Liberty Education?

April 30, 2026 by

From Jeff Johnston,  M. Ed. Headmaster of Bradford Academy

One of the sad realities of our day is the growing corruption of our language. Count how often even educated adults use the word “like” or spell “your” when they mean “you are” or “you’re.” Perhaps these are merely pet peeves, but of greater consequence is the decline in precise usage.

There are many examples I could mention, but one corrupted word that is particularly irksome is the use of the word ‘liberal’. To one man, it may mean something very negative and refer to taking away money. For example, “Those liberal politicians are taxing us to death!” On the other hand, it could be very positive and describe someone who gives money, as in “The school’s supporters were very liberal in their contributions this year.” I claim that Bradford Academy provides a liberal education, but most people would describe our school as very conservative.  Is liberal really the opposite of conservative? Ironically, the term “conservative” implies a desire to maintain something, presumably the status quo. However, there is little of the educational status quo that I want to “conserve.” I want radical change in the way we educate. So, does that make me a liberal?  Additionally, it would be fair to say that I want to make progress by going backwards.  I think our future is in embracing the past. How does that make sense?

We want our children to have a liberal education in the classical sense. That is, we want them to have the kind of education that trains the mind and spirit to live free and lead in any field. According to the ancients, a “liberal education” was reserved for the voting citizens and the noble freemen of the society. Liberal and liberty come from the same etymological origin.  The word is derived from the Latin liberalis (meaning generous, noble, or befitting a free man) and liber (meaning free). We want our students to have the kind of education that will train them to learn, open doors of opportunity, and make them free. We wish for them a liberal education, or perhaps more precisely, a “liberty education.” Perhaps, for clarity we ought to abandon the term “liberal arts” all together and start calling it LIBERTY ARTS or LIBERTY EDUCATION.  Here is the slogan, “A free people need a LIBERTY EDUCATION!”  It’s kind of catchy but might need some work.

Ironically, we also believe that ultimate liberty only comes from total surrender or submission.  That is, submission to the sovereign rule of Jesus Christ. The seemingly paradoxical reality is that the freest men are the servants of Christ. While we may be tempted to think we are free because we have political and economic liberty, the most oppressive chains of sin and death can still bind our hearts. Only Christ can free man from his condition of servitude to lust, greed, anger, pride, and the rest of the sins that so easily entangle us. We want our students to live truly free. That is why Bradford is Christian and classical.  That is why we strive to provide a liberating LIBERTY education.