Theological Rationale

Burwash School Vision Theological Rationale

Intent of Vision

Let Love abide here:

Love for one another.

Love for life itself.

Love of God.

Theological Rationale

Let love abide here- Love is central to the Christian Gospel, the entire ministry of Jesus is framed around the Love of God, as in John’s Gospel (3:16) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  The relationship between God and Love is made more manifest in the letters of John, as he writes (1 John 4:12) No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us, and later (1 John 4:16) God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  Therefore, Christ centred communities need to hold Love as the central and most important virtue, (C.f. 1 Corinthians 13) from which all vision, all safeguarding, all teaching must flow.  

Love for one another-  Love for each other is taught by Jesus as the second commandment of his summary of the law (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28), and is found throughout the new testament as a key marker of Christian communities.  Love for each other is the driving force of a safe community, in which each member looks out for the interests of the others.  It is why we can be proud of each other’s achievements, and why we can support and lift each other to excel. 

Love for life itself-  Caring for creation is a marker of mission, and therefore ‘life itself’ is to be understood in the widest possible way, to love that which we have been given by God to enjoy in nature.  This call is rooted in the creation account of the bible, (Genesis 2:15), The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  

At Burwash CEP outdoor learning gives children the opportunity to develop an inquisitive and positive relationship with the natural world, learning to love and cherish creation.  Love of life itself should drive one to learn about the things we encounter, and inspire our interests and hobbies.  

Love of God-  Love of God is the first commandment of the summary of the law, and the interpretive principle of the whole Bible, an idea shared by Jewish and Christian interpreters.  The Bible charts the love of God for his people, steadfast and unceasing.

Burwash CEP is the only primary school in this village, and therefore we acknowledge that not all children will be actively Christian.  Nonetheless, we want to encourage pupils to understand themselves spiritually, as radiant and transcendent beings and to have the opportunity to explore what it might mean to have a relationship with God.  

Caring Children, Loving Learning-  The school motto seems to sum up for us the sort of child who has embraced our vision: a child who cares for themselves, others around them and the world in which they live – a caring driven by love.  This should come first: as St. Paul notes, (1 Corinthians 13:8) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  But flowing from this caring, we hope for children who have not only achieved what one might have expected of them, but learnt to love learning, for the benefits it brings to them and those around them.