I had an interesting conversation the other day. That conversation touched on the education of our children. As a Christian, I am in a world that is moving ever faster away from the truth of God’s Word towards an ever more secular worldview. One of the starkest places we see that change has been in the education of our children. At one time we took for granted what was taught in school would line up with our values at home. No longer is that the case. Today it is incumbent upon every Christian parent to debrief what little Johnny and Stacy have learned at school and to redirect that back to the truth in God’s Word. It is my opinion that we as Christian parents have relied too much on Sunday School and youth group for the spiritual formation of our children. Notice what it says in Deuteronomy:
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (19) You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 ESV
Teaching At Home, Church and School
Spiritual formation, for Christian families, starts at home. As a Christian, and father, it is my duty before God to teach my children about Him. It is not a biblical concept to simply take my kids to church and then let them decide what they are going to do. The passage above indicates an all-encompassing full-court press of biblical teaching for our children. That includes the home, the church, and the school. Now that the school, if public, no longer is included in that equation, we must be all the more pro-active about teaching our children.
It is your responsibility to teach them God’s word
Now, I know that this can create all sorts of debate about public vs. private vs. homeschooling. I don’t have any interest in wading into that debate in this article, but good arguments can be made on all sides of that debate. My wife and I have chosen to put our kids in a Christian school until they are in high school. Then they go to the public school. My reason for this is I want to protect them until they can defend their faith on their own. We have been blessed to be able to do this, and I will not make an assertion that my way is the right way. There are many, many factors that must be weighed when it comes to choosing education for your kids. Decisions must be made with much prayer and consideration. No matter where you choose to educate your children, remember, it is your responsibility to teach them God’s word. Make a plan, have conversations, and be ready to give an answer for the hope you have within you!
Pastor Jonathan Welch
