Dave and Monica Adams created this blog to encourage parents, teachers, students, and anyone else who is involved with education in one way or another to consider what Scripture says about the subject. It is a controversial subject, as there are a variety of opinions about education circulating among the Brethren that have questionable Scriptural support, and these opinions are presented as indisputable dogma. This blog is a call for sound judgment and discernment regarding the Scriptures and how the church can be a blessing to their own communities, to families, and to the culture at hand.
Very glad to see this blog of yours. Thank you for inviting me. I know there is an inherent risk in sending our kids through public school but we have not regretted the choice. I certainly understand the arguements for pulling our kids and teaching them ourselves, or having them taught by professing believers in a private school. Just because we sent our children through the public system doesn’t mean we did not take an active roll in teaching them as well.
I get very concerned with the “fortress mentality” that many Christian parents fall prey to. Unfortunately it is modeled quite often in their church experience. Jesus was not afraid to engage the world around him. He did not spend his time raising funds for building projects (not intending to be critical of building projects) but instead you find him walking the streets where people were. Yes he was an adult most of the time except for the time he ditched his parents and taught in the religious center on his own. We as parents must help our maturing children engage in civil dialogue with those very different from our particular worldview. That is a form of discipling and mentoring with a healthy respect for the confrontation with a dark world.
At Green Acres Middle School(where I work and sent one of my children), there are over 100 students actively participating in a student-lead Christian Club that meets once per month to encourage one another. I have taught many of these kids, and they are beacons of light in all their classrooms. They refuse to be defined by the darkness they clearly see each day.
How many opportunities are there for home-schooled children to act in a loving and caring way toward homosexuals and gang members? How do these outside the public context children experience the subtle difference between being indoctrinated and truly schooled? There are pitfalls to avoid in all educational spheres whether taught in public, private, or home school. It is never an easy choice for a believer. I know because I have had experience in all three catagories within my parenting life.
Thanks Dave for setting up a forum for civil discourse. I hope we will see sound reasoning above any entrentched dogma that refuses to listen carefully to the other person.
Oh, by the way, I live with two cats and a blind dog who could care less about school.
Dave recently visited my blog and invited people to participate in his, so I’d like to reciprocate the invitation and invite Dave and Monica’s readers to participate in my blog:
http://www.educationconversation.wordpress.com
Education Conversation deals with the issue of education from many angles, including the Christian viewpoint, the viewpoint in light of our form of government, the viewpoint in light of the nature of government and human nature, the viewpoint in light of the meaning of life (and thus education), and more.
The motto of the blog is: In which we discuss the meaning and means of education. Increasingly, I see that the greatest need is a serious discussion and understanding of the meaning of education. The means will follow naturally when we feel we understand the meaning.
We are infants in our understanding of the meaning of education, because for so many generations now education has been reduced to a government service. But the past is rich with those who thought deeply about education (especially about their own education). And the Bible is rich with explanations and examples, though we are infants in understanding this, too — given to twisting and turning passages to suit our already drawn conclusions.
When we reach the point that we are seeking truth and not justification and affirmation of what we already think or do, then we are on the right path. It’s not an easy point to reach.
Thanks for the invite, Dave. Looking forward to conversing.
Tammy Drennan
Hi Tammy,
Your comment about “twisting and turning passages” is disturbing, but it is exactly what is happening in many circles. Regarding the specifics of education, the Bible appears to be essentially silent, but there are many passages regarding how to live a Godly life that are sacrificed by some for a vague mandate towards a “sacred-based” education, and I find this dangerous.
There are PLENTY of problems in the public schools, but in regards to the faith of a Believer, there is a book by Ken Ham that summarizes research claiming that a Christian is equally likely to “leave the faith” after a home, religious, or public education … it doesn’t matter, so therefore perhaps the reasons WHY a young person might leave their faith has MORE to do with something other than their educational system.
Dave
Dave,
Hi. You write “there are many passages regarding how to live a Godly life that are sacrificed by some for a vague mandate towards a “sacred-based” education, and I find this dangerous.”
I’m not sure I know what you mean by this. Could you give me some examples of passages about how to live a Godly life and ways those passages are being sacrificed by those who choose “sacred-based” education (I’ve never heard that term before, but it’s very descriptive — I like it. It almost sounds like something God would say, and I’m not being sarcastic in the least).
Also, could you let me know the name of the Ken Ham book, and if possible, where in it I might find those statistics?
I have to say that my own, fairly extensive, experience indicates quite strongly that children who are homeschooled or attend Christian schools grow up to maintain a much stronger Christian worldview and commitment than most of their public school counterparts, though I have also observed that because so many Christian schools pretty much mimic public schools with some Bible added in, that many of their students fail to embrace a fully Christian worldview (and I don’t subscribe to one correct Christian worldview, but there are some basics we could probably all agree on).
Further, once these students are out from under the teaching of the school, they tend to drift toward more dependency on the government to define their lives and solves their problems, though I still find that they tend to be more committed Christians than their public school counterparts.
Lest anyone think I’m being too critical here, I want to assure you that I’m only searching for truth. There are things short of truth that are comforting to believe, but rather pointless, I would think.
No method of education is perfect, but some are better options than others, and it’s important for us to be honest about that — for our children’s sake, if nothing else. There are very good Christian schools out there, ones that have examined the meaning of education and made it part of their school culture. But the majority still operate on government definitions of education that consider God irrelevant to the central process, so that tacking on a Bible verse or two makes a subject Christian, in their eyes.
It seems to me that God did not use the words “education” or “school,” because he did not differentiate between education and life (e.g., Proverbs) — he never intended for them to be two separate processes.
What think ye, Dave? I want to know.
Tammy
Tammy,
I was out of town for a few days and have some catching up to do before leaving a detailed response for you, but I think I can give you a set of abbreviated answers.
First of all, regarding the passages in Scripture: The primary focus of my posts is to identify these passages and provide some commentary on them. Read my posts on a few passages in Deuteronomy and also in Proverbs … many more to follow. I believe there is a STRONG distinction between “righteous living” and “knowledge”: God’s commandments are clear regarding the conduct of His children, and Scripture itself says that it is beneficial for training in righteousness (i.e. NOT in math, science, history, literature, linguistics, etc.) so that they will be thoroughly equipped for EVERY good work … this is not a mandate for a “sacred-based” education. It is my strong belief that what was intended for the original hearers of Scripture to understand is muddied up when modern day Christians twist the interpretation of many passages to refer to education in general. Parents are responsible for bringing up their kids in the knowledge of the Lord, but the instructions of Scripture are most often directed towards God’s commandments — God is Lord over ALL things regardless of the educational venue that a parent believes to be most appropriate for their children. As you pointed out, even religious schools don’t always hit the mark correctly.
I have to also point out that where your experiences are certainly valid and important (absolutely worthy of consideration), my own experiences are different (and so are the experiences of many, many others). I can appreciate that your experiences are extensive, but they don’t mandate a sense of dogmatism (I’m not saying that you are being dogmatic, but it is an easy trap to slip into). I also have extensive experience and I have arrived at a very different conclusion (so it seems) from yours. My biggest fear is that God’s Word is being selectively interpreted regarding education to fit preconceived notions, and it is this that I object to. Scripture can have different applications … you admitted such when you agreed that you do not “subscribe to one correct Christian worldview” … so we all have to be careful in what we defend.
Ken Ham’s book is called “Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It” … I do not always agree with Mr. Ham or Answers in Genesis (and some of their conclusions are fairly dogmatic and fodder for debate), but the statistics revealed in the studies show little difference in the chosen path of Believers as a result of their educational venue: This is different from your conclusion, and I believe that the authors of this book also have extensive experience. I cannot give the book adequate commentary here, but if you look it up on amazon.com, you will see several good detailed summaries of the studies noted in the book.
Dave
Great site, how do I subscribe?
Hi Kelli!
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Take care!
Dave