Godly Leaders Build

In a time when so much is being destroyed, the need of the hour is to build. New Saint Andrews College instills in students the importance of building for God’s glory. The college’s crest employs the image of a sword and a shovel (see Nehemiah 4). The sword is the symbol of defense, and the shovel is the symbol of construction. There is much to do in restoring culture in our time, which is why we need godly leaders who understand the need to dig in and get to work. One key figure who understood the importance of building was Abraham Kuyper. 

“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!" This famous quote from Kuyper captures the reality that Christ has won everything, as he says in Matthew 28:12: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Christ’s sovereign rule propels Christians to toil throughout the world, building to honor God.

Abraham Kuyper, born in the Netherlands, lived from 1837 to 1920. He was a minister in the Dutch Reformed church and led a reforming movement to free the church from the influences of the state. He was elected to parliament in 1874 and began a successful political career. In 1880, he founded the first Protestant university in the Netherlands, the Free University in Amsterdam. Later, he became the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905. He also wrote many books. One of his most famous writings was a series of lectures on Calvinism, which he delivered in 1898 at Princeton Theological Seminary. Kuyper dedicated his life to helping Christians think clearly about God and his world. He was so productive in his work as an author, politician, and churchman that one opponent described him as having ten heads and a hundred hands. 

“We must, in every domain, discover the treasures and develop the potencies hidden by God in nature and in human life.”

The liberal arts program at NSA, following in Kuyper’s steps, inculcates an all-encompassing worldview in students. The program grounds students in a strong theological foundation, which gives them the biblical tools necessary to evaluate ideas from various thinkers. In this way, students are prepared to explore and investigate all aspects of the world beyond college so they can live faithfully before God. Kuyper writes, “We must, in every domain, discover the treasures and develop the potencies hidden by God in nature and in human life.” God has created this vast world, and he desires that people explore and use it in submission to him. This idea of exploring all of God's world can be seen in NSA’s program of study, which includes music, Latin, marine biology, northwest history, aesthetic gastronomy, literature, mathematics, and rhetoric. This liberal arts program is robust, but it is merely scratching the surface of what there is to learn and know. The goal is to prime students adequately so that they go out and spend their lives on this massive project. 

In founding the Free University of Amsterdam, Kuyper held that education must be free of government entanglements. In his inaugural address at the Free University, Kuyper said that the state was not tasked with running education and that for the state to do so is to assume authority it does not have. Kuyper was particularly concerned that the government would use money to manipulate the school and its program. He said, “We cannot repeat often enough that money creates power for the one who gives and over the one who receives.” A truly free Christian education in pursuit of the truth must be free of government money. NSA holds to this same fundamental principle and does not accept government money. In this way, Kuyper’s university was a forerunner for NSA’s vision to operate free of government strings. 

“We cannot repeat often enough that money creates power for the one who gives and over the one who receives.”

Kuyper also understood the necessity of education when reforming society. Christians must be dedicated to giving the next generation a solid foundation in God’s word so they can think in a Christian way about the world. Education is key in obeying God’s command to subdue and rule over creation. He writes, “The cosmos, in all the wealth of the kingdom of nature, was spread out before, under, and above man. This entire limitless field had to be worked.” The task before man is as big as the cosmos and so each generation must be trained and equipped for the task. It is not enough to study what others have done; NSA creates leaders who go and build.   

“The cosmos, in all the wealth of the kingdom of nature, was spread out before, under, and above man. This entire limitless field had to be worked.”

Kuyper worked in various areas of society: church, education, theology, philosophy, and politics. He saw how important it was for Christians to work in these various fields to shape culture. It is necessary for Christians to take up the calling to build. Leaders know that the work is hard but critical and so it requires diligence, stamina, and wisdom. NSA offers students the necessary resources to go out, like Kuyper, into these vocations and lead others in building for the glory of God.