(Editor's Note: While originally published in August 2019 here, it holds relevance even more so in 2020 with schools deciding how they may function considering COVID-19.)
The rapid deterioration of the public education system with its animosity to Christian values and principles has many parents considering their options. Is an exodus imminent?
There are many parents who would like to home educate their children, but they face many difficulties in carrying this out. Home educating is not the rule. It is an alternative or option that Christians should definitely consider.
Christians participating in home education/discipleship is for the express purpose of raising disciples of Christ that will make other disciples. To train children in righteousness and to create an environment where the Gospel is clearly seen and understood by all without the pressures of the world that most children are not yet ready to encounter.
Home educating/discipleship is not a badge of excellence and/or elite group who cares more for their children than parents who send their children to public or private schools. There is never any room for pride in what the Lord is directing for your family. Some may have a genuine conviction to send their children to public schools while others feel convicted to be home educators/disciplers.
Following God’s lead
It really comes down to what the Lord is calling your family to do and what best will honor His desire for your home.
However, because of the severity of the times and the wicked indoctrination that has manifested in our public education, parents should seriously consider and look into what it would take to abandon that system and move towards home educating/discipling their children. We know it to be true that there is corrupt and wicked agendas, indoctrination, and brainwashing that are being promoted in the public school system.
How long do we continue to hand over our kids to this system for education? They spend 8 hours each day, 5 days a week away from home being fed a narrative that denies God, biblical creation, distorts the image of God, shrouded in pop-culture, and surrounded by peer influence. We have to ask the question: “Are we being the best stewards of one the most precious things God has placed in our care?”
Access equals control and in order for true discipleship to take place, the element of time is important. The school system definitely has us beat on the time they spend teaching our kids with an average of 40 hours per week not counting before and after school activities. Are we comfortable with the public school system having the lion share of access and type of information and indoctrination being presented to the children? I believe in indoctrination but the content of the indoctrination is of the utmost importance.
When is the point that we begin to see how we can present viable ways for Christian homes to transition from American dreams into taking more seriously God’s dream of families rooted in truth, and children in Christian homes to carry on the Gospel mandate? We understand what’s happening in our culture, and it’s irresponsible to just allow the enemy to pick off our children without an aggressive fight from the Church in America.
The lifeline of the Gospel in America and abroad is discipleship and the most effective discipleship that can take place is right under our roofs. My wife says all the time if we don’t raise up Godly seed now and disciple our children while they live in our home, then they will grow up to be our opposition in the future fighting with fervor against all that we believe in as followers of The Way.
This world is seductive and America as part of this world has lent itself to be stained by success, money, lust, power, and many other vices. We have it well within our power as it stands now to resist these seductions for ourselves and our children. Public school makes it much more difficult to resist. At the root, they promote an anti-God agenda.
“All hands on deck” for discipleship – whether homeschooling or not
Having said all of this, I understand that not all Christian parents will opt for homeschooling. Some Christians feel that they are called to have their children in the school system to be a witness to the lost. It is also common that some parents just do not want their way of living touched by the proposition of homeschooling.
I’m not saying that these families should be left to fend on their own. I would propose that at least there should be a call out to these families and churches across America to be so tightly linked as to provide help and resources to make sure that there is family discipleship happening on a real level.
If a Christian family decides that they want their children to remain in public school that’s fine but the job of discipleship still is a mandate from the Lord and should not be placed on the school or even the church's youth group. By keeping that child in public school I would argue that it will be a more difficult task to disciple effectively because of the reality of what the schools are teaching, allowing, and because of peer to peer influence.
This is a RED ALERT. We have to do something. We have to pray earnestly and listen to what God wants from us not just what will keep us comfortable in pursuing the American dream. We have to think offensively and think ahead. We will not always be here. If everything goes well our kids will outlive us. Will they be ready to encounter the demons of their day as ones leading the church in the Gospel commission for their generation or will they fold under the pressure of the world to conform?
In order for there to be a successful exit or transition from public school indoctrination, there has to be an all hands on deck mindset from parents, churches, retired teachers, teachers that may want to re-evaluate what they are doing currently in pursuit of helping to create more home education/discipleship programs.
We can fight and we must fight for the souls of our children. This is not a slam to Christian teachers this is a call to parents and churches. Let’s do all that we can now to set a tone that our children to thrive in their day.
