As Christians, we pray our children will be salt and light in the world. But will they become effective witnesses by observing and being apprenticed by their Christian parents and other Christians, or by observing and being apprenticed by their peers?
We are not admonished to grow in wisdom and stature by conforming to the foolish. As our children’s guardians, we have an opportunity to provide them with a time of nurturing, apprenticing and growing so that when God calls them to be salt and light, He will have prepared them through us, as His willing servants, for the purpose He has before them.
Further Reading
“There are no biblical examples of children being used as missionaries or crusaders. Rather, the Scripture shows adults acting as missionaries and evangelists. Do not misunderstand me. By no means do I want to abandon the public schools. We need Christian adults — not children — to be salt and light in the public schools as teachers and administrators, school board members, truant officers, and social workers. When our children grow up, then we can send them to public school — as adults whose jobs give them a measure of authority. But while they are young, we should not send them to be taught and discipled by a godless educational system in which they have no power or authority.” – Christopher J. Klicka, No More Children’s Crusades
- Aren’t You Being Selfish?
“The words were still echoing in my mind. ‘If every Christian homeschools his child, what will happen to the public schools?’ asked a Christian friend as we chatted over the phone. ‘Doesn’t God tell us to be salt and light in the world?’” How do we answer this reasonable question? Thoughtful answer from Alpha Omega Publications’ Homeschooling site. - Education: The Forgotten Key to Discipleship
“Let me be clear; I applaud men and women whom God has called to teach in government schools. These people are front-line warriors and many of them need to be right where they are. However, there is a big difference between sending “fully trained” disciples into enemy territory and sending our recruits to our enemy’s training camp. If we do the latter, we shouldn’t be surprised when our children come home wearing the enemy’s uniform and charging the hill of our home while waving an enemy flag.” From Voddie Baucham. - Lessons From Noah
“I have tried hard to home school without being offensive. Now I can see that for some people, that is impossible. They will feel condemned by what I do simply because it is a condemning action to home school…. I am not trying to condemn, just trying to obey God.” What happens when we are light? From Katharine Trauger, Home School Enrichment magazine. - On Being Salt and Light
“If we really want our children to be salt and light in this world, the public school classroom may be the last place they should be.” A look at when our children will be salt and light, ready to make a difference from the Alliance for the Separation of School & State.
Still on the Fence?
Still on the Fence? – Things Learned
Sometimes taking that first step is the hardest. What roadblocks have kept you from making the decision to educate your children at home? Trust that these roadblocks will be removed. Finally, prayerfully, read on. Hopefully, by addressing some of the common homeschooling issues your roadblocks will become pebbles under your feet!
