This year marks the 500th birthday of the reformer, John Calvin. We owe our Presbyterian heritage to Calvin, as he was only 27 years old when he wrote a stunning book called The Institutes of the Christian Religion which elaborated the principles and values of the Reformed Tradition.
 
Calvin had a passion for education. In his day, only the wealthy educated their children, so Calvin began the first free public school, which evolved into the University of Geneva. Calvin championed learning as the means by which we are freed from superstition and liberated to explore the unfathomable mystery of the divine.
 
Calvin also insisted on an educated clergy able to read the sacred texts in their original languages. The laity were also educated - each day Calvin lectured to the faithful, teaching them the meaning of Scripture.
 
In the United States, Presbyterians continued the legacy of education by championing public education and founding nearly 100 colleges and universities. Presbyterians have always believed that a nation can be no stronger than its public school system.
 
Do we still believe this?