to make truth, beauty, and goodness tangible wherever you dwell. And the path forward begins where all true greatness begins—with humility. Bow before God. It is the meek who shall inherit the earth. To the humble belong the blessings of ambition. Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be added unto you.
If you ever wish to discern whether an idea or practice is true, ask this: does it lead to liberty, and does it bear fruit? For truth always produces both.
Some Christians have come to believe that starving desire is the surest guard against vanity—as though God is more pleased by a timid soul than by the bold obedience He commands. For them, humility masquerades as minimalism, and ambition is treated with suspicion. They baptize lack as contentment, equate simplicity with holiness, and regard complexity as a sign of worldliness. But in their fear of pride, they shrink from glory.
They forget that Christ died not merely to let us behold glory—but to make us co-laborers in building it. And only the truly humble can receive such a calling with clean hands and a courageous heart.
What you have received at New Saint Andrews College has been the truth—truth that, when embraced, yields both freedom and fruitfulness in and through you. If you ever wish to discern whether an idea or practice is true, ask this: does it lead to liberty, and does it bear fruit? For truth always produces both.
In learning the classical virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, alongside the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love, you were being formed in freedom—freedom from vice and freedom for excellence. These virtues are not abstractions; they are a shield against corruption and a compass toward flourishing. They do more than keep you free—they equip you to be salt and light in a tasteless and dimming world, to stand as an impenetrable city on a hill, and to shape culture in the name of Christ.
This is what you were made to do: to shape and build godly cultures in the service of Christ who is Lord over all things. We study the ancient world—its ideas, literature, and practices—not as antiquarians, but as apprentices. We learn from its triumphs and failures in order to employ truth, beauty, and goodness as instruments for reformation. In building godly cultures, we participate in the coming of Christ’s kingdom— establishing it on earth as it is in heaven.
In a world of chaos, bring forth order.
In a world of effeminacy, build and honor virtuous men.
In a world of fear, live with hope and joy.
In a world of tyranny, walk as free men.
In a world of ugliness, create and preserve beauty.
In a world of lies, speak the truth.
In a world of death, defend and promote life.
In a world of destruction, build godly institutions.
In a world addicted to the now, think and build for generations.
In a world of anarchy, love and live by God’s law.
In a world of idolatry, worship Christ the King alone.
In a world of isolation, live in covenant fellowship with God’s people.
In a world of licentiousness, slay your own sin.
This is how we win.
The chaos around you is your mission field. You were made for this moment. God did not mistakenly place you in this generation—He appointed you to it. The evil of our age is yours to fight and to overcome. This is the ground we claim, the ruin we rebuild. This chaos is your inheritance—to resurrect, restore, reform, and replenish.
The question is, will you rise and be counted?
