Can you imagine studying a subject as rich and technical as biology but restricting yourself to a narrow ideology that ignores truths about the way the natural world works?
If this sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably heard mainstream educators commenting on science in Christian schools. “Beware of learning science in a bubble!” they caution.
But who is really learning in a bubble?
When science is taught out of context by ignoring the true story of life, our planet and all that inhabits it, we limit ourselves to simplistic mechanical explanations for what we observe. When we study science in the context of biblical truth, we see God’s good design and His plan for redemption unfolding in the most minute processes and in the most powerful forces governing our world.
Experiencing God’s Character Through His Design
Biology students at Wilson Hill Academy enjoy a front row seat to see God working out His story in His living creation. We marvel together at His creative power as we learn how the magnificent molecule of water splits and sparks a series of reactions in photosynthesis to produce sweet sugar.
We mourn as we see the effects of creation’s fall when a change to a single DNA nucleotide—amongst eight billion—leads to the debilitating sickle cell disease. But we also witness the merciful hand of God when we observe how He designed genes that allow the production of medications for humans by tiny bacteria. “It’s always amazing to me that we can take a human gene, inject it into bacteria, and that bacteria becomes a factory for making medicines like insulin for us,” says Sylvia Chen, an honors and AP biology teacher at Wilson Hill.
Over the course of a year, students increasingly appreciate how biology reveals the spectacular arch of God’s redemptive story.
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When we study science in the context of biblical truth, we see God’s good design and His plan for redemption unfolding in the most minute processes and in the most powerful forces governing our world.
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Equipping Students for College-Level Science Courses
In AP Biology, a College Board-approved course, Wilson Hill students engage with textbooks and curriculum that approach science from a secular point of view. We study the secular scientists’ unifying theme of evolution—that random atomic and molecular interactions created life and continue to drive our living world. To be fair, if the starting premise is that God does not exist, evolution may be the best explanation for our living world, but we know that is not the full story. Biblical truth enables us to burst that bubble.
In college, Wilson Hill’s AP Biology students are well prepared to speak with credibility about technical concepts such as the right-handed twist of DNA or the trophic cascades of the North Pacific ecosystem. They also are able to explain how each of these beautiful systems point to God.
“Tess tells me every week how much AP Bio class has prepared her for college work,” says Sandra, a parent of a Wilson Hill graduate. “She still uses her notes from her class to better understand the material in lecture and in lab. She tells me that even some of the slides are identical to the ones used in this class. She is at Texas A&M in College Station, where academics are stringent, and 4.0s are tough to come by. She has a solid B+ in BIO 111, which I think is awesome!”
Rachel, another Wilson Hill graduate, said taking AP biology at Wilson Hill gave her the confidence she needed to “ask questions, do research and dig deeper” in her science courses in college. “AP Biology prepared me for university as a pre-law major by equipping me to participate with the scientific community and the important conversations happening there,” she says. “AP Biology helped establish an understanding of life and helped prepare me to engage in discussions with peers about societal issues such as environmental concerns, gene editing, and evolution which are topics that span all areas of study.”
The Lifelong Gift of Learning Science in Its True Context
Far from learning in a bubble, Wilson Hill’s AP Biology (and all our science courses) bring a richness to science that cannot be found in basic college courses. Students learn science in its true context, allowing them to see and appreciate the intricate and beautiful true story of life.
Wilson Hill students combine their scientific knowledge, their study of different worldviews from Great Conversation courses, and their practice of the art of persuasion from rhetoric courses, preparing them to be effective ambassadors who can enter the scientist’s world and speak winsomely the Truth that all the beautiful systems we observe in our world point to God.
After all, the greatest delight anyone—especially a biologist—can experience is to worship the Author and Redeemer of all Creation—God.
We pray that the words of Philippians 2:10-11 are true of all of our students and that their studies lead them to experience great joy in the Lord and His good design: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
If you want to give your children an education that is rooted in the truth of Scripture, there’s still space available for the 2024-24 school year. Whether you enroll in à la carte classes or register for a full course load, you can save your children’s spots today.