If all of the Christians withdraw from the public schooling system, it seems to me that we lose our ability and even our right to speak to that system and to influence it. Though the political system is terribly corrupt, Christians continue to be involved and continue to vote, knowing that only in this way will we have any influence. Yet in the schooling system many wish to withdraw. But when we do so, I fear, we lose any right we might have to correct or influence. As Christians we look to better not only our own lives, but the lives of those around us. We look to be a transformative influence. If schools truly are “prime battlegrounds for cultural conflicts,” as Dr. Mohler states, why would we purposely remove ourselves from them? Why would we give up and retreat from this battleground? If this is where the hearts and minds of generations of citizens will be formed, why would we take no interest in it? If we retreat, we lose our voice.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Schooling for our Kids - Public or Not?
Tim Callies with a helpful article for those of us thinking through what is best for the education of our kids. He discusses Al Mohler's new book coming out where one chapter calls for a mass retreat from public schooling. Tim writes:
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5 comments:
I believe the proponents of withdrawal argue that our children are not adequately discipled to be able to transform their culture.
It is like sending our raw recruits into our enemies boot camp.
The bottom line is that every parent is responsible for educating their children. It is a biblical mandate. If they delegate that responsibility, they are still going to be held accountable. Some public and private schools will do a decent job, others will not.
I think we are out of line if we are telling parents they should risk failure in one of their prime responsibilities as parents in order to gain some minor democratic influence in a secular institution.
If we want to influence the battleground, there are lots of ways to do it that don't involve sacrificing our kids. Schools need volunteers, they need teachers, they need coaches, they need money. Veteran Christians can fill these roles, and do a much better job at influencing then our untrained children will ever do.
I tend to agree with Mohler, I would prefer to equip my children and keep them in the Public school system. Christians would have far more of an impact within the system in terms of influencing a worldview.
paul del signore
You need to read Douglas Wilson's "Excused Absence" It will forever change your opinion on the public school where Christ is not let in the door. A Christians goals in educating their children are the total antithesis of our modern humanistic culture. Wilson's book is wonderful, biblical and straight to the point.
Now this is a novel concept...
But maybe just maybe God calls different people to do different things.
To be perfectly honest I see both arguments to be very compelling.
And I'm seventeen and have been homeschooled my whole life.
If God calls me and my husband to homeschool our kids then we'll homeschool my kids. Anything less would be disobedience.
If God calls me and my husband to put our kids in a private or public school setting, then we'll do that.
Personally I would love to homeschool my kids--but I'm not going to put God or His will in a box.
I don't know though I could be completely off, just my two cents...
Me, a 32 year old who has walked with Christ for the majority of my life, engaging secular culture for the purpose of transforming it is something entirely different than my 5 year old son engaging secular culture for the purpose of engaging it.
Like war ... men can handle it ... boys get eaten alive.
I like what josh r has to say.
We're strongly considering home-schooling ... for many reasons, not just the "Christian" reasons ... and if we do choose to do that, we'll still stay very active in our local public school system in an attempt to transform it.
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