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A truly Christian education is invaluable. It will create an environment of respect for God, for His Word and for authority. It will lay foundations of discipline, moral values and a work ethic that will prepare a student for life.”
One of the very important roles parents play in the life of their wards is to choose the school the child/children attend. The prayer of every Christian parent should be that the children know God in a personal way. This knowledge is acquired by a child at home, at school and in church. It is pertinent that what is taught at home is complimented in the school. The ideal school provides an environment where the mind is shaped, the heart is transformed, the emotions are balanced and the actions of a child are guided. Martin Luther states this clearly when he said,
“I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. …I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth”. – Martin Luther
These choices need to be well guided with respect to the kind of education given to your child considering the fact that there are so many different philosophies being offered within the confines of schools in today’s world. Dr Wayne Van Gelderen strengthen this position when he argued that,
“Education is the transmission of communication skills and the accumulated knowledge of society – along with principles (especially moral) to individuals. This is more effectively done by teachers having authority who present the material to students trying to motivate them to endure the pain of learning in order to reap the fruits of intellectual attainment. Character is developed by decisions made as principles are presented. Honest presentation will cause there to be decisions made with the full knowledge of consequences either way. The end result should be a person who can communicate on his own and having become whatever he has become by his own choice.”
I believe that a school's ultimate purpose should be to equip children to understand the truth about life, the world, and their place in it. What other place than from the giver of life, the creator of the earth can such truth be sourced? Hence, Christian education seeks to lead students to the source of all truth. Christian schools work very hard to equip students to recognize the Lordship of Christ in all areas of learning, and to respond in obedience to His call to be transforming influences in society.
Every knowledge has its origin in God, therefore a Christian school offers a God centred learning thereby giving students a solid foundation and an all-round education under teachers, who love and fear the Lord. As a matter of principle, the Christian school will not compromise high standard of academic instruction but will incorporate Bible reading and prayer in order to create a safe and spiritual environment.
An article makes three propositions of what Christian education represents. It states thus; “Christian education is an acknowledgement, an attitude, and an ambition:”
1. Christian education is an acknowledgement about God’s world. He created it, He holds it together, He rules it, and we have an obligation to learn all that we can about it. We aren’t simply learning about math, science, and history; we are learning about God’s world. Christian education seeks to produce competent graduates who know the world as well as the One who created it.
2. Christian education is an attitude related to God’s Word; therefore, studying God’s world from the perspective of the Word is critical. We can understand life only as we view it through the “spectacles of Scripture.” “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). Seeking to bring all thought and activity under the Lordship of Christ, we want our students to be passionate about their God, their lives, and their call to service.
3. Christian education is an ambition to do God’s will. Because it is a lifelong process of transforming our minds, Christian education spans “the cradle to the grave.” We want our students to be “mal-adjusted” to this world, to see the sin in themselves and in the world, and to commit their lives to the pursuit of justice, compassion, and integrity.
It is therefore important that parents prioritize the education of their children with respect to quality and richness of the curriculum as well as the belief and faith expressed by the school than the school with the lowest fees. Supporting the spiritual growth of a child even in the context of an academic environment is worth all the efforts and resources available at the disposal of the parent and/or guardian.
Adeola Ojo
Head of School, ECA