Biblical Reasons for Starting a Christian School

Comments

• Amber March 1, 2019

  As an older student right now, (going back to complete my degree ), something that I’ve noticed is that I see the majority of my classmates giving no real thought to the Bible as anything more than any other random book. The idea that one would use it as a guide for their life is considered absurd. Even amongst those that I’ve heard mention attending a church event (and assuming them to be a Christian) when something about morality is discussed, the general idea is anything goes. Who are we to judge? And politically speaking…anything that would align with conservative values is “outdated thought or judgy”…saying that people should be free to live however they choose and no one should question any choice that anyone makes…because “ they’re just doing them.” This is the norm in college environments…so why are Christian young adults not giving true daily applicable value to the Bible? The common factor is their education. Calculate the hours of biblical instruction received….then calculate the hours of instruction that is telling them the opposite of what church is telling them…that those thoughts are judgy and stating that “theories” are fact and one would be stupid to question it, making anything in the Bible seem laughable. Presenting the Bible as a storybook for kids and not something to consider as anything more than that. Which instruction is having the most affect? I think it’s evident by looking at our current culture. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he won’t depart from it. What is receiving the most hours of training? Is it How to let God guide our choices because he knows our future and knows what is best for us? Who are we as parents allowing to be a trainer to our child? All important things for Christian parents to consider.
• Keith Zheng March 1, 2019

  I hope this is the 1st coment… We talked abut this in BW.
• Joe Brasher March 1, 2019

  There will not be more Christian schools until Christian leaders are convinced of the need for Christian education sufficient that they will stake their perception as leaders on the line to convince parents of the need to make the sacrifices to send their children to Christian schools. Once Christian schools are created, they must first teach the foundations for Christianity and then prepare students to be be prepared to counter the certain challenges to what they have learned. Christian schools can teach the foundations but if they do not prepare students to stay true to their beliefs personally and be able to persuade others, then Christian education will not accomplish much.
• Mary Fleck March 2, 2019

  As a mother with two children enrolled in Central Christian Academy, the question is not “Why send your child to a Christian school?”, but rather “Why not?”. When my eldest was a newborn, just home from the hospital I was absolutely overwhelmed to the point of tears thinking about how God had given HIS SON for US in a whole new light. Here I was holding my tiny newborn son, thinking about GOD sacrificing HIS SON. I KNEW I HAD to raise this son to KNOW GOD!

  I acutely remember thinking “I have ONE chance to get this right, ONE chance to raise this child up as GOD would have me to do.” Like most first time parents, I wanted to do EVERYTHING right. I nursed him, I read him books beginning in the hospital, I took him to church, Sunday School, Awana, swimming lessons, piano lessons and so forth. He was very bright, soaked it all up, did everything before I was ready for him to, hit all the milestones before he was “supposed to”. He started to 4K in the public schools already reading, swimming, he knew the Lord’s prayer and the 10 Commandments. He liked school and did well. The public school system did not recognize him as a reader, but I did not question that. I figured there were a lot of other things they could teach him. He went on through 5k with a great teacher who did place him in “the highest reading group” and 1st grade where he was bored and occasionally did things like take a whole sheet a paper to write one capital letter. At the very end of 1st grade, he was tested and found to be quite advanced in not only reading but math as well. A plan was formulated for specialized instruction in math, but that never materialized. He began 2nd grade, and after the 1st quarter we moved to Tennessee bringing all of his records, test scores, and specialized testing with him. He integrated extremely well even though I was told this was a tough age to move and I began a high pressure job. He made friends and did well. The only negative incident I remember that year was when under inadequate supervision in the after school program, he was exposed to the extremely inappropriate online video game “Slender and the Nine Pages”. In 3rd grade, Lafe continued to do well in school and by this time his younger brother was in 4K at Central Christian Academy and loving it. He did the Battle of the Books and we spent an extraordinary sum of money and gas to take him to a 6 week program on Saturdays for “gifted” children. He was hit in the head with rocks during the after school program.

  Meanwhile our youngest child started to daycare fulltime at a local church when we moved to Tennessee after having been home with me fulltime for 2 years. This was a fairly tough transition for him after just turning 4. He did not want to get ready and go to daycare in the morning. He would frequently cry when I left him, although I believe it was a loving environment and the teachers and staff took good care of him. It was there that we first learned of CCA, because a lot of his classmates were headed there.

  I looked into CCA and found out about the Abeka curriculum, the Bible verses and manners that would be taught, and that it would be slightly less expensive for my son to go to 4K in August than to stay in fulltime daycare. Well that was a no-brainer! He started to 4K with many of the kids he had been in daycare with, quite a few of whom are still in his class today. He was very happy, he did not balk at going to school, he did in fact learn a Bible verse for every letter of the alphabet, learn to read, and his manners and behavior were better than his brother, 3 and a half years older.

  Near the end of the year we had a really tough decision to make: Do we continue to send our youngest to CCA? Both my husband and I felt emphatically yes! He had done so well there, was so happy. But what about our oldest? How could we give one son a Christian education and not the other? I had been to an open house at CCA and seen the materials, the curriculum laid out, the things my son would learn in fourth grade were unbelievable! This was a classic education, with God immersed in it that I had always wanted for my sons! But what about the cost? How were we going to be able to afford this? Well, after praying we just took a leap of faith. Yes we made sacrifices, but to us they were not sacrifices in light of what we giving them up for. It was a bit of a struggle financially at times, but oh so worth it.

  As school started the following year, my worries grew: Was I really doing the right thing? My oldest son had changed schools just 2 years ago. Should I really be switching him again when there weren’t any serious problems? Were we really going to be able to sustain this financially? What if he hated it? What if he didn’t make any friends? The first day of school came and at the end of it of course I asked “How did you like it?”, holding my breath. Well he liked it and he liked it the next day, and the day after that. I didn’t trust that answer fully for the first two weeks, knowing what a mama-pleaser he is. But it’s been almost 3 years since both boys started going to Central Christian Academy. How have they done?

  Well for my oldest, for whom there were “no serious problems” but also no challenges and no individualized instruction it has been amazing! He will tell you himself “I never want to go back to the public school and I don’t want to be homeschooled either. I love CCA!” He has never looked back. His first teacher at CCA taught specifically to his needs as she did to every single student in her class. She “had his back’, she was “in his corner” like no other teacher he had before. She knew each student, their abilities, gifts, challenges, needs. At the end of the first year, she and the headmaster based on assessment testing, classroom performance and other factors recommended my son be promoted two grades (skip a grade). After consulting the Lord in prayer, and our son, we agreed and this has been exactly what our son needed. He is flourishing! The Bob Jones curriculum is awesome! The Biblical Worldview Class is amazing! My son comes home and teaches me things, and it challenges me to look them up in the Bible, online, etc. In fact, one of the things he learned in Biblical Worldview prompted me to research it, and then I presented it to my Sunday School class and we studied it! My 11 year old 7th grader can tell you all about the pitfalls of Socialism, why it is not Godly and why we need to guard against it. This is a concept many of the thirty-somethings I talk to on a regular basis (some of the ones near and dear to me) fail to understand.

  And my youngest? Now in second grade, he has the most amazing insight! Always a peacemaker, and warrior for Christ; his knowledge of the Bible and faith have been strengthened beyond measure. My adult Sunday School Class is currently studying “The Shack”. Seeing this book lying around, my son asked what it was about. I gave him a very brief synopsis, telling him “It’s about a man who loses his little girl and then asks how God could have let this happen” Sawyer immediately says “No, wait a minute, let me think of a Bible story,…. OK, its like when Peter took his eyes off Jesus when he tried to walk on water and he didn’t have faith. Now for those of you that don’t know, “The Shack” has been made into a movie (that Sawyer has never watched) and that is precisely what is shown in the movie: the man who asked how God could let this happen being invited by Jesus to walk on the water with him (as Peter did). His handwriting is amazing (when he wants it to be!), and the math they teach at CCA is awesome! My second grader can multiply and divide like nobody’s business. (yes, I mean cursive handwriting and nothing else important gets left out because they teach it. Oh and the math: um, no there is none of that crazy stuff they teach these days in the public schools that even the parents don’t understand. Just good old fashioned math, with plenty of practice)

  Both boys know so much scripture, and can apply it so well! Of course some of this is due to their wonderful Sunday School teachers, pastors, VBS teachers and possibly parents. However, their SS and VBS teachers will tell you how amazed they are that they know so much about the Bible.

  We know many wonderful, loving Christian public schoolteachers. One of whom, is the boys’ grandmother. Unfortunately, they are unable to share scripture, pray aloud or teach their faith for the most part in the public school arena. Additionally the federal government has unfairly burdened teachers with testing and policy. As the old saying goes, “Children do not keep”. Many kids have grown up in these inadequate public schools. They are now failing at adulting, taking Aderall in college, using meth or heroin, or just not living up to their full potential as God would have them to do. We are not willing to sacrifice our children in a system compromised by bureaucratic government inadequacy.

  So for us Central Christian Academy is a huge part of how we “Train up a child in the way he should go…..”. After all, we only get one chance to raise them up for the Lord. And by the way, Momma who’s been teaching public school now for over 5o years agrees, emphatically.
• Larry Reagan March 2, 2019

  Mary,
  Thank you so much for sharing your comments on this blog. Central Christian Academy (CCA) is definitely not a perfect school, but we are improving day by day. I am so glad that Lafe and Sawyer are having such a great experience. It is your strong Biblical worldview that causes you to so highly prioritize the training of your children. I’ve had many conversations with you, and my respect for you as a Christian Mom is high. The statistics reported by George Barna in this post should be an alarm to every Christian parent. Only 7% of Americans are considered evangelical Christians, while 35% claim to be born again Christians.
  I look forward to watching Lafe and Sawyer become what God intends for them to be. We are proud to partner with your family and your church (First United Methodist Church in Martin) in the task commanded by Holy Scriptures to bring children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Your understanding about the dangers of false teaching of any kind are important. It doesn’t matter where the false teachings are coming from, they are always dangerous. And the Bible tells us what to do about false teachings (2 John 1:9-11). Do not allow them in our family. If children are trained to be socialists, many of them will become socialists. If children are trained that all religions are equal, many will believe that. If children are trained that marriage between two men or two women are acceptable, many will believe that. I could go on and on. The basic philosophy of government-run education in America today is secular humanism, and it is dangerous.
  I am so grateful for Christian teachers who are working hard to be salt and light in government-run schools. However, the training of our children is too important to ignore. They must be taught truth.
• Larry Reagan March 2, 2019

  Joe,
  We are so grateful for everything that you and Phyllis have done to help establish a strong Christian school in Weakley County. Both of your were willing to put your perception as leaders on the line. Your service on our school board during those early foundational years was valuable. Phyllis helped to get our library up and running. Every Friday, when I teach the Biblical Worldview class to 5th-7th grade students, I am reminded of the work that Phyllis did in the library and the many board meetings in that room. Important seeds are being planted during the early elementary years, and valuable critical thinking skills are being developed in upper elementary and middle school years at CCA. I wish you could sit in on the Biblical Worldview class on Friday and hear the discussion of students in grades 5-7. They are developing into strong Christians who will stand for Christ and His Word in the days to come.
  When I listen to the nightly news in America today (CNN & FOX), I pray that God will guide Christian families and churches to focus on teaching Biblical truths to all of our members. The deception is great, and the falling away is happening before our eyes. But, there is a remnant who are wise to understand the times. May God grant us the wisdom and courage to be true to Christ and His Word. If we continue in His Word, we are His disciples. We will know the truth, and the truth will make us free (John 8:31-32).
• Larry Reagan March 2, 2019

  Keith,
  You are dragging your feet. You were the third to comment on this post. However, I’m grateful that you took the time to comment. I hope you will reply to this comment and explain how your are studying the claims of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. You have been in the 5th grade this year at CCA. Miss Summer Frields has been teaching you every day, and I have been teaching you every Friday. I can see the gears turning in your life. I’m excited to watch you develop. By the way, thanks for leading in the closing prayer last Friday morning in our Biblical worldview class. As I listened to your prayer, it sounded as though you were really talking to Jesus. Even though we cannot see Him with our physical eyes, I believe it touches His heart when He hears the prayers of children. May God richly bless you as you respond to the claims of Jesus Christ.
  All 4 Christ,
  Bro. Larry
• Larry Reagan March 2, 2019

  Amber,
  Thanks for sharing your insights. It makes me so proud to see may daughters standing strong for Jesus Christ and His Word. I know your children (my grandchildren) will be trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As the latter day deceptions prophesied in the Bible (2 Thessalonians 2), become more and more evident to the remnant who take Christ and His Word seriously, it will become increasingly important to aggressively teach Biblical principles to our children. It will also be important to aggressively defend our children from the various tools that are being used to brainwash children to be secular. Television, social media, organized educational systems, and the general culture are all greatly used to deceive people. But, parents who have a genuine walk with the Lord, local churches true to God’s Word, and schools established on solid Biblical principles can claim the promises of Proverbs 22:6.
• Alan Johnston March 2, 2019

  Thank you so very much for reminding me of the importance of Christian schools in America. Knowing what is going on in public schools is a very sobering thought to me. We are in dire need of a generation who will stand firm on the word of God without wavering, and they will certainly not be prepared to do that in a public school. God bless your efforts.
• Larry Reagan March 3, 2019

  Alan,
  We remember what kinds of things were happening in government-run schools in the 1980’s. It has gotten much worse since then. I have often asked how bad it would have to get before Christian families and Christian leaders would stand and say, “that’s enough.” This blog emphasizes the Biblical reasons for starting Christian schools. I’m shocked to learn that many Christian families have no qualms of conscience about allowing practicing homosexuals to teach their children. But, I’m encouraged by the growing number of Christians who are taking back the responsibility for making sure their children get a good education that aligns with the Word of God.
• Rachel Self March 3, 2019

  I love what Mrs. Mary Fleck said above about only having ONE chance to get this right. The idea of just going with the flow of our culture, and seeing if they “turn out alright” is so scary. They might keep following the Lord after government school, but statistically speaking, 90% of them will walk away. Once they are 20, there are no do-overs if you realize you haven’t given them all they’ve needed to follow Christ with their lives.

  Personally I attended government school from third grade thru graduation, and did not think it steered me away from the Lord at the time. I was a “good Christian girl.” My Christian education thru third grade had been a great foundation, as was all my time at home and church. It wasn’t enough though. When I later received a Biblical college education, followed by some Seminary training, and it became clear how much government school had led me to think in ways that contradict what God says in His Holy Word. Even growing up in a very Godly home, being at everything with church, and going on dozens of mission trips, government school was my 35-hours-per-week training ground. It affected me! I hope my children will not have to have so many of their beliefs corrected in their twenties and thirties. Why not give them a strong, Biblical foundation to begin with? I’m so thankful for CCA and all the Christian schools out there who give parents a great Biblical option for training their children up in the way of the Lord!
• John March 4, 2019

  The salt and light argument has always been interesting to me. I feel that there are very, very few students who are properly equipped or mature enough to be salt and light. We as a nation would not send out troops onto the battlefield without extensive training and weapons with which to defend themselves and attack the enemy. Sending them out without adequate training and tools for warfare would result in certain defeat. Returning to students, the brief amount of time spent at church each week is not enough to properly equip and train them to go out and be salt and light in the world, especially if there is not much Biblical training occurring at home. Christ centered education is a great tool to utilize in the equipping and training of young Christians who will grow into warriors for the Lord.
• Lon Chenowith March 5, 2019

  Larry Reagan is really great man…He really is! But I will stay with the subject matter. The blog is right on. The statistics are confirming of the drift of the nation, following the poor example of European nations. The motherland for many Americans has become godless and overrun by illegal immigrants with a very different worldview. The education of a nation greatly affects the up and coming generation. We have had godless public education and brainwashing going on for a long time from the secular media, by some churches and most schools where text books teach a reconstruction of American history, gender confusion, rejection of any form of nationalism, entitlement mindset and survival of the fittest. So babies, old people and the physically challenged don’t count. It is an effective way to annihilate western civilization. There is an intolerance to anyone who has a biblical worldview. The Bible teaches us that parents have the spiritual and moral responsibility to raise, train and guide their children, not the state.
• Larry Reagan March 8, 2019

  Lon, your faithfulness as a pastor, husband, father, and now as a director of missions has been a great example of a man who is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ. Your comments on this blog are absolutely correct. I commend you for speaking the truth in love. Many Christians think it is harsh to call public education “godless,” but that is exactly what it has become. The word “secular” denotes attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis. Secular humanism is the philosophy of the public school system in America. There are some teachers and administrators who give a valiant effort to be salt and light within the system, and I applaud them for their effort. However, the overall effect for America is proving disastrous. Pastors and religious leaders have failed to warn their flocks of the dangers of secular humanism.
  You also hit the nail on the head in the last sentence in your comments. The Bible places the responsibility of education on parents, not the state. Approximately 90% of Americans trust the state to educate their children. This has proven to be very costly.
• Larry Reagan March 8, 2019

  John, you have exposed the fallacy of the salt and light argument very well. I asked a well known pastor, “how are the youth in your church doing at being salt and light?” He replied that about 5% were making an effort. The other 95% were conforming to the culture. I then asked, “is it wise to encourage the parents of that group to keep their children in the public school system when he knew they were conforming?” He later changed his views. I admired his willingness to evaluate the true facts, compare them with God’s Word, and then do the right thing.
  Some will offer the counter-argument that if parents do a good job in the home, and the church will do a good job at church, then the public school system will not harm the students. Empirical data does not support this theory. Surveys for the past 30 years prove this is not working. And, the Bible does not support this theory either. God would never say to a parent, “Teach your children the truth on Sunday at church, and in your home every evening, and then send them to a large educational institution where they will be taught philosophies that are contrary to the Bible.”
  This may sound harsh, but parents and religious leaders who have this philosophy have already conformed to the world themselves. I understand how this has happened. For many years, seminaries in the Southern Baptist Convention have encouraged pastors to keep their children in the public education system to be salt and light. I could give examples, but I won’t mention any names. Many of the denominational leaders who publicly supported the salt and light theory, put their own children in Christian schools. They received large salaries and could afford the tuition. One such leader said to me about ten years ago, “it would be a public relations nightmare to pull our children from public schools.” He was more concerned about “PR” than obeying Biblical principles.
• Larry Reagan March 8, 2019

  Thank you, Rachel, for your wise and courageous comments. The clarity of your testimony is powerful.