Do Christian schools remove children from the real world?
Some parents feel Christian schools place children in an artificial hothouse. They claim children are not well prepared to live in a society where most people are non-Christian.
We believe life is not an accident or coincidence. As Christians we understand we are created in God’s image. Any education system which ignores God and Jesus also denies the Bible’s claims of reality. In its place another view of reality is presented.
Christian parents partnering with Christian teachers can help children discover and understand the truth about the world around them. Rather than removing children from the real world Christian schools help them see it clearly. The very first sentence of the Bible is In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
That God is the Creator is a basic belief for Christians. What we believe about God, Jesus Christ and the origins of life do influence how we act on a daily basis. These beliefs will also have a dramatic impact on how a school conducts itself. The beliefs of school leaders determine what priorities are set, what is important and therefore what should be measured and reported on.
Secular education believes history and the world around us can be understood without reference to God or the Bible. By leaving these out curriculums don’t become neutral but essentially anti-God.
Will school be a hothouse environment which supports or contrasts what is taught at home?
Families are the first place children learn about the world around them. Schools then help children understand more about the world. In the early years families and schools can be likened to providing a hothouse environment for children. Consider the purpose of a hothouse or glass house. It is to nurture plants while they are young. A hothouse provides an environment where the conditions, watering and nutrition can be better managed. The hothouse is designed to grow healthier plants faster. When removed from the hothouse these plants are better able to thrive in all environments.
In the home parents can help control what is taught, how much and by whom. The home and family life gives a child a framework of reality. Parents naturally want to protect, nurture, feed and strengthen their children. Over time parents expose their children to more age appropriate ideas and experiences. In the same way Christian schools seek to work with parents as an extension of the family home. Rather than providing a different, or even inconsistent, environment Christian schools aim to reinforce what is taught at home. It is up to parents to decide which hothouse environment they desire for their children outside of the home. Do we believe this is God’s world? If so a supportive hothouse environment where God and Jesus Christ are seen as relevant to daily life can help prepare a child for the realities of life
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church
Ephesians 4:15