Are you or someone you know concerned about the education of our children? Dr. Roy W. Lowrie, Jr. Ed. D. has written the following letter to you. Education is a timely topic in our culture today. Please take the time to read the letter below to place relevant issues in their proper Biblical perspective.

Decisions about the schooling of your children are among the most important choices that you must make. A school makes a lifelong impression upon a student, for it, along with his home and his church, establishes the basic framework for the student’s philosophy of life, for his values and for his lifestyle.

Many parents recognize that the conception and birth of a child is a wonderful thing, a gift from God. It is not uncommon for parents to commit a child to God before she is even born. When the baby is born, they dedicate or baptize the child before the church, taking solemn vows to raise that child in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Christians are usually earnest parents.

If they have a biblical viewpoint on children, Christian parents are concerned about education. The question facing them is this: Having committed my children to God, how shall they be educated in keeping with that commitment? Many parents today are enrolling their children in Christian schools because the teachers educate children in harmony with the Christian commitment of the parents. The school supports the home and the church.

The teacher in the Christian school represents the parent during the school day. He has the freedom in school to teach biblical precepts as the truth. He is not prohibited from teaching Christianity in the classroom. He bases education on the Christian outlook on life as taught in the Bible. He brings God’s Word and the world together. He teaches that in God we live and move and have our being.

The Christian school teacher sees that there is an important difference between Christian and non-Christian viewpoints on a given subject. Even though some factual knowledge may be the same for both, no subject can be taught in the totality of its truth if the Creator is ignored or denied. Knowledge is purified by the recognition of God’s place in it. No approach to education can be God-honouring unless it is based upon the Scriptures.

Educators agree that early impressions at school are important. From their earliest educational experiences, Christian school students are taught about God. For example, in the Christian school the children learn the word “God” before they learn the word “dog”. Those three letters are the same, but the concepts of the two words are marked different. God is always primarily in Christian education.

Students also learn about Jesus Christ, who is the truth. They are encouraged to receive Him as their personal Saviour. They are exhorted to follow God’s will for their lives, making decisions which are in accord with the Scriptures, thus pleasing him. The teachers are good examples, for they are all born again, and are living solid Christian lives.

The Christian school gives students a sound education. It is not a glorified Sunday school, but is a bona fide educational institution. The school accepts the responsibility of having a strong academic programme. It is committed to the principle that a student should not have to suffer an academic penalty in order to get a Christian education.

As you consider the education of your own children, I encourage you to educate them in a school where God is honoured. You will have one opportunity to educate your children. Your decision can not be undone in later years.

“An Education in Which Jesus Christ is Central Will Influence the Whole Course of Your Child’s Life.”