Our life together

Whenever people gather together for some purpose, they always implicitly or explicitly establish some codes, standards, procedures, and rules of conduct that will allow them to grow and function as individuals without stunting their neighbor's ability to do the same thing. When these persons are Christians, engaged in the common task of teaching and learning, the code for their life together is drawn from the Bible and from the discoveries and experiences of others over the years about the conditions and guidelines which will most likely produce an environment in which there is mutual respect and where every person thrives.

Our goal as an expression of "the body of Christ" is to show the world (including each other) what it means to have a new life because Christ died for us. All of the fruit of the Spirit, described in Galatians 5:22-23, should be evident in each one of us (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). Any behavior, procedure, or attitude that is inconsistent with the Christian life as it is described in the Bible is unacceptable in the Christian Academy in Japan. These include being disrespectful, lying, cheating, stealing, spreading false rumors, being judgmental, and abusing our bodies or our minds.

But we all fall short of loving each other as we ought. The Bible has shown us how to deal with our failures, frustrations, and fights by telling us to go directly to the person who has offended us or whom we have offended. Learning how to confess wrong, forgive wrongdoing, reconcile differences (making peace), and making restitution (restoring and replacing what's been broken – whether it be trust, a window, or time wasted) are essential skills not only for our life together here at CAJ but also for our lives outside of school as well.

In our life together, then, we are trying to learn and demonstrate what God's love is. Our school should be world famous for the mutual love and respect we have for each other and for all the things God has given to us to use and enjoy.

With these goals in mind, here are some specific details about how we try to put these goals into practice at CAJ:

Consistent with our training in discipleship while in school is a willingness to accept responsibility for being a scholar by being diligent and consistent in one’s daily class work; caring for others by being friendly; offering to help when help is needed; providing comfort when others are sad or discouraged; welcoming visitors, guests, and new students; watching out for younger children on the playground and the trains and streets leading to and from school; refusing to spread gossip or rumors.

Inconsistent with our commitment to lead a Christ-like life are many things, including the following: any use, distribution, or sale of illegal drugs; sexually immoral behavior including pornography; disrespect of any other person by name-calling, profanity, or any other use of language that is intended to demean, diminish, or deny someone else's dignity; any physical behavior that is disrespectful, such as pushing, hitting, tripping, or any other form of violence; reckless use of bicycles, motorcycles, or cars; disrespect of property, which could be failure to clean up after lunch to deliberate destruction or theft.