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| Read the First Letter |  |
Dear Christian Parents, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What better greeting could I offer to you than this one, which is used to introduce many of the letters in the Bible’s New Testament? It seems appropriate for me to borrow these words as I salute you, my fellow Christians. Therefore, I say to you in all sincerity, may God bless you all with grace and peace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In all likelihood, you and I have never met. Even so, I have so much to say to you. I realize that you are probably not in the habit of taking advice from strangers. Then again, maybe you are. Do you watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers, or search on the internet? If you do, then you are already hearing and reading strangers’ advice. So then, I hope you don’t mind giving me a chance, for what I have to say is among the most important things that can be said to Christian parents.
So that we don’t remain strangers, let me introduce myself to you. You really don’t need to know very much about me, but a few things are essential. I am a Christian, just like you are. I am also a husband and a father, just as you are also spouses and parents. I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and I’m sure you agree. I am also sure you agree that we Christians must use God’s word as a guide for every part of life. As you can see, you and I have many things in common, and the most important of these is our shared faith in the Lord Jesus. It is on this basis that I appeal to you as a brother in Christ for a chance to make my case from the Bible to you.
Now let’s talk about you. Even though we have probably never met before, I already know who you are. I have sought out you Christian parents because I know your goals and values. Because you are Christians, I know that you love the Lord. I also know that you love your children. Just knowing these two things about you is enough for me to know that what I have to say will be important for you.
You are concerned about your children’s education as most parents are. Your children’s studies, teachers, classmates, and schools are important to you. You are concerned about what they are learning both academically and socially. You probably worry that they will be exposed to so many bad things that you hear about in schools – violence, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, etc. You want your children to have the best education, but you also want to protect your children from evil influences. Can you have it both ways?
If I told you that your children can have the best education from the best teachers in the best environment, would you believe me? What if there was a school that taught exactly what you wanted your children to learn? Would you send them there? What if this school had teachers and administrators whose sole agenda was the spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing of your children? What if this school was perfectly safe from all threats to your children’s minds, bodies, and, most importantly, souls? How much would you be willing to sacrifice to allow your children to attend this school?
Such a school is available to your children if you will only realize it. Regardless of where you live in the United States, your children can attend this school. In this school, you will have the power to oversee every moment of your children’s education. You will choose your children’s subjects, books, activities, and even their teachers and classmates. Moreover, when your children are in this school, you will know that they are perfectly safe.
This school is homeschool. We call it homeschool because it is usually taught within the home, but it is more accurate to say that it is within the family – parents and children included. This school goes wherever the family goes, and its classroom is anywhere they choose. All that is needed for your children to attend this school is for you to open its doors and get to work.
Because this school is within your home and your family, the Lord is welcomed and honored in this school every day. Prayer and the Bible are also welcome there. Because you Christian parents will be the teachers of this school, the lessons given will be completely focused upon educating your children in compliance with God’s will. God’s truth will be the foundation of everything your children learn in this school, and your children will be drawn closer to God every day. You will never have to “unteach” any of the lessons that are taught to your children because everything they learn will be true to God’s word. In this school, nothing will be introduced to your children without your permission. Your children will never be exposed to the filth and corruption of the world except to uncover the truth about sin and wickedness according to the word of God.
By now, you have begun to see the goodness of what I am imploring you to do. Truly, this is only the beginning, for I have much more to say on this matter. This is the first in a series of letters I have planned for you in which I will make my case from the Bible in favor of homeschooling. Please give me your patient, continuous, undivided attention, and I will do my best to make this case to you.
For now, I hope that you will carefully consider the appeal I am making to you. Please, for the sake of your children, take on the vital task of educating your own children for yourself.
I know that I am calling upon you to make a radical change and a tremendous commitment. However, let me remind you that when you devoted yourselves to Christ, you made a radical change and a tremendous commitment, and when God blessed you with children, you made another radical change and another tremendous commitment. Really, I am only asking you to carry out these changes and commitments to the full extent of God’s will.
I also know that you have a lot of questions: Are you qualified to teach your children? Can you afford to homeschool? What about socialization? Is it harmful to shelter your children from the world? Will your children be prepared for college? How do you get started? I hope to answer these questions and much more in future letters.
Please understand that my purpose in these letters is not to present a comprehensive explanation of the academic benefits of homeschooling. Certainly, I could prove to you by facts, statistics, and test scores that homeschooled students typically outperform both public and private school students across the board in academics, but that is not my purpose. There are many other resources that make that case very well, and I encourage you to research those resources as you consider homeschooling. If you check the academic record of homeschooled students, then you will be impressed, but I want to make a different impression on you.
My purpose in these letters is to reinforce a spiritual appeal to you on behalf of your children through the application of the Bible. My goal is to convince you to educate your children in the best way to cultivate faithfulness to God within them. Nothing else is as important as faith in God, for none of us can please God without it. Therefore, if a child’s education fails to produce godly faith in him, then it is worthless, for it has failed to prepare him for the very purpose of his life.
As we go forward, I will ask you to prayerfully study both the Old and New Testaments with me as we seek the will of God regarding the education of our children. If you don’t agree with my conclusions in these letters, then I respect your opinion and judgment with all honesty, sincerity, and truth. These letters are not intended to judge you or condemn you for any decision you make, but I do hope to influence you.
Until my next letter, please be thinking and praying about what I have introduced to you here. May God bless you and your family.
Regards in the Lord,
Stacey © 2011 Dear Christian Parents |
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