How should Christian parents educate their children?
This is one of the most important questions a parent will ever ask because Jesus said that when our children are fully trained they will be like their teacher (Luke 6:39-40), which means that education is discipleship.
In fact, the choice a parent makes for their child’s education is one of the most significant factors in determining whether or not they ever come to a saving faith in Christ and what the fruit of that faith looks like. It’s a weighty question that carries eternal consequences.
A Tale of Two Families
I regret that my wife and I initially decided to home educate our children for pragmatic reasons rather than basing our decision on biblical principles.
You see, my wife’s educational experiences were generally favorable, but her work as an elementary school teacher led her to the conviction that the public school system was not an option for our family.
On the other hand, I did not enjoy my public school experiences growing up and my work as a youth and college pastor allowed me to also see the disastrous impact public education had on the students in my ministry. Consequently, we both decided to home educate when our first-born was still a baby.
 Zachary drawing a picture for a unit on Africa. |
Of course, the problem with basing decisions on experience is that experience is not a fixed standard of truth and other parents can use it to reach very different conclusions.
For example, not long ago a homeschooling mother told my wife that she was going to put her oldest daughter in a public high school because the mom wanted her daughter to get a “good education,” so that she could go on to a “good university” and get a “good job.”
Ironically, studies show that homeschooled students score significantly higher on standardized tests and have higher GPAs in college than do their public school counterparts, but that’s still not the primary reason why we should homeschool.
In fact, this mother’s emphasis on earthly things (Rom. 12:2; 1 Jn. 2:15-17) rather than on eternal things (Col. 3:1-2; 1 Tim. 4:7-8) is sending her daughter the wrong message.
Foundational Questions
In this example you can see how two Christian families make very different decisions based on personal experience. So what do we do now?
Conflict is uncomfortable for most people, so in situations
 Jonathan learning archery. |
like this it is common for the two families to simply say that both methods are equally acceptable. This allows the families to do what they want to do without being challenged to examine their decision, which is unfortunate.
If we trust Jesus and believe that education really is discipleship, then can we honestly say that both options are equally acceptable for Christian parents to make? Are all educational options morally neutral? If we say that one option is better than the other, then which one and why? By what standard can one education option be judged as superior to another?
These are important questions that every Christian parent must ask and only the Bible can provide the answers.
Worldview
Many self-professing Christians in America today say they believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that it is the only authoritative guide for all matters of life and faith. Unfortunately, most turn around and deny this truth practically when they do not use the Bible to make their decisions.
Instead of relying on what God revealed in Scripture, they rely on their experience, emotions, and human reason as the foundation for truth. Of course, relying on the wisdom of sinful man is foolish (Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21-22; Rom. 1:21).
 Zachary and Jonathan building a volcano for their science project. |
Sadly, this popular practice is the practical outworking of a secular humanistic worldview, which denies God’s authority and makes man the center of the universe. This form of idolatry dishonors God and it discredits His church.
So, if we claim to be Christians, then we must repent and deny self in every area of life in favor of following God’s ways. An excellent approach for doing this is to make decisions by asking questions that begin with the words “If all I had was the Bible, how would I…”
Christian Homeschooling
Some advocates of Christian homeschooling don’t wish to offend, so they write about it as if it is one of many great options that are available. I am not one of those people.
Christian homeschooling is the absolute best option for Christian families because it is the only educational option that applies both the message and the method prescribed in the Bible for the discipleship of children.
- Message:The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Ho
Madison at the Phoenix Zoo
ly One is understanding” (Pr. 9:10), which means that God is the foundation for truth (Pr. 1:7; Col. 1:17; Ps. 2:1-6). It also says that God revealed His will to humanity through the words contained in the Bible (2 Pet.1:21; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Ps. 119; Pr. 3:5-6) and that He expects us to obey them (John 15:14; James 2:22-24; 1 John 3:24; 5:2-3). Therefore, reverence for God as well as obedience to His Word must be the foundation for any educational message.
- Method:Throughout the Bible parents are commanded to disciple and train up their children in the nurture
Zachary holds a snake at AZ Game & Fish's Family Day.
and instruction of the Lord (Gen. 18:19; Ex. 12:26-27; Ps. 34:11; Pr. 6:20; 22:6; Eph. 6:4). In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 it says that parents are to educate children throughout the day and that the method they use should be incarnational (role-modeling) and informational (teaching). It is the family and not the church nor the state that has this mandate.
Other Educational Options
Clearly a Bible-based message combined with a parent-led method is God’s plan for the discipleship of children. Every
 Madison milks a fake cow at a Maricopa County Fair exhibit. |
other educational option available to Christian parents is in opposition to God’s plan in one or both of these areas.
- Public/Charter schools: Neither the message nor the method are biblical.
- Virtual schools: Provides a home-based environment, but the message is not biblical and parents are not the primary teachers.
- Christian schools: Better than public schools because the message may be biblical, but parents are still not the primary teachers.
The Vision
Although my family began Christian homeschooling for pragmatic reasons, we continue to practice it today based on the following Biblical principles:
- Jesus said that the purpose of education is to disciple our children.
- Emotion, experience, and human reason are not fixed standards of truth, therefore, they should not be used as a guide for making decisions.
- The Bible is God’s authoritative guide for all matters of life and faith.
- Therefore, the educational message must be rooted in Biblical truth.
- The Bible mandates that parents raise their children in the faith.
- Therefore, the educational method must be parent directed and taught throughout the day both incarnationally and informationally.
The vision for Christian homeschooling is that our children have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, so that they leave our home to not only pierce the culture as arrows for the cause of Christ in the world (Ps. 127), but also pass on their faith to the next generation (Ps. 78:5-7).
So, if all you had was the Bible, how would you educate your children?
Click here to listen to Education is Discipleship: The Vision for Christian Homeschooling!
Click here to read an earlier article on why we homeschool.
 Melton Family Homeschool Room |
