All science stems from knowledge of Jesus Christ, through His physical creation. The Newton Institute for the Reformation of Science, Engineering, and the Trades represents a vision of how Godly people, under Divine leadership can change the present state of affairs. Particularly, we desire to equip young men to become husbands and fathers whose lives and homes honor our Lord Jesus Christ.

Newton Institute will be a nonprofit organization that provides university-level apprenticeship education primarily for homeschool graduates with technical and research interests.

Rather than passively receiving lecture-based instruction, apprenticed students will work on real projects that produce valuable scientific contributions and useful engineering products. Apprenticed students whose work results in financial gains for the Institute will be paid for their efforts rather than paying to attend. Staff will ensure that apprenticed students will gain complete command of a subject area by including them in a variety of projects and problems.

A Vision Statement

Today’s colleges and universities promote godless lifestyles and philosophy; they are expensive, require four or more years to graduate, and they often produce only debt and degrees that have little value in the economy. Graduates enter the job market with few actual skills and no experience. We seek an alternative form of baccalaureate and graduate education that honors God and produces top quality education, research, and engineering products. We propose Newton Institute for the Reformation of Science, Engineering, and the Trades as a vision of how Godly people, under Divine leadership and enabling can change the present state of affairs. Particularly, we desire to equip young men to become husbands and fathers whose lives and homes honor our Lord Jesus Christ.

Newton Institute will be a nonprofit organization that provides university-level apprenticeship education primarily for homeschool graduates with technical and research interests. The research produced by the staff and apprenticed students will provide proof that those who attend the Institute are fit to work in any secular job they choose after completion of their apprenticeship.

Rather than passively receiving lecture-based instruction, apprenticed students will work on real projects that produce valuable scientific contributions and useful engineering products. Projects will be led by staff and advanced students who will also be charged with writing proposals to funding organizations to produce their products. Rather than gaining degrees in a government-accredited course of study, apprenticed students will produce a portfolio of projects and inventions that prove their acumen. Rather than diplomas, apprenticed students will receive recommendation letters from the staff detailing their performance on the projects and teams where they worked. Rather than teaching mathematics, physics, etc. as unmotivated lectures and homework, staff will guide apprenticed students to find the appropriate source material to solve the problems they face in the projects they work on. Thus, all learning will be motivated by project needs and student curiosity. Apprenticed students whose work results in financial gains for the Institute will be paid for their efforts rather than paying to attend.

Staff will ensure that apprenticed students will gain complete command of a subject area by including them in a variety of projects and problems. Apprenticed students will stay anywhere from one to five years until they have produced a sufficient portfolio of work as determined by the research staff and their advisors. Their portfolio will serve as credentials for their careers.

All science stems from knowledge of Jesus Christ, through His physical creation. As a direct result, Theology, the Queen of Sciences, will be an intrinsic part of the curriculum at Newton Institute. Student apprentices will be required to study the Bible individually and to participate in group-Bible-study activities. Each apprenticed student will be required to demonstrate how his work is motivated by and directed toward the glory of God by applying the Bible to his research.

Many disciplines and trades will be required to make Newton Institute a financial success. We will need people skilled in equipment fabrication, product sales, accounting, legal issues, design, and art to create research and products from raw concepts. Technical writing, leadership, and project management, three disciplines often neglected in the university training of scientists and engineers, will be part of the experience offered to apprentices in the course of their work.

We will start the Institute locally in Washington State at a location that the Lord will lead us to. We believe that initially, much of the work and collaboration may be done remotely over the Internet from a variety of locations. Depending on the skills and interests of the staff and apprentices the Lord brings us, some of the work will likely need to be done in a central location, and thus we will need equipment, a campus, buildings, etc. We desire that the apprentices should live with the families of staff members, but we will honor the desires of the apprentices’ parents for their sons’ housing. Living with the families of the staff of the Newton Institute would opportunities for provide mentorship both in the apprentices’ personal lives and for their scientific and technical work.

At first, staff may need to volunteer their time until the Institute becomes stable. This delay may be a period of three to five years. During the start-up period, the families of origin would continue to provide subsistence for their sons. We expect the young men to become self-sufficient through hard work and guided research in time. Once products or inventions of the Institute begin to pay dividends, staff and apprentices would begin to receive pay appropriate to their labor. From the beginning, we would seek to partner with other organizations such as Washington’s Christian Heritage Home Educators, Vision Forum, and Answers in Genesis.

Now we seek the counsel of God’s people to refine this vision to proceed. Without Him, the vision is impossible and unprofitable. Please prayerfully consider whether you would like to join this vision and how you might help.

Mentors and Apprentices- Please apply through the AME registration process and then contact Glenn Fink, the Director of the Newton Institute- 509-392-2868
finkga [at] textfree [dot] us

† It is our intention to provide this education primarily for young men who will become leaders of their homes. While we do not wish to arbitrarily eliminate young women from benefiting from our approach, we will most definitely not promote co-educational learning that throws young men and women into work together apart from or as an alternative to pursuit of a traditional family. We await the leading of the Lord on this point especially.