The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.
Luke 6:40
He that controls the school controls the world.
We watched the DVD series entitled The Children of Caesar where Voddie Baucham, Jr took a refreshing look at education in America, and what the Bible says about educating our children in light of His word.
This article will offer the take-aways from that series as there are many nuggets worth noting.
Baucham provided some alarming statistics and facts regarding the American school system. Ninety percent of Christians allow the government to educate their children. Seventy – 88 percent of churched youth leave the church by the end of their first year in college. Did you know that:
Government education was established around 1870
Government education was modeled after the Prussian format
Government education was rooted in secular humanism
Government education was opposed by Christians for decades
By the year 1900, two-thirds of children were educated at home or in church
As believers, we must beware. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5, verse 19:
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
We must not, nor must we let others, teach our children to go astray from the law of God, lest we be called the least in the kingdom.
The Bible has spoken on the issue of education. However, as Christians, we treat the subject as something that we have to meditate on, or we fall into a mystical reaction where we say, “you do what you’re lead to do, and I’ll do what I’m lead to do.”
But we need to do what the Bible commands us to do as it is absolute truth. The scripture tells us much about the training of the mind:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6: 6-7
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:20-21
These biblical principles, sadly, are only obeyed and submitted to by many Christian families during non-school hours (referring to secular school).
It is said that if you want to know a person’s worldview, look at how they live. Here are some more alarming statistics about the Christian worldview and it’s opposing humanist thought:
Less than ten percent of American Christians possess a biblical worldview.
Two-thirds of born-again Christians assert there is no such thing as absolute truth.
Four out of ten said they are committed to the Christian faith.
Some will say, “What is right for me may not be right for another in a given situation.”
85% of church youth agree with this statement, which is in line with relativism or situational ethics.
62% of youth agree with this statement: “Nothing can be known for certain except the things that you experience in your life.”
Cornelius Van Til wrote:
Non-Christian education puts the child in a vacuum. The result is that child dies. Christian education alone really nurtures personality, because it alone gives the child air and food. Modern educational philosophy gruesomely insults our God and our Christ. How, then, do you expect to build anything positively Christian or theistic upon a foundation which is the negation of Christianity and Theism? No teaching of any sort is possible except in Christian schools.
Charles Hodge also said:
It is a fact that unless children are brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they, and the society which they constitute or control, will go to destruction. Consequently, when a state resolves that religious instruction shall be banished from the schools and other literary institutions, it virtually resolves on self-destruction.
Now compare the aforementioned quotes to these below that speak of secular humanism. All are quoted by signers of the Humanist Manifesto:
Paul Blanchard said:
I think the most important factor moving us toward a secular society has been the educational factor. Our schools may not teach Johnny to read properly, but the fact that Johnny is in school until he is 16 tends to lead toward the elimination of religious superstition. The average high school child acquires a high school education, and this militates against Adam and Eve and all other myths of alleged history. When I was one of the editors of The Nation in the twenties, I wrote an editorial explaining that golf and intelligence were the two primary reasons that men did not attend church. Perhaps today I would say golf and a high school diploma.
Joel Burnette said:
Public education is the parochial education of scientific humanism.
While we’re not homeschoolers yet, we’re preparing ourselves for the possibility in 2013 to educate our 3rd grader at home. We have a strong support system of mothers in our church who homeschool and we’re thrilled about taking this journey with our family. Currently our child is in a Christian school and the education has been a blessing to us. However, considering that our second child is going to begin his schooling soon and the tuition costs will compound, we’d like to pull our 3rd grader for homeschooling.
The Bible has spoken on education. It says:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8
There are three significant questions that commonly arise about homeschooling. Unfortunately, these questions come from people who have been discipled by Caesar, the secular, antithetical to Christian worldview.
What about socialization?
It is said that high school students miss out on socialization if they are homeschooled. However, it is the American school system that provides unrealistic and overwhelming negative socialization. We only need to look at pop-culture. Moreover, remember that no other time in a child’s life will they be in the same room with people in their age group except for in the secular classroom. Thus, public school children have more behavioral problems and are given a false sense of security by being socially groomed with others of their own age.
Where does the curriculum come from?
Again, this question stems for a mindset of being bound by the state. It implies that the state and the parent share the child together, and this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Is homeschooling legal?
This question is asked by those who have forgotten they have liberty and freedom. It is asked because it is believed that children are a ward of the state and this notion comes from the fact that people are discipled by a system that says it owns us.
A follow up to this question is How can you educate your own children and why would you want to?
The answer is simple: My children are mine, not wards of the state. The government has no jurisdiction over my children.
Sadly, so many people have been brainwashed to feel that they need to ask for permission from the state in order to educate their children themselves. The Ninth Circuit Court says to parents: send your kids to us and relinquish your rights to decide what will be taught to them in the classroom.
I think the Lord is clear about what His expectations are for our children and it certainly is not about public indoctrination.
Parents are not trained teachers.
The truth is, the American school system is the one that is unfit to teach children—not the Christian parent.
Homeschool children miss out on socialization.
Data was collected by the Fraser Institute and put into a PDF called Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream. This paper spans 20 years of research and claims that ninety-eight percent of home schooled students are involved in two or more outside functions on a weekly basis. This reflects, in part, the fact that home schooled children watch much less television than their public school peers. Of all home schooled children, 65 percent watch one hour or less of television per day, compared to 25 percent nationally. Moreover, the research found no evidence that these adults were even moderately disadvantaged socially. Two thirds of them were married, the norm for adults their age, and none were unemployed or any on any form of welfare assistance. Also, in the personal interaction and communications research, home schooled students were found to be more mature and better socialized than are those sent to either public or private school. Data has also been collected suggesting that home schooled students are friendlier than their public school peers, as well as more independent of peer values as they grow older. Homeschooled children are happier, better adjusted, more thoughtful, competent, and sociable children.
Homeschool children miss out on team sports.
The answer to this is simple, again. Is it a priority for the Christian to worship the god of sports? It is said that capable students must bow down to sports. Not so for the child of God. The fallacy is that sports build character but anyone who believes this must think that the men with the most character are in the NBA or the NFL. Another fallacy is that homeschooling closes the doors for scholarships to higher education. This is not so. The Citadel and MIT have admitted homeschooled children into their programs.
Low income students are left in secular schools.
We need to look at two scenarios to answer this objection:
Mother #1—she didn’t finish high-school and her children are in government schools.
Mother #2—she also didn’t finish high-school but her children are homeschooled. This mother’s children score 55% higher than the children from Mother #1 and are already outscoring the national average of public school students.
Affordability
The cost of homeschooling is $546 annually. The cost of a public school education per child annually is $7000.
What about being the salt and the light? In other words, go the world and be a light in the darkness.
In response to this, let’s remember that Matthew 5 has nothing to do with sending our children to public schools. Matthew 5 relates to being distinct and separate—not assimilated. Thus, we homeschool because we believe in being salt and light.
Our duty as parents is to equip, train, discipline, and instruct our children in the Lord. We are to sharpen our arrows, aim them, and launch them forth.
But the world will tell us: “Give me your little twigs, let me sharpen them and aim them back at you.”
The decision then becomes obvious but the desire and conviction is what needs to be stronger than any opposition because as believers, we trust the One Who knows all things and gave us our children to steward over for His purpose, His kingdom, and His glory.
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Originally published as a series on 7-12-2012
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