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Question 78

Q: I’ve heard you talk about a friend of yours that pleads with you every time you meet to encourage believers to place their children in Christian schools.

You gave your own reasons for not doing so. How do we make the choice on which is right, and what if we have no options?

Asked by: Christina, Illinois


A: Well you know Christina, I want to thank you so much your question because, as you know people, are deeply split on this issue.

I cannot advocate though, that all Christians should take their children out of the public school for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it might not be feasible, and as you yourself have said, it might not be an option. There may be many different reasons why some Christian families can’t do this.

Secondly, we need to keep in mind that there are some school systems that might not be as bad as those we hear about in the news. I think we all have a tendency to hear about the extremes and then we assume all schools are totally impossible to work with and promote humanistic values. However, there are many school boards that are more open, more willing to work with parents.

I think the real key, Christina, is the child’s relationship to the parents. If children have strong parents who guide them, who direct them, who keep track of what the children are studying in school, I believe that children can be guided through a school system, even though that system may be secular. And I might also say that there are those who have been reared in homeschooling, in Christian schools, who, at the end of the day, walk away from the faith anyway. I really do think that it comes back to the central issue of the child’s relationship with the parent. So work very hard at that, Christina.

I don’t think that there is one right answer. I think each situation is different and parents are going to have to work this out in accordance with their consciences and the opportunities that are afforded them.

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