First, let's be clear. God gives us resources and those resources are there so that we can provide for others. If you are a parent, then the most important people that have to provide for are....your children. One of the most critical things that you,as a parent, are called on to provide for your children is education. Deuteronomy 6 shows that God has been interested in education from the beginning. Ephesians 6 lets us know that we are expected to take education down the roots of our child's life.
Also, we need to be clear: the resources that God gives us are precious. Therefore, if we are going to use the resources God has given, then we need to use the resources for things that make a difference. Thus, all that I am saying below is about making a good investment in a good Christian school--one that actually provides an exceptional education that is worthy of receiving your resources.
Why is an investment in Christian education something that every parent should consider? Why might it be the best investment you as a parent can make?
1. These are not the public schools that you grew up in! Maybe you survived. I did. The environment today is much different than it was even just 10 years ago. Increasingly, the push is on for two things that are really harming children. First, there is a crisis of identity--particularly as it swirls around gender issues and sexuality. These issues grieve many believers teaching in the public schools, but increasingly tolerance is not enough. Also, the public schools are mired in academic mediocrity--and some of it is being driven by excellent motives. Programs like No Child Left Behind and the fascination with standardized testing has destroyed the academic standards at many schools (Again, good teachers are grieved by these things, but there is little that they can do.)
2. Our culture is pulling in the wrong direction and its pulling harder every day. This is felt everywhere in our culture. It will be felt in your church and even at the Christian school that you might be headed toward. There is a big difference, however, between those joyfully and sacrificially swimming against the current and those paddling with it. As an aside, make sure that if you are investing in a private Christian education make sure the school you are headed toward has a culture full of joy and love. If it is a place of rigor and rules without grace and humility it might immunize your child against the faith!
3. Our culture's educational expectations have fallen so low (and are so misguided) that your child might not be ready for the future without an education that asks more of them than our public schools! We need to be honest. Your children and my children are getting ready to move into a global economy full of poisonous ideas and destructive worldviews. As parents, we have to prepare our children to compete and to follow Christ during these challenging times. If you are a parent, then that is your calling! The right school will help you as a parent give your child all the tools they need to navigate the mine fields of college, calling, career, and of just being a human in a confused and toxic world.
Finding a school that encourages faith in Christ, prepares your child for the battles that are coming, and that trains them academically to be ready to follow God's calling effectively should be a top priority for you as a parent. Investing in sending your child to that school is a great investment!
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