In a previous blog post, How to Homeschool the Heart Centered Way; I touched upon the importance of offering your children a faith based education. Today, I would like to dig a bit more deeply into that assertion and why I believe it is imperative to not only include Biblical studies in our children’s education but more than that, I would like to encourage all families to make Christ the cornerstone of their homeschools.
What Is a Faith Based Education?
A faith based education considers the training of the whole child and not just the training of the child’s mind academically.
As Christ Followers, we are instructed to teach our children diligently the Word of God at all times; when we sit in our homes, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise. Deuteronomy 6:7.
A faith based education is intentional in its application and integration of Biblical truths and principles as an integral part of a multi dimensional education wherein the child flourishes not only academically but also morally and spiritually.
How Does a Faith Based Education Benefit Our Children Academically?
It seems that even amongst many Christian families, the concern over whether or not a child is receiving a sufficient academic education often supersedes any concern regarding our children’s Biblical education.
After all, these kids need to know the basics to get a job right? While there is truth to this statement, you may be surprised to learn that children with higher levels of Biblical literacy actually fare better academically.
There is a grave and frankly ill informed misconception that the Bible has nothing to offer our children intellectually and by extension academically but this could not be further from the truth. A faith based education is rich in historical references, geographical insights, moral philosophy, and timeless wisdom that provide invaluable context for understanding culture, human behavior, and the development of civilizations.
In researching this topic further, I found a fantastic article aptly titled, “The Academic Advantages of the Bible” which links to a meta analysis by the author.
I encourage you to read it. Here is an excerpt regarding the findings that I found particularly interesting:
“Wherever this information is presented, from Arizona and California all the way to the East Coast, legislators understand that high Bible literacy helps young people comprehend literature and history. Shakespeare cites the Bible 1,300 times. Many other classic authors—Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky, to name three—assume the reader’s knowledge of the Bible. A familiarity with the Bible helps students fathom such books as The Grapes of Wrath, Jane Eyre, and Lord of the Rings. One cannot understand the fight against slavery, the women’s suffrage movement, or the Civil Rights movement without knowledge of the Bible.“
A Faith Based Education Begets a Broader Worldview
For those it may concern, we now have data to support that Biblical literacy not only leads to greater academic outcomes but also a broader perspective. The pervasive narrative in culture may be that a Biblical worldview is a narrow one but this is simply not true.
Building our homeschools on the rock equips our children academically, socially, emotionally, and most obviously and importantly; spiritually. The benefits of a faith based education cannot be overstated.
After all, how are to separate God from world history, science, literature, or mathematics? For all things were created through him, John 1:3. God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident in creation, Romans 1:20. Galileo said that “Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe.”
It would seem to me, even as a layperson that there is an undeniable interconnectedness and even a symbiosis evident in these areas of study which point to an intentional, orderly, and intelligent designer.
A Faith Based Education: Eternity in Our Hearts
There is so much more to wisdom than what can be understood with the mind. The Word of God certainly renews our minds, Romans 12:2 but it also informs the heart Job 38:36.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
An eduction rooted in God’s Word is sustaining and expansive. It does not hinder the pursuit of knowledge but rather propels us along the way; from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18) as we are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ.
A Faith Based Education: Do Not Be Intimidated
I am certain that even the most emboldened homeschool mom has second guessed her abilities to educate her children.
After all, the majority of American children live within driving distance of a public school where educators who went to college for this sort of thing are employed to teach our kids, and yet here we are!
Taking on the very important task of providing our children with a faith based education can feel even more intimidating, especially for those of us who are newer to the faith and/or have never formally studied Biblical theology.
How are we to teach our children concerning matters of faith, when we still have so much to learn ourselves?
I love what Charlotte Mason has to say about this: Charlotte said, “We must teach that which we know, know by the life of the soul, not with any mere knowledge of the mind.” She goes onto say that “we shall find that there are only a few vital truths that we have so taken into our being that we live upon them” and that ” these are the truths we must teach the children, because these will come straight out of our hearts with the enthusiasm of conviction which rarely fails to carry its own idea into the spiritual life of another.”
She ends by saying: “Let the parent who only knows one thing from above teach his child that one; more will come to him by the time the child is ready for more.”
God knows your limitations and yet you were called to this work anyway. Trust in that He has provided and will continue to provide the necessary means day by day.
Perhaps it is your humble and pursuant heart which will have the greatest impact on your children’s education. Speaking from experience, it has been a beautiful journey growing in faith and Biblical wisdom alongside my children over the years.
Faith Based Home Education Resources:
We are so incredibly fortunate to live in an age where faith based education resources abound. I have already shared some of our curriculum choices in a previous post, so you may have seen some of these already, but my hope is that you might find something new.
Before I share, I do have a couple of caveats; Firstly, I have seen some debate over certain curriculum being labeled as non-Christian because of the religious affiliations of the creator. What I will say is that after many years of using this curriculum, I have not personally seen any non-Christian doctrine so I am including it in my list; if it’s not for you, that is ok.
Secondly, there are some resources included I have not personally used but know several families who have. I value their opinion so I will be including them in the list as well because I want to be sure to include as many faith based education resources as I can.
My prayer is that these resources help to bolster your confidence as you embark on a faith based education journey with your families in your homeschools. If you have any favorite faith based education resources, I would love to hear about them!
Faith Based Education Resources:
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