So again, what exactly is the problem? Well, the real issue is parents; parents who have abdicated the educational responsibilities given to them directly by God. In modern day America, what was once the exclusive territory of the home and to some lesser degree the church has now become the almost exclusive territory of the government school system. Children are being turned over, for the most part, in blind faith by their parents, to be thoroughly indoctrinated by a totally secular humanistic system of education. All aspects of Christianity have been systematically removed from the public areas of our society, and no area has been harder hit than the American public school classroom. Many of today's parents have moved away from the biblical principles of education and have taken upon themselves, and their children, the principles of the world. John Macarthur, in his book, The Fulfilled Family, which is an exegetical look at Ephesians 5 and 6, states the problem perfectly. He says:
"Today's parents tend to be more passive and less involved in their children's lives than any generation in our nation's history. They have turned their children over to artificial, surrogate parents. Day-care centers, relatives, the television set, and the child's own peers often have far more influence on the moral and social development of today's children than parents do."
That, Macarthur says "is an abdication of the parent's duty before God." He says that the "Lord Himself gave parents – not schools, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, or anyone else – the primary responsibility for the nurture and admonition of [their] children."[1] Macarthur is of course referring to Ephesians 6:4 which says "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." The original Greek word that is translated discipline in the English Standard Version is "paideia." In the original language it was used to pass along such meanings as: education, training or some form of disciplinary correction like: chastening, chastisement, instruction, or nurture, and this discipline was to be carried out, not by some surrogate, part-time fill-in, but by the father. And while the ESV translates the Greek word "pater" as father, it could have just as easily been translated as either parent, but no one else. You see if we believe the Bible is the literal Word of God, and take what it says to heart, then we can in no way interpret it to say that the schools are responsible for the education of our children. While Macarthur goes on to say that he is not suggesting that everyone should home school their children, he does say that all parents should remain intimately involved in every aspect of their children's lives, including school.[2] The reason why Mr. Macarthur suggests that home school may not be for everyone is because he feels that some parents may not be qualified to home school their children. He said that some parents may not have the skill they need to teach the academic subjects. However, I would say that if God has entrusted you with children, then He will fully equip you for every aspect of your child's training needs. As Augustine prayed; "O God, command what you wouldst, and grant what thou dost command." In other words, if God calls us to do any task, even educating, then He is not going to leave us short handed in regard to our responsibility; He will thoroughly equip us for the job. All we have to do is by faith, trust in His sufficiency! But don't just take my word for it, as a matter of fact; Dr. Brian Ray quotes statistics in his book, The World Wide Guide to Home schooling, which shows that there is no significant relationship between student achievements and the teacher certification status, or education level of the parent.[3] In other words, on average, home schooled children who have parents with little or no education tend to do just as well, academically, as those with highly educated parents. Even further, Dr. Ray states that even children who have parents that hold a state teachers certification tend to do no better that their counterparts who have parents that are not teacher certified. Now while there are other legitimate reasons why a parent may not be able to home school their children, there is absolutely no reason why they cannot be intimately involved in every aspect of their child's education. But for some reason, this has become the norm. We have somehow grown into a mindset where the "normal" thing to do is to pawn off our children to any and everyone who sets behind a desk and has a teaching certificate. And we do this, all because we can not or are not qualified to do the job ourselves; or at least that is what we are told. But the truth is, as Christian parents, we are not only qualified, we are commanded to carry out and oversee the entire education process of our children. Armed with this information alone, we must return to a biblical model of education if we ever expect to overcome the problems that are so rampant in our society today.
While having all this new information is helpful, just having an understanding of the problem will not bring about change. As Moses told the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 5, he said "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.(Deuteronomy 5:1)" First we must listen, then we must learn and finally we must do! So the real question then becomes; what do we do about it? In order to develop the best solution, we must first make sure we are approaching it with a biblical prospective. We must make sure that we consider the problem in light of history; where did we come from? We must also consider where we were originally and how and when we got off track, considering all the mistakes of the past and also its successes, and then, in light of these facts, develop a solution based on the direction of scripture; one that will move us from where we are today to where we need to be tomorrow. All the time, being mindful of the fact that our solution needs to cover the primary issue of responsibility – helping parents take that responsibility - and also the secondary issues of, academics and morality. So with that in mind, let us make our best effort to solve the problem.
[1] John Macarthur, The Fulfilled Family, God's Design for Your Home (Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005), 101.
[2] Macarthur, 102.
[3] Ray, 2004 - 2005 Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling, 78-79.
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