dear mr. atheist, please know all Christian homeschoolers aren’t alike
There has been quite an interesting buzz in the past day or so over an article written on the Friendly Atheist blog that I think homeschoolers ought to read and ponder. It seems that two guys who are self-proclaimed atheists decided to attend the recent Illinois Christian Home Educators’ Convention and have blogged about their perceptions. Please read their thoughts before you continue with mine!
Yesterday our very transparent and astute Sunday school teacher shared some concerns about his personal lack of evangelistic zeal with a classroom full of believers. He asked us what a Christian’s number one priority ought to be and, of course, there were a variety of answers. Our group fleshed out the responses and then he expounded on the purpose for the ministry Jesus had while He was on earth, reminding us that we are to emulate Christ. He shared several Scripture passages that could all be summed up in 1 John 4:14: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
On the way home our family talked a bit about this perspective and I continued to think about it the rest of the day, especially in light of how I live as a homeschooling mom and a Christian. I especially pondered these things as I thought about recent correspondence I’d had with someone from a family integrated church. Admitting that his congregation was not growing and that there were no attempts to invite anyone to their group who was not a homeschooling family, I asked about evangelism and was told that they were just all too busy and, besides, they wanted their children to be exposed to only other young people who held to their same standards of dress and modesty.
Sigh.
I also thought about the Kevin Swanson sermon I heard a couple weeks ago where he totally mocked evangelistic efforts and told his audience that parents are not commanded to share the Gospel with others. Instead, we are to disciple our children. Period.
Sigh. Again.
Then, last night, as I read the article written by two atheists who so openly and, might I say, fairly graciously shared their response to things they heard at the ICHE conference, my heart sank. These are two young men, neither yet parents themselves and roughly the age of my own children, who have discerned the very things about homeschooling that I, too, find to be so wrong. These things are bad enough as they damage relationships within the homeschooling community and as they destroy even some homeschooling families from within. Now they can be added to the list of reasons the body of Christ is so inept at presenting the Jesus of the Bible in both word and deed to those who are opposed to Christianity.
So here is my response to some of what these guys observed that truly grieved me as I read:
~ Not all Christian homeschooling families share HSLDA’s thoughts on parental rights legislation and, in fact, many have some very good arguments against those views. Many of us are at a loss as to why HSLDA has refused to have an honest and open debate about this topic and wish they would reconsider. And, more importantly and quite frankly, there are many of us who are fearful for children in homes where teachers like Michael Pearl have such tremendous influence along with the harebrained notion that many of these “leaders” have about doing away with DCFS. We are speaking out against these teachings, believing there needs to be a safety net for vulnerable children. Some of us are even willing to lose friends in the process as we approach the touchy subject of raising children. Please don’t think that all homeschoolers agree with the speakers you heard.
~ Not all homeschoolers are theonomists either. Many of us agree with Cal Thomas who, after years of chasing the dream of the religious right, have put politics in its proper perspective and know that redemption of a lost and increasingly immoral culture will not occur through the ballot box but through changed hearts and minds. Yes, we do believe in the power of the Holy Spirit for those changes!
~ Most Christian homeschooling families do not believe that holding to a young earth position is required for salvation. Though many of us do believe in a literal 6 day creation perspective, we allow for the fact that other Christians may have other thoughts. In fact, some of the greatest proponents of Gospel grace, such as Charles Spurgeon, for example, believed that God didn’t necessarily create the world in the way Ken Ham teaches it. Our standard for someone being a Christian is based on this: We are all sinners who have violated God’s holy and righteous standards. He came in the flesh in the form of Jesus Christ to die on the cross as an atonement for those sins. If we confess those sins, depending solely on His grace alone, we will be saved. Period. No lists of required curriculum, no dress codes, no manmade paradigms. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy, He has saved us.
~ Not all Christian homeschooling parents believe that exposing young people to a variety of worldviews will turn them into unbelievers. We don’t think attending Sunday school or youth groups will either. We have the best hope for raising children who remain faithful and who embrace the Gospel for themselves if we believe it and live it in our homes and when we aren’t afraid of being challenged by our kids who are seeking real answers. And can I just add that leaving the church is not the same thing as leaving the faith. Think about that one.
~ Not all Christian homeschooling parents are enamored with the so-called “homeschooling celebrities” who sign their books at these conventions. Some of us actually believe the real homeschooling heroes to emulate are the faithful moms who scrub toilets, nurse babies, and teach phonics to wiggly kids.
~ Not all Christian homeschooling families are afraid of being involved in the arts, whether it is music, theater, film, or what have you. And many of us who dive into those things find some of the cheesy Christian stuff downright offensive. We also recognize that computer games are sometimes educational and that electronic media is the future. We are more interested in preparing our children to be functioning productive adults 50 years from now rather than going back to some Little House on the Prairie ideal from 150 years ago! In fact, most homeschooling families own twice the number of computers in their homes as their public school counterparts!
~ Most homeschooling families are appalled at any idea that daughters shouldn’t go to college and that girls should receive educations inferior to that of their brothers. We are horrified by the notion that women are to be bartered away in marriage by their dads, that moms with ectopic pregnancies should risk their lives and not have surgery, or that women are to be the passive, silent partners in a marriage. In fact, a growing number of homeschooling families are speaking out against these ludicrous and unbiblical notions. Look around this blog if you have any doubts.
Any thoughts?
Thank you all for your suggestions and I look forward to getting up to speed on these concept and terms. I have a great time discussing theology with my kids, but we usually focus on issues of the day such as the state of the current evengelical/fundamentalist church, the pitfalls with tying our faith too closely with any political movements,and a favorite of mine- the amazing way that in Christ, what seems a paradox- the balancing of justice and mercy-is made whole and perfect, to name a few. My oldest son, a theology minor in college, said that he has basically never had another Christian bring up the issues of hyperterist/preterist, etc., other than in converstion with other theology students. I thought that the whole rapture/post-milleneum-ante-milleneum discussion was all that was out there. How in the dark I was!(And of course, that is my fault for not being more diligent in my studies!) So, again I am very gratified to find this site. I will probably have many questions for discussion very soon, though I will try not to be tedious! God bless, Laura
While we are discussing,in a general sense,the areas where the homeschool movement has been represented by those of certain perspectives that most homeschooling families would not wish to support, or by some whose theories might be fairly popular but whose approach- ” Think like us or you’re a heretic/readical feminist/etc.” is a turn off- I would like to hear thoughts on this whole Civil War/ Patriarchal connection.
Specifically, I am very interested in the whole phenomena of “Civil War Balls” being given as a sort of social/historical event.
Now, I love history-and I think that reenactment and dramatization is a great way to learn and understand history in a profound-and fun way.
The thing that seems so weird about the Civil War Ball movement is that based on my initial research, the people who promote these events are very sympathetic to the confederacy. At least that is my impression. If you went to a medieval ball, you would not be taking a political position. But the people giving these Civil War events talk about it as though they are recapturing some lost and beautiful era that has tragically dissapeared.
I have debated this with some in our home school coop and the discussion invariably turns to how the Civil War wasn’t about slavery, etc. Personally I think there is sufficient documentation to say that at very least, if slavery wasn’t the ONLY cause of the war, it would have not taken place without it. To me, it is a moot point, because if you have even a reasonable and defensible cause (the constitutional inportance of state’s right) attached to a great evil (slavery), the whole thing becomes rotten in my book. Have any of you had these events held in your states? Perhaps it is more prevalent in the South/Southwest. Anyway, I think it is something to think about. Imagine what the “Friendly Athiests” would write on this topic- and I think many of us would agree with them!
Laura, I am still on vacation and behind in e-mail and all my great research material is at home! For starters, google ” the civil war as a theological war.” I have a great link on my home computer to all the original documents from the confederate states when they seceded. Every single one clearly states that the reason for secession was absolutely slavery. Much of what was published to support the theological propaganda came from civil war survivors who wanted to spin their journals and diaries into a noble perspective so their posterity would not believe their men had died in vain. That body of writing is referred t o as the Lost Cause writings. Elsie Dinsmore, for example, is part of this and, of course, is highly promoted by the patriocentrists and sold by Vision Forum. I will post more later when I get home later this week. Hope that helps….and thanks for your very kind words, by the way.
Thanks for your reply Karen! I agree with you 100% that we are being fed propaganda with all this warm fuzzy confederate stuff. Of course there were Christians in the confederate states- but all that does for me is to remind me that we can be as wrong as anyone else, apart from the grace of God. I’m glad you mentioned the Elsie Dinsmore books, too. Those were some of the first things we read that really caused us to wonder where this Vision Forum /Patriarch movement was headed. Not only was the one we read clearly racist, in our opinion, but it was downright creepy and scary the way Elsie seemed to blame herself for her fathers bad behavior and everything else that went wrong! Hardly a healthy message.(Our girls thought she was about the worst girl character of any book they had ever read.) Enjoy the rest of your vacation… and again, I am so happy to have found this site!!Blessings, Laura
Amen!!! Very well said. We are Christian homeschoolers who avoid Christian homeschooling groups like the plague. It’s so sad that the crazies are how Christianity is presented to the world.
Well said! I have these similar thoughts and views. I find it hard to connect w/ any single group completely as it implies thta their ideas are my ideas.
We are members of HSLDA not because we agree with all they say and do but we consider their fees as a safe legal retainer.
Being in Illinois I am watching the IPAC but do not necessarily like all they say or do either.
You do a great job here telling others that we homeschool parents/grandparents are varied in many ways. It is unfortunate that the conventions tend to lean so much on a single view.
BethAnne Strong, we just welcomed the IlPac to our town this week and they are so open to hearing all criticisms. What specifically have they done that you disagreed with. I am curious!