[Dwight Schrute]

https://www.thenewamerican.com/cultu...public-schools

If what this article states is true, Dobson is pushing hard for Christian families to lead an exodus from public schools. Thoughts?

Trying to avoid this landing in Theology, but what is the Biblical model for educating our children?

[IsaactheSyrian]

I suspect the 'biblical model' presupposes a societal and economic order that no longer exists. One can certainly adduce principles from the Scriptures and the Church's teaching about childrearing, but you're not going to find 'thou shalt not send thy children to public school'

[mtlmouth]

I don't have any thoughts on this because my brain exploded somewhere halfway through this article. And I was homeschooled.

[ICallHimTurtle]

Originally Posted by mtlmouth

I don't have any thoughts on this because my brain exploded somewhere halfway through this article. And I was homeschooled.

Generally, when someone says “The Bible is clear..." my eyes glaze over.

[DaGeek]

Whether or not the Bible is "clear" about the government's role in education is, to me, unimportant, compared to the changing tides in favor of teaching young children that gender identity is subject to the person, is a spectrum, etc. There's already a strong surge in favor of teaching about sexuality in a pretty un-Biblical light. If I am able to ensure my future kids get an education in an environment that actually teaches in accordance with Biblical ideals, then I'm all for it. Public schools just don't seem to be that place right now.

[Uptown Thrunk]

Originally Posted by ICallHimTurtle

Generally, when someone says “The Bible is clear..." my eyes glaze over.

QFT

[thesteve]

Yes...private, Christian schools are guaranteed to be free of bullying...


said no sane person ever.

[bravesfan007]

I'm afraid this is a question we are going to have to answer for my daughter. My wife was very pro public schools until she actually taught in one a few years ago. Now, things have shifted to where she doesn't know if it's the best fit for a child. I am; however, game for any option.

I do see the concern and feel it is not entirely misguided. I do see how many can believe it is misguided, but there are a lot of things that the public schools get wrong. I think DaGeek pointed out one of my main concerns.

[Dwight Schrute]

interesting thoughts on the matter, for sure.

and then there's stuff like this out there, that seems to blur the line between instruction in the ways of the Lord, and teaching math:

Christian Education: A Manifesto - Israel Wayne - Christian Worldview | Christian Worldview

*note this article was just posted on Facebook by the author, as a response to the first mentioned Dobson article, with the declaration that this is what God says about how we should educate our children*

[Leboman]

Had I known we were going to move so much during their lives, I would have home schooled our kids. I still may pull Jamie out after this year but there's a lot to it other than just the concerns expressed in that article.

[Dwight Schrute]

I'm all for home schooling, we home school all five of our kids. but I find it somewhat problematic to dogmatically call for a mass exodus of all Christians out. and I find Israel Wayne's theology to be incredibly skewed and flawed. I liken it to someone who believes alcohol is bad, so they from that stance interpret tons of scriptures to support that stance, without looking at context, relying on acrobatic leaps in what the scripture was written about, and frankly dumping much of history to suit our very specific current circumstances. public school is a sin because taxing is stealing? um what? teaching is the responsibility of all parents, especially in the ways of the Lord (much of the Biblical texts support that). but that does not encompass all learning or schooling. that merely says that parents have a strong role and responsibility as a parent - but not to necessarily be the ONLY teacher. my two cents, anyway.

[Almost Enough]

Hearing conservatives talk nowadays is starting more and more to sound like my flat-earth conspiracy theory friend.

[Leboman]

Originally Posted by Almost Enough

Hearing conservatives talk nowadays is starting more and more to sound like my flat-earth conspiracy theory friend.

Define "conservative" as you mean it. I consider myself conservative and don't believe that I am some sort of nut. Terms like "conservative" and "liberal" are used in such broad ways that they really aren't that useful at all. I know people who would label me a right-wing conservative and others who would say I'm some sort of bleeding heart liberal. It comes down to how we define the terms.

[Almost Enough]

Originally Posted by Leboman

Define "conservative" as you mean it. I consider myself conservative and don't believe that I am some sort of nut. Terms like "conservative" and "liberal" are used in such broad ways that they really aren't that useful at all. I know people who would label me a right-wing conservative and others who would say I'm some sort of bleeding heart liberal. It comes down to how we define the terms.

Sorry. I try to be more tactful with my postings but I'm using a work computer and shouldn't be on message boards anyways.

I mean the Tea Party, hard right, alt right type conservatives. I can't even have a legitimate discussion about policy with some of my more hard-right friends because everything is treated as a bogeyman or a conspiracy.

Also, as a Millenial that didn't vote for Trump I was attempting to use the same broad brush that I was painted with in the article.

[Uptown Thrunk]

Originally Posted by DaGeek

Whether or not the Bible is "clear" about the government's role in education is, to me, unimportant, compared to the changing tides in favor of teaching young children that gender identity is subject to the person, is a spectrum, etc. There's already a strong surge in favor of teaching about sexuality in a pretty un-Biblical light. If I am able to ensure my future kids get an education in an environment that actually teaches in accordance with Biblical ideals, then I'm all for it. Public schools just don't seem to be that place right now.

I wonder, *who* decides what is Biblical? And, who will regulate these schools to make sure they align with the very specific type of Christian identity that is determined to be 'under attack' by people like Dobson? Why is this form of Christianity, and it's determinations of *what is Biblical sexuality (for instance)*, proper?

And, how will cordoning off our children from the rest of the world of education save them from the vast resources of information that are available in the web. If you have just one kid within the walls of the non-regulated private Christian school that has access to diverse information, this will soon infect the rest of the students.

When these kids go to uni, or enter the workforce, what will they do? Will they have encountered materials educating them on sexuality, gender identity, "liberalism", progressivism(s)? Will they interact in good ways, or will they just react against the way they had been raised? I've seen *that* more times than not. Most often because those kids have been taught poorly, especially when it comes to the Bible.