Public Education vs Home Education

Are you an education advocate or a disciplemaker? There is a huge difference.

Judas was with Jesus and yet he failed. Christian schools are not the answer to the eternal problem. They are not the answer to the education problem.

Perhaps you should spend some time in a country as a missionary like Uganda or Sudan and then you will apply Phil. 4:8 to the US.

If homeschools were the solution to Christianity then explain why the strongest Christians grew up under communism and went to atheistic schools.

I wonder how many home schooled students are discipling others compared to those in the Navigators who are mostly in the military and on college campuses?

 

I am not contesting it. Just wondered why you said it.

I wasn't poor enough for food stamps. I agree the church has been derelict. Are you a pastor?

I'll look for the charity thread - not sure what forum it's in. Maybe I'll find some charity there. Ha!

 

Where is your faith in God? Are you sure God would not have taken care of you and see you through. My daughter is in a public high school and prays for other students. She just finished reading the OT and is now working on a workbook of a survey of the NT this summer.

I grew up in a non-Christian home and came to Christ through two students in the Navigators in a public university. Almost all of my relatives have come to Christ since. When I came to Christ I got all kinds of comments and now things are very different.

I pray for each of my students by name and have seen God work in incredible ways.

 

I applaud your parents. They truly are to be commended. There are many, many parents to be commended out there for various reasons.

But, how can you KNOW you wouldn't be here on a Christian forum? Surely only God knows that....not us.:saint:

 

I think that may depend on the part of the country you are referring to. Just an observation, not a certainty. I've lived in TN, PA, MA, and FLA. Every part of the country is quite different.
:Fish:

 

One with God is a majority.

 

At least one thing can be said about public schools. This quote of igpruitt's "Don't Curse the Darkness--Light a Candle." Wonderful things happen with Christian teachers and students around.

Every situation is different. I think each parent should pray about how to educate your kids. Then do what you feel led to do.

 

You are absolutely right.

Many years ago I knew a young lady who completely changed the high school she was at simply by starting one Bible study with another young lady. She had such an impact that in about one year the high school youth group at the church went from about 30 to about 150. Almost 10 percent of the high school started attending the high school youth group. That affected the church for almost the next 35 years and is still going. The youth has become one of the strongest ministries of that church over the years.

 

Sadly many more go into public schools and depart from their faith than change the ones aroud them.

You do not put a trainee recruit straight into battle, they have to go through training first. Sometimes I think putting our kids straight into 40 hours a week of very worldly exposure is dangerous.

I do not think I am against public schools, but we do need to be realistic about the effects they have on Christian young people in most places.

 

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. No soldier is really prepared for battle until he puts his training to work. To put his training to work he must first train to get into battle. The battle starts from the moment he gives his life to Christ. I have seen new believers lead others to Christ while others who have been sitting in church have never shared their faith. When I was in seminary a young lady admitted that she had gone to a Christian college and her dad was a deacon yet she had never shared her faith. The majority of adults do not read their Bible, share their faith, and make disciples. Then they expect their children to know the Bible and know God?

Sometime read some church history and how new believers stood for the faith at the expense of their lives. Read about the new believers in the Bible such as Paul and Jesus' disciples.

A few years ago I met with a missionary from Uganda and he told me that the average pastor has been pastoring two years and a Christian three. Are the Christians stronger in battle or watching the battle. Do you learn to walk by watching or by walking? Do you learn to run by running or by studying about running? Do you learn to have faith in God by studying about God or by knowing God? There is only one way to know God. I would contend that the way most church folks live is as if they only know about God.

How can someone who really knows God depart from the faith? Too often if one listens to the typical prayer in a church it is much like reading a list instead of communicating with the living God. If the average non-Christian came into our churches would he know that our God answers our prayers and that we believe Him? Sometime ask the average person sitting in a pew about the last prayer God answered. Ask that same person what they last read in the Bible and when they last talked to a person about Christ.

It takes 79 hours to read the Bible through out loud. That is less than 15 min. per day.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with home schooling. It allows the parents to guide the child much more than releasing them to the nonsense of public schools.

The only two drawbacks I see are some states (like this one) require a certain level of college to home school children in the upper years, and one has to make sure that the home schooling program they are giving allows admission to most colleges.

One other thing I have noticed, if you are going to home school your kids, make sure they get a well rounded experience in life to make up for things they could likely miss such as playing sports, being on various academic teams, and interacting and forming friendships with other kids as they grow up. You may have to seek this out. Also, make sure they have the skills to deal with the real world.

Christian parents are much better teachers than public schools in general.

 

b93433, so would you through an infant baby into the ocean and say, "Hey, you learn by doing!"?

I can understand not wrapping up a child in cotton wool and never getting exposure to the world, but as parents we cannot through them in too early.

Paul said to lay hands suddenly on no man, to not put some one in a position of responsibility until they are ready. Paul recognised that it takes a level of Christian maturity before entering into certain fields of service and responsibility.

In my own opinion I do not want my child exposed to 40+ hours a week of humanistic, evolutionary and liberal thinking. I want their education to be based upon the fear of the Lord and conservative, Scriptural principles.

Yep, done that and do not see your point. Paul as a Pharisee and grown adult took himself away for three years before going in to full blown "battle".

By the way, remarks that insinuate a person has not been educated, such as your comment on reading church history, is not worthy of true debate. I see this often in forums and it is very irritating.

There are some good public schools and some GREAT teachers doing a good work for the Lord in those schools. But sadly they are a minority.

Any home school should be complimented with after school activities so that the children can have exposure and opportunity to witness and share their faith.

There is an argument going round about home schooled kids being socially inept and that is wrong. It is down to the parent's willingness to train up their children.

 

Your statement is exactly the reason why Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples. Making disciples is more than just making converts.

I teach at a university and if you could show me one home schooled student who is stronger than those in the Navigators coming from non-Christian homes I would believe you. When I came to Christ not one person in my family was a believer. Certainly I was tested but I stood the test and did not waver. Today most of my family and relatives are Christians today.

I have never known an infant to be a believer. My daughter has ben sharing her faith since she was in kindergarten. She reads the Bible and studies it. Some of the most intelligent discussions have been with her.

If I followed your reasoning, the students on campuses all over the world with the Navigators would be highly ineffective. The fact is that I would love to see the state of students at the same age in church programs as effective as any Navigator group.

Consistently church history shows that the strongest Christians and where the church is growing the fastest is in the most anti-Christian countries. In areas where I have lived where there is anti-Christian attitudes the Christians are tougher and stronger.

What concerns me more than anything is not that the world is so bad but that so many Christians are no different than the world.

 

How does the commitment of the children in Christian schools in the U.S. compare to the Christian students who grew up under communism and attended atheistic schools?

I would contend that school has little influence compared to the example and discussions parents have with their children.