Christian parents are obliged to make sure that their children get a proper Christian education. This article deals with myths that Christians give to avoid this obligation.

Source: Doug Van Meter. 2 pages.

Educational Myths

Over the past few weeks an issue has surfaced in various settings of our church life regarding the education of our children. The result has been some very involved discussions regarding how, as believing parents, we are to best educate our children. In the weeks ahead there will be more discussion as parents meet to consider the varied options available.  But as this issue becomes larger on our immediate horizon it is important that we understand some essential principles as well as being on guard against some very prevalent and oft quoted educational ‘myths.’ In this article I wish to touch on both.

As I have said on several occasions, the eldership has no agenda regarding the exclusive promotion of one particular method when it comes to parents educating their children. BBC recognizes that there are various options regarding the education of children and we thus respect that parents make their decision as those who will give an account to God for their stewardship of His gifts (Psalm 127:3). But where there can be no compromise is regarding the principle that believing parents are required by God to give their children a thoroughly Christian education. We are mandated to give our children a Spirit empowered, biblically directed, God-centred and Christ enthralled worldview. In Old Covenant language, we are to teach our children to obey the supreme command which is to “love the Lord thy God with all of our heart, soul and might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). In New Covenant words Paul put this command this way:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.Ephesians 6:4

New Covenant parents, like their counterparts under the Old Covenant, are under Divine obligation to raise their children to love God. And this includes the responsibility to train our children to love God with their brains

When Jesus was asked to comment concerning the greatest commandment He responded by saying,

 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

It is interesting that He replaced the original word ‘might’ with the word ‘mind.’ Could it be that He did so because to engage our minds in submission to God’s Will (as revealed in His Word) requires great strength?  I believe so.

To ‘bring every thought into captivity to Christ’ (2 Cor 10:5) often requires great effort. And thus when it comes to the educating of our children, that is, when it comes to giving our children a biblical worldview, we must be committed to hard work. If parents do not buy into this fundamental principle then even well intentioned desires to inculcate a Christian education will fail.

And this brings us to our first myth, the myth that taking your children faithfully to church and even augmenting this with family devotions will suffice for a Christian education.  In fact, it won’t.

Though these are essential means in providing our children with a God-centred worldview, they are not sufficient.  The well known parenting mandate given in Deuteronomy 6 makes it clear that in all of life we are to be teaching our children about God and His ways in His world (see 6:4-9).  In light of this we need to give heavy consideration to the content of what is being taught to our children.  We should be asking such questions as: Is the content of what is being taught faithful to Scripture? Is it giving honour to the Author of truth? etc.

But before asking these questions of others who influence our children let us begin by focusing this spotlight on our selves. What are we teaching our children as they listen to our lips and what are we teaching them about God’s truth as they are instructed by our life? Church attendance and the ‘family altar’ are no substitute for a comprehensive saturation with the claims of Christ.

But this raises another well entrenched myth, namely, that it doesn’t matter who teaches our children, for after all the rules of grammar and the principles of mathematics are neutral. Such conclusions are wrongheaded.  Every teacher, because they are a part of the human race, has a worldview. They have a particular frame of reference in which they interpret the world around them.  And this will permeate both what they teach and how they teach and the result will be either God-honouring or God-dishonouring. Since our children are influenced by their teachers then of course we will want to be careful that they are listening to those with the right mindset.  In other words, we will be careful to make sure that those who are mastering our children’s’ minds will be those who themselves are mastered by Christ. If content is important regarding a Christian education, equally so is that of the character of the one teaching. Such questions as the following are vital when considering the character of those who influence the worldview of our children: Are they themselves in love with Christ? Are they committed to giving my child a God-focused worldview? Are they concerned with the eternal destiny of my children? Does their lifestyle reflect a submissiveness to Christ? etc.   

Another myth is that of the ‘salt factor.’ Many evangelicals assume that since Christians are the salt of the earth that it is irresponsible to take our children out of the secular school system. The argument says that we should rather engage such a culture and that by sending our children to such schools we are penetrating society with the gospel, with Christian influence.  But of course to so argue is to ignore a very important issue: Most eight year olds are not yet salt! Our responsibility as believing parents is to make sure that they are salt before we try to ‘rub’ them into the decaying world. And there is a process to the production of salt.  Certainly by the time our children are ready for High School and University they should be well prepared to take their biblical worldview into an unbelieving culture. But there is a world of difference between a primary school aged child and a teenager. And as a pastor, I have no intention of ordaining a first grader as a missionary!

Related to this issue is the myth that it is wrong to shelter our children from the world and therefore a Christian School or Homeschooling approach is wrong. This is a prevalent, and very wrongheaded (even ridiculous?) idea. Consider the fact that sheltering our young children is exactly a part of our God given mandate, beginning in the womb.  Is it not amazing how God has created a mother’s womb in such a way that it is a sheltered and safe environment for His gift?  Upon birth the child is cared for by parents who nurture and protect the child.  As the child grows up the commandment to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord necessitates a sheltering approach. To be sure, as the child grows into adulthood the sheltering approach gives place to ‘letting go.’ But who could honestly argue that a primary school aged child should not be protected, yeah, sheltered? A day trip at the Kruger Park will reveal that even mother elephants ‘understand’ this!

The final myth that I want to annihilate is that it is necessary for our children to attend the more traditional schools as a means to ‘inoculate’ them against sin.  “After all”, so goes the argument, “if we don’t expose them to the ‘real world’ then they won’t be able to handle it when they are older”.  Tell that to John the Baptist who lived in the wilderness for a couple of decades before authoritatively confronting sin and effectively pointing people to the Saviour.

As I have recently stated, as long as children are actively involved in the life of BBC, they will have plenty of exposure to sin.  And most likely, to our shame, they will also have such exposure in their own home. But I trust that they will also have the privilege of being exposed to the prevalent solution of grace. That is a far cry from what a secular school has to offer.  And sadly, some ‘Christian’ schools are often just as secular as the local State version.

What then should we make of this issue? Again, let us make sure that when deciding on the education of our children that we do so based on principles rather than myths. Preferences and pragmatics are a dangerous mixture when we are considering the future of our children. And a brief review of history reveals that those who live according to myths will in the end find themselves sorely disappointed.  May God give us the grace and wisdom required to educate our children so that they will bring glory to Him.               

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