Who Is Training Our Children?

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. ~ Proverbs 22: 6

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. ~ Ephesians 6: 4

and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 3: 15


HOME SCHOOLING -vs- PUBLIC SCHOOLING

Many object to homeschooling or private Christian schools based on the fact that God has called us to be “salt” and “light” and to evangelize the world. Ironically, this is precisely why we chose homeschooling.

The Great Commission states: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I command you ” (Matthew 28:19-20, emphasis added). How is this likely apart from Christian education? How can I effectively “make disciples” of my children if I send them off to the government school forty-five to fifty hours per week? The Nehemiah Institute, The National Study of Youth and Religion, and the Barna Report have shown us clearly that our children do not even understand–let alone obey–all that the Lord has commanded. Moreover, how can our children evangelize our government schools if they don’t know what they believe and why they believe it? Not to mention that all of the evidence currently points to the fact that our children are the evangelized, not the evangelists, in our nation’s schools. They are the ones being carried away by every wind of doctrine. . . .

The Nehemiah Institute continues to demonstrate year after year that Christian children in government schools who actually retain anything close to a biblical worldview are the rare exception and not the rule. . . . Let me be clear–I applaud men and women whom God has called to teach in government schools. These people are front-line warriors, and they need to be right where they are. However, there is a big difference between sending fully trained disciples into enemy territory and sending recruits [children] to our enemy’s training camp.

If we do the latter, we shouldn’t be surprised when they come home wearing the enemy’s uniform and charging the hill of our home waving the enemy flag. ~ Voddie Baucham


The school system, be it public or private, should not be the primary source for the training of our children. Nor should this be left up to the church. Discipling our children must begin in the home. When it comes to teaching them the things of God, parents have the unique responsibility of teaching through the Word and by living out the Christian life. From an early age, a child should hear about the Gospel in order that their hearts will be open to the Holy Spirit. Children are not taught to sin... it's built in. This is exactly why they need to understand things like sin, God's wrath, hell, repentance, forgiveness, faith and the significance of the Cross. To simply teach them "God is love" or "Jesus is your best friend" without explaining WHY, is to deprive them of the life changing mercy & grace of God. Ultimately, we risk sending them into the world with a false sense of security that they are saved simply because they asked Jesus into their hearts.


~ktf~
John