Qualities of Sound Christian Education: Biblical Advice for Christian Schools, Parents, & Homeschools

Chapter 1

The Standard

Editor’s note: Although this book is valuable to a wide audience such as Christian school administrators, teachers, home schoolers, Christian colleges, parents, authors of Christian school textbooks, and church leaders, it is impossible to address the general diction to everyone, so it is primarily written as if the reader is a leader in a Christian grade school.

Christian schooling: what an awesome opportunity and safer haven for Christian parents who are disgusted with what is being taught, or not taught, in public or government schools. What a blessing Christian education is for parents who have aspirations of God’s will for their children, rather than simply schooling them. What a wonderful option for obedient parents who take seriously God’s requirement of them to train their children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

It may seem the terms schooling and education are the same, and even I may use them interchangeably in this book, but they are not: Schooling is the process of educating children. In other words, an education is what students receive from their schooling.

Let’s begin this book by asking a series of questions every Christian school must ask. Some of these questions have come from parents, teachers, and school staff while I served as a Christian school board member over the years. All of these questions will either be answered in this book, or information will be given so you can formulate your own answer:

• Does your Christian school meet the expectations and requirements of parents who are looking to your school to educate their children as God outlines in His Word?

• Does your Christian school take seriously the responsibilities those parents are placing on you?

• What standards are they evaluating your school against?

• What standards does your school evaluate itself against?

• From a business perspective, what is your product, what is the quality of your product, and what is the value of your product?

• What qualities does your Christian school have that will entice parents to choose to send their children to your school over another Christian school?

• Does God give standards, requirements, or even guidelines for Christian schooling? What are they?

• Does God’s Word have anything to say about any (or all) of the scholastic subjects taught?

• Does God have any standards, guidelines, or requirements for school administration, teachers, school policies, and discipline?

• Does God give standards or advice on whom to hire as the school Administrator and teachers?

• Does God have standards, guidelines, or requirements for students?

• Is an obedient Christian school safe from troubles, trials, or attacks from the Enemy?

• How can a Christian school recognize the Enemy’s attacks and be able to withstand them?

• Does God even approve of Christian schools?

You will notice the word standard in many of those questions. It is very important in Christian schooling to understand what that standard is. From the Merriam-Webster dictionary, standard means "something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example: something set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality:"⁷ I am sure you would agree a Christian school is established by God’s authority. And, I certainly hope that the model or example used in its establishment was God’s Word, the Bible. A Christian student’s education should come from biblically based schooling. I also certainly expect the standard now used by a Christian school as the rule of measure or evaluation, extent, value, and quality continues to be the Bible. This book will not only explain how, but also challenge your school to ensure and to improve the use of God’s Word in all aspects of schooling.

The standard or established authority for Christian schools and the resulting education is God’s Word, the Bible. It has everything required to be the standard. It is the model, example, the established authority by the greatest Authority, and is the rule of measure. One only needs to recognize this, and to know how to use this standard. Subsequent chapters in this book will explain how, including examples, and will give you the confidence in this standard as God wants you to have. God considers His Word the Bible authoritative, and complete. He thinks so highly of His Word that David in Psalm 138:2 said For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. If you are involved in Christian education at any level, you must set God’s Word as the established authority.

The Bible must be foundational. Asking questions is essential for growth, change for the better, or keeping on the right track, and of course, those must come with the right answers. First, the foundation for those answers must be set in place. In the construction of a building, the foundation is the most important part of the successful structure, quality, effectiveness, and longevity of that building. Likewise is the importance of the foundation of a successful Christian school. You are probably familiar with the Bible passage about the wise man that built his foundation on a rock, and the metaphor used insinuates the rock is Jesus and His Word. Several of the Psalms mentions God as the solid rock and foundation.

The foundation of a building will only serve its purpose well if it has quality materials and workmanship. Equally important is how sound the foundation is which results from the proper design, taking into consideration the type and size of the structure, and the surrounding environment. Christian education must have a foundation built on quality and soundness, so in the next couple of chapters, those two terms will be explained in detail, and you will see how important they are.

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man a more clever devil. –C.S. Lewis

Chapter 2

The Significance of Quality

The word quality means: a peculiar and essential character: a degree of excellence: …a distinguishing attribute. (Merriam-Webster)8. This book will help a Christian school evaluate and/or create their peculiar and essential character. It will also help the school look at its distinguishing attributes; and find what degree of excellence it has. To accomplish these, there needs to be a proven standard to measure against. There needs to be an established statement of what the quality level is expected to be, and there needs to be a manual of procedures to use to achieve and ensure that quality. That standard of measurement in Christian schooling is the Word of God and God’s principles. As mentioned in the introduction of this book, you are to keep a look out for individual statements that make up the elements of sound Christian education so here is the first one:

The Word of God and God’s principles are the standard of measurements used to evaluate and construct the character and distinguishing attributes of a sound Christian school.

Let me interject a very important comment before continuing: If your Christian school’s foundation and policies are not based solidly on godly principles, then please consider removing the name Christian from your school. All Christian schools should stand on the same biblical foundation, the same ‘Christ’-ian basis, or those that do will consider those that do not to be impostors, denigrating the term Christian school, and therefore offensive to Jesus Christ.

Since the term Christian means Christ follower, or little Christ, a Christian school must therefore be rooted in the character and teachings of Jesus Christ. And, since Jesus said In the volume of the book it is written of me (Hebrews 10:7), the whole Bible should be used as the standard and basis of Christian school establishment, policies, and curriculum. In chapter 1 of the gospel of John, he establishes that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the whole Word of God: The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us is what he said in verse 14, so a Christian school must be founded, rooted, and based on sound ‘Christ’-ian principles from the Word of God. (Specific principles will be covered in detail throughout this book.) That presents a second quality element:

Sound Christian schools are Christ Followers and are rooted in the character and teachings of Jesus Christ as the foundation for all aspects of their schooling.

In addition to that, do not, by any means, un-tether Jesus from the Word of God. That might be a strange comment, but you realize its validity when you consider that Satan has few issues with teaching laws, ethics, or what we call morality, but he does have issues with Jesus, and he does not want Jesus to be known as the basis of those three things. When you disconnect Jesus from laws, ethics, or morality, as Satan hopes you do, then you have no real and true basis for them. Morality then becomes movable, with no anchor or foundation, and that means morality can change and be different for different people, which presents a lot of problems.

In our world today, we see the detrimental results of disconnecting Jesus from morality: Moral relativism, situation ethics, truth that differs from person to person, etc. Jesus is the author of laws and morality, and Christian schools must include Jesus as its anchor or foundation in all areas, and especially in the teaching of morals. That is why John began his gospel so very eloquently establishing in chapter 1 that Jesus is the Word of God; there is no separation or difference. Laws and morality must be based on the Word of God, or they don’t work. That gives students the correct basis of their beliefs, which is used for their growth in Christ, their life of service to Him, and for the all-important trait a Christian must learn: discernment. Discernment is distinguishing between Truth and error, or right and wrong (more on that later). So tying that concept with the term quality mentioned above, students must have as their anchor or foundation or distinguishing attribute: Jesus, the Word of God.

Sound Christian schooling does not un-tether Jesus from the Word of God, laws, ethics, or morality. This becomes the basis for beliefs, growth in Christ, and for discernment.

I believe there are three basic and essential components to the quality of a sound Christian school:

1) Using the Bible in all aspects of schooling including evaluation, curriculum, policies, and administration.

2) A true biblical Christian requirement of all school employees.

3) What will be described as the whole counsel of God.

Using the Bible

The Bible is filled with passages that say we are to use it for schooling our children. It is the standard for what is right and wrong; it is the standard for basing and teaching laws, ethics, and morality as previously mentioned. It even says why we are to teach the Bible. Paul says several places in Romans that God’s laws are perfect, holy, right, and good. Here are a few other examples of what God says about using His Word for teaching students, and remember, these are not suggestions, but commands that require obedience:

2 Timothy 3:16-17:All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Psalm 19:8-9: "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."

Psalm 119:4-16 has these phrases: You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth …I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

Psalm 119:128 Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right

Nehemiah 9:13-14 says that God … gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments…And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

When Moses was teaching about God’s laws, he said in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In taking a look at schooling, how often is the Bible used in the classrooms compared to the above statement from Moses? If you are a parent, how does your parenting compare to this statement? Here is a simple test if you are not sure: Can your students/children recite from memory the Ten Commandments in order? Those most basic laws of God should roll right off of the tongue of every student of a sound Christian school.

Similar to Moses’ statement is Proverbs 6:20-23 where Solomon tells parents (and I think teachers also) to instruct children to not forsake the laws (of God, parents, or Christian schools), and to bind them continually on their heart, and to tie them around their neck. God’s laws will lead them in life, and will keep them when they sleep, and will talk to them when they wake up. God’s laws are a lamp in a darkened world. Are they the lamp in your school?

To many people, God’s Word is a concept. They do not move it from a concept to a useful methodical actuality in their life, and that is unfortunate, and cuts short the power of God’s Word.

Christian schools ensure the Bible is a systematically practiced reality, not just a concept.

Why Education Should Include the Bible

In the 2 Timothy 3:16 passage just mentioned there are several reasons why the Bible is to be taught in school. It says all Scripture has been given by the inspiration of God and is valuable to use for doctrine (sound teachings), for establishing what is right and wrong as well as what is correct behavior and for pointing out and correcting wrong behavior, positive training of children so they can be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Parents are responsible for that, but Christian schools or home schools also deal with, or do those.

2 Timothy 4 goes on to explain further reasons for including the Bible in classroom subjects: Paul wholeheartedly commands to proclaim the Word! He says to do so in season and out of season, which means in everything, whether it is popular or convenient or not, so find a way to work it in to the subjects taught. He says to Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. Yes, he said all teaching (there is no comma after longsuffering which ties the word all to the word teaching). Then, he tells another reason why we are to include the Bible in all teaching in verse 3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. Haven’t we all seen that occurring in our society today?! It will be more prevalent when our students grow up. Many people turn away from the Truth, and go to those that tell them what they want to hear, even though it is false, untrue, and fables. Prepare your students to withstand that