First, the Bible is clear that all training and raising of children belongs to parents ( Deut. 4:9, 6:6-7, 11:19, 32:46, Eph. 6:4). Period. The responsibility of the child's growth lies with the them. From the father down to the mother. This is true not just in academics but in spiritual truths. Far too many households are passing the buck and relying on others to teach their children biblical truths (doctrine). I've seen many people blame the public school system for "corrupting" their children and others blame pastors for not equipping young people enough on matters like evolution vs. creation e.t.c before they go off to college and become "worldy." Undoubtedly the public school system bears its guilt for hating God and promoting immoral principles. Pastors have their share of blame for neglecting certain topics. However, all training of children remains the responsibility of the parents. If you are sending your child to public school and notice the subtle or blatant endorsement and promotion of homosexuality, you're responsibility, no matter the cost, is to pull them out and teach the biblical truth on the matter. We can attempt to pass the buck on others to train our children academically and morally for our convenience but at the end of the day what our children learn and are taught lies in the responsibility of the parents. The same can be said for the home-schooled child that grows up and goes off into high school or college and becomes "worldy" because they were not informed on certain matters. We can pass the buck onto pastors but the pastor is not responsible for raising up another's child. That great privilege is a blessing and command from the Lord to parents:
13 “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. 15 And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. 16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.
18 “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. (Dt 11:13–19)
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph 6:4)When I hear of stories of rebellious young people falling into worldliness because of a failure from them to defend certain biblical truths against non-believers, it conveys to me that they were not taught enough doctrinally in the home. We can't dump that problem on pastors or the church. It begins in the home.
This leads me to problems with both models. One of my biggest concerns with the home-schooling method is this real tendency to neglect teaching children doctrine or theology (of course without having to call it such). It is one thing to protect our children from the corrupt God hating influences of the world but it is quite another to expect the church alone to inform our children of the doctrinal foundations we stand upon. The church and pastors may get sixty minutes, if that, to proclaim theological truths with our children. Yet, the parents have the whole week with the children to teach them the Word of God. I still find it a very present reality that many believing home-schoolers have bible verses memorized and know enough about abstaining from pre-marital sex, drugs, drunkeness, lying, e.t.c. yet really struggle with articulating the Gospel and being able to explain the doctrine of justification by faith alone. We need not just limit it to theological truths but academic as well. We are very quick teach on American history yet our children are almost completely ignorant in regards to Church history. When in reality the latter is far more important to the well being of our children than the former. While I am a believer in home-schooling, I am a believer that it should be done rightly for the right reasons.
Now for my main problem with the public- school method and it's proponents. It seems to me that the main reason ,which is it's main defense, is from a social aspect. Many Christian parents do not want to home-school their children because they don't want them to become "socially handi-capped", "socially awkward", "socially dysfunctional." And usually what they mean by "socially awkward" is that one cannot hang out and have fun with others while talking about things that have no relevance to a persons growth in Christ. While social development is important (how else are we going to fulfill the great commission) it is not said to be the greatest need for children. In fact in the commands that God gives to parents for raising children, I cannot recall one that emphasizes being socially equipped as of primary importance. Social interaction is not the primary goal. The training and discipline of the Lord is. Furthermore, some of the greatest atrocities of in the public-school history have been committed by "socially dysfunctional" kids that grew up in public-school. Putting ones child in that system is no guarantee that a child will be a social mogul. Nor is putting your child in public-school a guarantee that you child will learn how to defend the faith against non-believers. I will dare say that many advocates of public-school over home-school can't defend the faith themselves! So it is almost a given that they are not teaching their children more than just cute Bible stories. Then to send their children off to public-school in hopes that they will learn to interact with un-believers to defend the faith is a recipe for unbelief. Try putting a person in the office of President of the Unites States of America without any training hoping he will learn how to defend the U.S. constitution in the process and see how that works out? Wait we are seeing it. It is a recipe for disaster!
In conclusion home-schooling fits more with Biblical information. We have commands from the Lord to raise our children in the knowledge and fear of Him. That is an essential part of parenting. Whether you like it or not, trusting your child into the care of secular society in the public-school system is to allow them a large portion of time to grossly parent your child. It gets even scarier to think how much the public-school system hates God and absolute truth. While subtly or blatantly teaching children to openly and brazenly defy Him. That is not bringing up children in the "discipline and instruction of the Lord." Let me finally remind you that either is not inherently sinful but can be sinful when done for the wrong reasons and neglecting to rear up your children as commanded by Scripture. While I am a proponent of home-schooling, I am also sympathetic towards those that have their children in public school for financial (both parents need to work for the needed income) and family reasons ( household is large i.e. too many children to home-school at once). My advice to both sides is to make sure your child is getting the proper biblical instruction at home. After all that is your job.
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph 6:4)Soli Deo Gloria!
For His Glory,
Fernando
Very good, Pastor Fernando!
ReplyDeleteSir,
ReplyDeleteI will stipulate concurrence and add to your analogy. It is right and proper for young men to fight efficiently and agressively when engaged in just warfare. Nonetheless, only the misguided would send young men into warfare without substantive training.
I habe heard many people say that we should sned children into government schools to act "as salt and light". Alternatively, God says that children are significantly foolish, and that it actually takes similarly significant effort to drive out said foolishness. He also says that bad company corrupts good morals.
Bad apples never become good by the addtion of a good apple.
So, if children (even those of the faithful) are foolish, what is the consistency of the children of the ungodly? Following onto the logical conclusion to that equation, then what is the rationally predictable outcome of unsupervised abundant social contact with unfaithful children, while being taught by a system that says there is no God.
I apologize for all the typos.
ReplyDeleteRFB
RFB, unless you are claiming infallibility, your typos are fine. =)
ReplyDelete