Friday, August 13, 2010

The Eternal Importance of Christian Education

A friend began a facebook discussion today on the general topic of placing one's child in the government's care (read: public school, day care) for such a large portion of that child's life. She took the very sensible position that God does not give children to parents for that purpose.

This stimulated further thought in my mind for much of the rest of the day. There are the usual list of reasons why you should give your children a Christian education, such as:

  • Superior academic education, compared to public schools in general
  • Less dangerous environment
  • Doctrines like creation and salvation are taught, not stifled
Today, however, I was on a deeper wavelength. I want to communicate on this deeper level now.

God has given me and my wife four wonderful children (my friend is anticipating her fourth's arrival within the next several months). The moment we conceived them, they became our responsibility—a profound responsibility—to rear, to discipline, to love, to train. They are not, nor ever have been, nor ever will be, the government's responsibility. In order to fulfill the God-given responsibility, there are a number of things we must do; one of these is to provide them with Christian education.

[Parenthetical: Some parents will choose to homeschool their children in order to meet this responsibility. As long as the education they provide is both thoroughly Christian and strong in academics, I have no problem with that. Others, including us, will choose to partner with a Christian school that will teach the Scriptures in all subject areas and support our family and our values as Christians. Such a Christian school needs to be both thoroughly Christian and strong in academics, too.]

The child, ultimately, will be inevitably impacted by the education he is provided. If a strong Christian education is provided, then he will be more likely to follow in the path of Christ-likeness and go on to serve God for the rest of his days on earth. He will be more likely to avoid the guilt and consequences of sin. He will probably have more joy and peace in his life, and if he marries someone else who loves and serves God and seeks to be more like Christ, he will likely have a happier marriage than most.

But more importantly, if a child is provided a Christian education—particularly at a young age—he is much more likely to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior and spend eternity in heaven. That is not something most day cares or public schools are going to encourage; indeed, the truth will most likely be stifled or ignored.

If you have children, make up your mind: Are you going to take the responsibility to provide your child with Christian education that will positively impact their lives both now and for eternity, or are you going to hand over your responsibility to the government, leaving them open to temporal misery and possibly eternal damnation?

NOTE: I certainly don't want to imply that eternal damnation is the certain fate of those who attend public school today. Please understand that my meaning is that the risk of a child turning away from God and Truth is heightened when the child is put into an environment where God's truth is maligned, ridiculed, neglected, or blasphemed. For a parent to consciously take that risk with his child's soul is inexcusable.

And on the other hand, there are certainly Christians among the many public school teachers out there, who are striving to be lights in the midst of darkness. May God bless them and give them success as they try to reach out to the students in their care.

5 comments:

Cammie Novara said...

"She took the very sensible position that God does not give children to parents for that purpose." Fully coherent with my own experience. There's a really animated debate that I thought would be of interest on evolution vs. intelligent design going on at http://www.intelligentdesignfacts.com

Anonymous said...

I have been a Christian school teacher for about 12 years, briefly taught in public high schools, and currently teach in a community college (going on 10 years now)
I'm glad Christian schools exist, however, just because it's a 'Christian school' doesn't mean that it's good academically. Some are outstanding, others are not. I've observed both.
I've also seen good and bad outcomes from students who have been home-schooled - depends upon their parents consistency, and abilities.
I've seen some Christian students blossom in public school also - they have more opportunities to be strong testimonies there as a precursor to when they will be out living in 'the world' as adults - they may be better equipped to face reality actually.
So your premise strikes me as an either-or fallacy that doesn't account for every possibility such as some parents being unable to either home school or afford private school.
Just a quick thought.

A Conservative Teacher said...

To be honest, it isn't like if they go to public schools they will be condemned to eternal damnation. God provided us with free will and the ability to make choices- if you shelter a child and don't let him see the world, he will not be making choices based on all available data. But if you send your kid to public school and he still embraces God and Jesus, then you know you have a real fighter and a real Christian- someone who was faced with opposotion and emerged with a stronger faith. That's the kind of kid you need to raise.

Ken said...

I certainly don't want to imply that eternal damnation is the certain fate of those who attend public school today. Please understand that my meaning is that the risk of a child turning away from God and Truth is heightened when the child is put into an environment where God's truth is maligned, ridiculed, neglected, or blasphemed.

And on the other hand, there are certainly Christians among the many public school teachers out there, who are striving to be lights in the midst of darkness. May God bless them and give them success as they try to reach out to the students in their care.

Neil Pierson said...

One of the concerns Christian parents raise about Christian schools is the question of salt and light. They may be interested to watch some YouTube videos - including one by parents on this topic.

http://www.whychristianschools.com.au/wcs/salt-light.html

It really is up to parents to decide where their kids will be educated. i am just grateful we have options in Sydney Australia