DISCLAIMER #2: I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN (YET). I HOPE TO ONE DAY SOON BUT DON'T YET.
CagerMania brought up an interesting point while commenting on a previous post about the PCA resolution which failed at General Assembly.
Cager said...
Don't know if higher education was mentioned in the resolution, but I attended a public university and have never been more challenged and strengthened in my faith by any other setting.Higher ed wasn't mentioned specifically in the resolution but was referenced by the author of the resolution when interviewed by WorldNetDaily, but only to make the point that the PCA values Christian education enough at the collegiate level to maintain its own institution.
Warhurst says the denomination stresses that there is a difference between the education offered at its college, Covenant College, and secular institutions, and the same argument should hold for K-12 schooling.So Warhurst didn't directly address colleges. But I think Cager's point can be made to apply to lower levels too.
I did not receive a Christian education in elementary or middle or high school or college. I went to a private Mississippi 'Academy' (one of those formed in reaction to racial integration of the public school system) and later a 'public' state-funded magnet/boarding school for math & science.
I attended the same public university as Cager. I actually became a Christian while at that University... God used professors, friends, fraternity brothers and a campus ministry to show me who He is and who I am and why I need Christ. God being God, He can use any circumstance to gather in His sheep and in fact uses "...all things ...for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28).
So, Cager's point is valid. Someone who has been taught the foundations of the faith can go to a public school (college or high school or maybe even middle school) and be challenged and consequently be strengthened in their faith. AND not just that but even pagans can go to public institutions and come away Christians (I did and I'm sure countless others have as well).
But adult Christians with children are commanded to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4). We are also told in Proverbs 9:10 that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." And Deuteronomy 6:6-9 tells us:
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.The point being (and I think this is a point that the authors of the resolution were making) that children only when properly equipped/educated should be sent into the world bearing the good news. Sending a young child to a secular school where they will be taught that the Truth is false and that the false is truth is very dangerous, especially when they have not yet learned the foundations of the faith. At best parents will spend alot of time "un-teaching" them what they learned or at worst the children will buy into the SH worldview. To borrow language from the resolution:
The public school system does not offer a Christian education, but officially claims to be "neutral" with regard to Christ, a position that Christ Himself said was impossible (Luke 11:23), andWhereas, The public schools are by law humanistic and secular in their instruction, and as a result the attending children receive an education without positive reference to the Triune God
BTW, just so we're clear here Luke 11:23 says "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters." Those are words spoken by Christ incarnate. If the government schools are neutral, then by Christ's logic the government schools are against him.
- At what point is a child ready to face/attend an institution that promotes a secular humanist worldview?
- Should we send children to private Christian schools or homeschool until a certain age/maturity level to see to it that they are equipped with the full armor of God and then consider public education?
- Is our chief aim to raise children who will be economically successful or who will be Godly?
2 comments:
Up front, I generally view mass moves of children from public school as bad and moves of Christians into segregated environments as bad. Christians seem to be required by faith and the life of Jesus to spend significant time among non-believers, and the isolationists trouble me. I know very little about doctrine or exegesis with regard to these questions, though.
What is the foundation for the sheltering of young Christians until they are strong enough to encounter the larger world? Would such separation ultimately make one stronger or weaker? If some initial separation is necessary, how strong is strong enough?
What in public schools is so objectionable? Mathematics, for example, is what it is. I attended public school from first grade through high school, and my parents sent me to separate weekly religious education classes. Is this system so bad? Christian academies, at least in the time and place I grew up, offered inferior educations. I also worry that some fundamentalist Christians teach their children untruths, things that are simply incorrect.
As for the Luke verse, does it apply only to persons? Is the statement supposed to include institutions? Other verses ("Render unto...") seem to indicate a different position toward the government, that one does his or her civic part while remaining ultimately committed to God.
Just remember there is no magic formula for bringing up godly children. Every child has a unique set of needs. Some children will do well in a home schooling environment. Others will not. Some children can handle the pressures of a secular environment very soon. Others lack the courage to be placed in such a situation. Some children thrive in a competitive classroom environment while others need more nuture and patience. Christian schools and home schooling are often but not always the best place for Christian children. Ultimately you have to know your children well and evaluate the educational alternatives. A legalistic Christian school could crush rather than encourage a young Christian who is already struggling to understand grace. A particularly social or athletic child that is being home schooled may resent every moment that she is kept out of a traditional high school. And a public high school may simply offer too many temptations for a spiritually immature child. All can be good or bad. It just depends on the situation and the kid.
Michael Morgan, I am living not far from Wash U, so if there is ever a time when neither of us is studying, we should get together.
Michael Mathews
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