Paideia Academy, its staff, and its board members embrace the historic tenets of Christianity as presented in these Foundational Beliefs. We believe that the creeds of the early church and the major confessions of the Protestant Reformation are credible summations of biblical orthodoxy. We are in essential agreement with these creeds and confessions when they speak to the doctrinal issues addressed in these Foundational Beliefs. Beyond the primary doctrines articulated below, we respect and acknowledge the primacy of the family and local churches and refer secondary doctrinal questions to parents and their pastors for clarification.

1. We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are alone the perfect, inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, and as such, rightly interpreted, they are the final authority in faith and practice.

2. We believe that there is only one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth; He alone is sovereign over all things, ordaining whatsoever comes to pass.

3. We believe that God created all things out of nothing, in six (6) days, approximately six to ten thousand years ago.

• a. He did this for His own glory and good pleasure, and for the display of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness; having created all things, God created man in His image, male and female, perfect, sinless, and immortal, and He charged mankind with the governance of the created world, to cultivate it for His glory.
• b. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps. 139.)

4. We believe in the historicity of Adam and Eve, our first parents; we believe that though they were created sinless, they did not remain in that perfect state, but willfully and consciously disobeyed their Creator’s command.  Consequently, the guilt of Adam’s sin and his fallen nature are covenantally transferred to all mankind.

5. We believe that God created and gifted men and women differently for different roles, and that such differences should not be minimized, but recognized, encouraged, and enjoyed.

• a. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as either male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
• b. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
• c. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
• d. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Paideia Academy and to provide a biblical role model to the student body and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Paideia Academy in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22).
• e. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11).
• f. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Paideia Academy.

6. We believe in the deity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth during the reign of Caesar Augustus, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and sin-atoning death on a cross by the shedding of His blood, in His bodily resurrection from the dead, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

7. We believe that, for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary; salvation is a gift of God, received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.

8. We believe that faith without works is dead.

9. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling Christians are enabled to live godly lives.

10. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost – the saved to the resurrection of life, and the lost to the resurrection of damnation.

11. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

12. We believe that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

13. We believe that parents are responsible for educating their children and for bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.