Is the public school system the best place for your child?

Today, I’m going to attempt to

unpack a biblical position for the homeschool vs public school debate.

Key Takeaways From This Episode

• First, you should know that I was raised in public school for my entire education, so I’m
preaching today from conviction, not from loyalty or personal experience.

• Second, I do not believe the Bible directly condemns public school or affirms
homeschooling, but instead, offers us a variety of Scripture to help us form a wise
decision around how our children are to be educated.

• Now over the years, the most common reasons I’ve heard Christians use to support
their decision for enrolling their young children in public school are:

• “They will be a light to their non-Christian friends”

• “We must teach our children to be in the world, and not of the world”

• “We can’t keep them in a bubble forever, they need to develop real-world people
skills.”

• These parents are usually referring to the following Bible verses:

• Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before men”

• Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth”

• John 15:19 “be in the world but not of the world…”

• I believe where most parents get mixed up is forgetting that these instructions were
not instructions written to children but to adults.
• If you’ve read the Scriptures, you know that Jesus, nor any of the Apostles, sent young
children out to evangelize, to disciple, to be missionaries, nor to be the iron in another
child’s life.

• Now, this doesn’t mean that children can’t share the gospel, some do. But there’s a
difference between a child sharing the Gospel within the safety of their private life, and
a child being sent on a mission into a hostile environment to be a light to those around
them.

• Jesus makes it clear that we are not to purposefully put those who are undeveloped in
their faith in a place of hostility, temptation, moral confusion, or worldly seduction.

• To look at this from another perspective, I ask you to think about what the chances are
of an atheist family putting their child in a Christian school whose teachings are
founded in the Bible. I say zero chance.

• So having said that, why then would a decidedly Christian family with biblical values
choose to place their children in our decidedly atheist and devotedly liberal public
school system? Why would a Christian family choose to put their kids for 8 hours per
day, five days per week, for 13 years into an education system that opposes and
teaches against the very foundational values of their Christian faith?

• But that is what’s occurring today; Millions of Christians families are choosing to place
their children, against Jesus’ strong warning, in the public school system.

• Now, I do understand that some Christian families simply can’t afford to homeschool or
private school their children. I also understand that not all schools and all teachers are
immoral or unbiblical. There are still some upstanding faculties and decent public
schools out there. But these are the exceptions. In speaking to it as a whole, America’s
public school system is not getting better, safer, or holier.

• Now, we must remember that all education is discipleship. If you’re sending your
children to a public school 30-40 hours per week, how do you expect to out-disciple
that? Do you believe that 60-mins of Sunday School and a few morning devotionals are
going to compete? Atheist and communist Vladimir Lenin once said, “Give me four
years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
(Secularization desacralize)

• Parents, don’t be fooled. Satan is playing for keeps and he wants the hearts and minds
of your young children.
 • You can train your children or the culture can train your children. But one thing is for
sure, do not expect your child to depart from the things they were taught, whether
they are true or not, whether they are moral or immoral.

• Outside of a very real encounter with Jesus Christ, God designed the human brain to
lock in the lessons of early childhood.

• I’ve heard it explained that 1-3 they are like wet clay. 4-7 they are moldable. 8-
12 they are getting difficult to shape. 13-18 they are generally shaped and only
small adjustments can be made by sanding and shaving off unwanted portions.

• Now, if your child is currently in public school, hear me when I say this, I am not
condemning you. You may feel convicted by the truth, but that is separate from what
I’m doing. I’m simply presenting a biblical perspective on the matter.

• We all have to determine how to navigate the life and family God has laid before us.
Furthermore, I understand that there are always unique circumstances and special
exceptions for some families. However, it is incredibly common for us to believe that
we’re always the exception and that we’re special.

• So, I’m simply asking you to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Is the potential loss of
your child’s spiritual footing really worth it? Is losing your child to the culture, really
worth it? Is risking your child’s eternal security worth it?

• As parents, sometimes situations require us to move heaven and earth to shield our
children’s hearts. Sometimes it requires working nights and weekends or quitting a job
or moving across the country to withstand the enemy’s efforts to distort our families.

• Christian parents, raising Godly children is fulfilling the Great Commission in your
home. It is work of the utmost importance. It is saintly work. It is holy work. It is eternal
work.

• So, I encourage you to get before the Lord on this matter. Ask Him what you should do
and be open to His response to you.

Scriptures Referenced

• Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before men”

• Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth”

• John 15:19 “be in the world but not of the world…”

• Matthew 18:6 He says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me
to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone wrapped around his neck and
be drowned in the sea.”

• Proverbs 22:6 where it says, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they
are old they will not depart from it.”

• Galatians 6:9 to “let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall
reap if we do not lose heart.”