Would a talented high school basketball player whose goal in life is to eventually play in the NBA attend a college that did not have a basketball team, or a college where teachers were not allowed to even mention basketball to their students? I know this may sound ridiculous, but it is just as ridiculous to send a Christian child to school every day where God is not included in the curriculum, the bible is a book to avoid, and teachers are not permitted to mention God, pray with students or encourage in the faith. It is like going to school underwater without an oxygen tank – It won’t be long before you run out of oxygen and suffocate!

 

 A search of the scriptures reveals many reasons why keeping God in the classroom is necessary: 

 

Job 38:36 reads “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being or given understanding to the mind?” And Proverbs 9:10 reads “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” If wisdom and understanding come from God then how can we allow him to be removed from the educational process? If God is no longer honored at school then wouldn’t he respond by removing his blessing from the school? Wouldn’t we see a decline in the quality of our educational system. Maybe that is why, after 30 years of reform, we are still a “nation at risk” of failing in educating our children! Our schools have a most challenging task in preparing students for their chosen career paths in our ever changing world. We would do much better if we had God on our side. 

 

Ephesians 6:4 reads “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Provoking a child to anger results when a parent disciplines out of anger or other wrong motives, however it also results when children are placed in an environment where they are confronted with anger and violence from their peers. Bringing children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord clearly requires an understanding of scriptural principles and skill in their practical application. The bible should be respected and applied effectively at church, home and school. The discipline imposed in secular school programs is rarely based on biblical patterns. The concepts of sin, forgiveness, repentance, holiness, and authority are not taught. Instead teachers and administrators accommodate and manage misbehavior.   Local school districts no longer have the authority to properly discipline students; therefore they fail in this area. If a child is placed in this type of secular environment, what is taught at home and church will be compromised at school.

 

Proverbs 22:8 reads “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This is perhaps the most quoted scripture related to Christian school education and speaks of the responsibility every parent has for the training of their children. From the day kids arrive in our homes it becomes apparent that these precious gifts from God are really little bundles of sin that need to be trained. If left to themselves they most assuredly will not develop into the ideal Christian young adult.

 

It is interesting to look at some of the things this scripture in Proverbs does not say. It does not say train them in the way they shouldn’t go and they will grow stronger by it. We are not required to expose them to every wrong practice and every form of sin in order for them to be able to recognize right from wrong. And we are not to assume that they are already fully trained and mature enough to be salt and light in a perverse world. It also does not say to let them choose the way they want to go and when they are old it will all be good. Scriptural principles do not arise out of a melting pot of all current belief systems. They come from Jesus, who revealed the truth about God’s kingdom through the words he taught and the life he lived. Parents can and should know the truth, and this scripture in Proverbs clearly presumes that parents know what the desired outcome for child training is, and children do not. 

 

Another insight into Proverbs 22:8 confirms that training should start when an individual is young, because what an individual learns when he is young will stick with him for the rest of his life. A child is so very impressionable – it is said they soak up knowledge like a sponge. How amazing is the rapid rate of growth, from language acquisition to hand-eye coordination, from personality development to exercising self-control. Childhood is by far the greatest learning period of our entire lives. The things we learn, right or wrong, become a part of who we are and remain with us for the rest of our lives. 

 

I Corinthians 15:33 reads “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.” Being under the direct authority of teachers who have a different belief system than our children will have a corrupting effect upon their faith. With some teachers it will be by their direct efforts to steer children away from their “Puritanical” roots. They think that they are doing the children a good deed. With others it will be through the silent influence of their conversation and example. Most teachers teach because of a love of children and a desire to impact their lives in a positive way. However what an unbelieving teacher considers positive may be just the opposite of what a Christian parent would consider positive. It is nearly impossible for a young child to have both the wisdom and maturity to receive the love and attention of a kind teacher while at the same time rejects that same teacher’s erroneous opinions or impure lifestyle.

 

This same scripture applies to the corrupting influence of a child’s peers. The motivation to be accepted among friends is so powerful that children willingly compromise deeply held beliefs to prevent embarrassment, awkward situations or being made fun of. Repeated exposure to bad morals or sinful acts will eventually make a child more comfortable with sin as a normal part of life. After awhile it is the Christian lifestyle of spirituality, prayer, and desire for God that seems unnatural, out of place, or just plain weird.

 

Luke 6:40 reads "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” The previous verse in chapter 6 of Luke’s gospel tells us that a blind man cannot lead a blind man. Sooner or later they will both fall into a pit. We are certainly limited in our achievements by those from whom we receive counsel and instruction. Not all of our teachers will have the same influence. There are always a few “great” teachers or “heroes” who impact us far more than others. We cannot control who our children choose for heroes, but we can have an effect on the list of candidates.