I was asked an interesting question at the AHEA convention this past spring that I was glad to answer, and I thought that it might be a question that others were asking. The question was simple and went something like this; “Why is it that homeschooling has such strong Christian roots?” Now, admittedly not all homeschoolers come from a Christian perspective, and the reasons a family might choose to homeschool can be diverse; but the Christian belief lends itself to the venue of homeschooling in many ways. This is a condensed version of my answer.
First off; ‘Why should we educate our children in the first place?’ I have commented in the past that the main reason that a child should learn to read is so that they can read the Bible. The Bible is our lifeline to the truth and therefore essential reading if we are to live the Christian life. I have gone so far to say that if an individual is not going to read the Bible it would be better that they should not read at all; but I would also argue that everyone should learn to read so that when the time comes that they should desire to read the Bible, that they should already know how to read.
Second; Christianity is a belief system with morals and a code by which the individuals must govern themselves. Although Christians are admonished to be peaceful and to honor the King (government), there may come a time when as a Christian there is the need to defy the ruling authority, because Christians are called to serve God first. In the past, education began within the walls of the church. Even the Jews had their children taught by the Rabbis’, their religious leaders. Many of the famous Universities and Colleges began with the desire to educate the next generation of ministers for the pulpits. Alas, as is the way of mankind itself, these institutions veered from their original path and became secularized, and in the end became antagonistic to the very goal with which they began. Public Education was not a problem for the Christian in the beginning because of its’ strong Christian roots; but these too began to erode in the early to mid-1900s. This was due in part to the multi-cultural nature of our country, but primarily to the afore mentioned secularization that is pandemic today. Had the schools stuck to the academics of reading, writing and arithmetic likely nothing would have change. Instead, the school system became centers for social reform. Starting with the thrust of evolution, which stripped mankind as the special creation of our Creator and reducing our children to advanced animals with no special place in the world. In the 1960s came the sexual revolution and the emphasis on safety rather than moral standard. Of course, Christians became concerned and began to resist this trend.
Christianity is not governed by Government, though it should honor that same entity. The Christian is under God and accountable to Him. If our God is the one and only true God of all, then His rule transcends national boundaries. Christianity is therefore super-national. In the past every nation had its own deity, and though countries often merged and replicated these deities, in the pagan mind there was a myriad of gods to choose from. The Jews had the one and only true God but were eager to hold Him to themselves. If an outsider wished to serve their true God, they were instructed to become Jews. It doesn’t make sense however that The Creator of all should be limited to one nation and one locality. Jesus, God in flesh, exploded onto the scene and Christianity became the light of the whole world. As culture erodes, it is the Christian who is most likely to resist, and in a quiet way declare war on that same culture. We stand for truth and wish it to be taught to our children and will teach it to them ourselves as our God given responsibility.
Many of the famous Universities and Colleges began with the desire to educate the next generation of ministers for the pulpits.