Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Prayer for the New Year


O Jesus Christ, grow thou in me,

And all things else recede!
My heart be daily nearer Thee,
From sin be daily freed.

Each day let Thy supporting might,
My weakness still embrace;
My darkness vanish in Thy light,
Thy life my death efface.

In Thy bright beams which on me fall,
Fade every evil thought;
That I am nothing, Thou are all,
I would be daily taught.
Most of Thy glory let me see,
Thou Holy, Wise, and True!
I would Thy living image be,
In joy and sorrow, too.

Fill me with gladness from above,
Hold me by strength Divine:
Lord, let the glow of Thy great love
Through my whole being shine.
Make this poor self grow less and less,
Be Thou my life and aim;
Oh, make me daily through Thy grace
More meet to bear Thy name.
DiscoverChristianSchools.com wishes you a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Discover Christian Schools

By Harold Naylor, Jr., 
Co-founder, DiscoverChristianSchools.com

Critical thinking, character education, safety and security, uncovering God-given talents and passions, and developing a Christian view of the world. These are some of the reasons Christian parents invest large sums of money for tuition in a local Christian school.

However, most (90% by some estimates) evangelical parents put their children in the local public school. They (fondly) remember their own school days and declare, "I went to public school and I turned OK."

These parents, and the ones that desire for their children to be "salt and light" in the local school are the reason for the launching of http://www.discoverchristianschools.com/ , a communications initiative to speak directly to parents about the total education of their children.

The initiative produces weekly radio spots, Christian Education Commentary, that are carried on 117 stations across the US. The web site has had over 300,000 unique visitors and still gets 4,000 hits per day. A Google search on "Christian schools" puts the site in the #2 position.

WORLD magazine's founder, Joel Belz, recently described www.DiscoverChristianSchools.com as “...a notable effort to help parents discover the good things happening on the school front.”

Schools need to band together to get the word out that the local Christian school is the best partner a parent can find for the training of their child. This communications effort also helps schools crystallize and amplify their message as they seek to put critical information on their on web site and into the hands of prospective parents.

Schools can join the effort at no cost, but the campaign is maintained by gifts. If you would like more information on how to bless children, parents, and schools, please contact John Fedele via email at jfedele@DiscoverChristianSchools.com 

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas may

C -Christ dwell in you richly;
H - Heaven be a place you long for;
R - Righteousness be your highest aim;
I - Injustice move you to action;
S - Sin be something you hate;
T - The love of Christ guide you in all things;
M - Mountains in your life be moved by faith;
A - All you endeavor to do for the Kingdom be blessed;
S - Salvation be your most prized possession.

Merry Christmas from DiscoverChristianSchools.com!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Why Consider Christian Schooling?


Submitted by Mary Louise Everhart

Director of Development, Conestoga Christian School (Morgantown, Pennsylvania)

Christian schools exist in many formats and are governed in a variety of ways. Believers are often put off by the expense and inconvenience of the local Christian school or feel the quality of education is compromised to make room for lessons in faith. To be sure, careful research is called for when exploring Christian school options. There are solid arguments, both biblical and practical, in favor of Christian schooling.

God’s word is taught.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 presents a clear mandate to saturate children’s minds with the Word of God. In Christian schools the Bible forms the foundation for all other texts and the truth of scripture is integrated into all academic disciplines. Students learn to inquire and decide through the lens of obedience to scripture. They learn to think while grounded in God’s ultimate truth.

The school shares your valuesA formidable partnership between school, home and church creates an environment in which biblical attitudes and values are consistently reinforced. Behaviors like respect, patience and thoughtfulness are applauded not mocked. Teachers who love and fear the Lord can offer students timely encouragement and appropriate correction. Christian schools have become a safer emotional and spiritual place for students to grow.

Academic achievementRigorous academic experiences need not be sacrificed in exchange for the Christian school experience. Many Christian schools are able to engage students in challenging courses while also giving them opportunity to explore individual gifts and creative talents. Parents would do well to investigate curriculum choices, college admission success and other post high school plans of any Christian school. Increasingly, Christian schools are also able to meet the educational needs of students with other kinds of learning issues.

Christian schools are often accused of being “hothouses” where students are unnecessarily and artificially insulated from the forces of the secular world. To be sure students are protected in Christian school. They are also grounded in God’s word and nurtured in their ability to articulate their faith. This strong biblical foundation better equips them to handle and refute the discrepant ideas they will meet when they have grown ready to appropriately interface with the culture.

Parents are encouraged to examine the schools in their community and pray about the educational environment they select for their children.

For additional information on the value of Christian schools and for assistance in locating Christian schools in your area visit www.DiscoverChristianschools.com

Thursday, December 18, 2008

I Believe in Education!


Commencement Address by

Everett Piper
President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University


In a recent address to the graduates of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Dr. Piper began by saying, "I believe that the best education is one which is tested by time, confirmed by experience, validated by reason, and ultimately grounded in Scripture. "

Dr. Piper also made several other "I believe . . ." statements to his listening audience, and now, by extension, to his reading audience.

I believe that the academy is the gate keeper of our individual virtue and our national conscience. 

I believe that all intellectual and moral training must be anchored in our Creator who endows us with the rights of life and liberty and that if we build education on any foundation but Him we will lose our conscience and shortly thereafter lose our freedom, our joy, and our ability to pursue happiness.

I believe that our future lies in the hearts and minds of today’s students and that all cultures are but one generation away from irrelevancy and extinction.

I believe that what is taught today in the classroom will be practiced tomorrow in our churches, our companies, our communities and our country at large.

I believe in absolutes and that if we don’t teach them, learn them, and cherish them that we will be cast about by every wave of human desire, political promise, and selfish ambition.


To read the rest of Dr. Piper's address and his challenge "to believe", please click here to visit the Oklahoma Wesleyan University website.

Oklahoma Wesleyan University, located in Bartlesville, OK, is a four-year Christian university of the liberal arts and sciences that is fully accredited by the North Central Association. OWU also obtained professional accreditation with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). It is a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities as well as the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Association of Oklahoma Independent Colleges and Universities.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Great Reason for Christian Education


Steve Cornell

Senior pastor, Millersville Bible Church, Millersville PA

In the very near future, America will cease to be the primary sending nation for Christian missionaries. Already large numbers of missionaries are being sent from places like Latin America, India and South Korea (to name a few). They are even being sent to reach Americans. Why is it that evangelical Churches in America are full (especially in their Mega forms) and yet a steadily decreasing number of Christians answer the call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth? The answer might surprise you. Let me explain.

A major ideological shift: The tyranny of tolerance

In the last twenty to thirty years, we (in the West) have experienced a major ideological shift with regard to religious truth. America, as a free nation, has supported the existence of a diversity of religions. But, with the recent shift, we have moved to a required acknowledgment of the validity of each religion as a truth option. Tolerance, we are told, mandates this outlook on religious beliefs. And, in the new system, no exceptions to tolerance will be tolerated. Tolerance is considered the peacekeeping virtue of a pluralistic society. It is the primary quality for maintaining pluralistic civility. Yet while peace and respect for diversity are important, gaining them through socially imposed tolerance is misguided and dangerous. It is also a departure from the proper understanding of tolerance itself.

The true virtue of tolerance is unnecessary when people surrender or silence commitments to real differences. Tolerance only becomes a functional virtue when two people or groups of people strongly disagree and yet treat each other with respect. Where disagreements either do not exist or do not matter, there is no need for tolerance.

Ironically, the tolerance being required today is a form of intolerance. It requires people to keep their differences to themselves. It promotes a monolithic culture—where everyone is increasingly forced to conceal the multi-cultural dimensions of society. What we end up with is diversity we can’t talk about lest we offend those who disagree. An entire generation of Americans have been socially conditioned under the tyranny of tolerance.

Pressure on religious communities:

In the cause of promoting and protecting pluralistic civility, social pressure is particularly placed on religious communities to de-emphasize all positions that could be perceived as claims to superiority among the religions of the world. Under the tyrannical rule of the twisted version of tolerance, people have been conditioned to be deeply suspicious of attempts to privilege one religious tradition or teaching as normative for all. If a religious tradition claims to have special access to truth about God, it is considered intolerant no matter how respectfully it relates to others. Absolute religious and moral opinions are considered potential threats to pluralistic civility.

Division of truth: Personal and public

Social conditioning based on radical tolerance is strengthened by the division of truth into personal and public categories. Moral and religious opinions are widely viewed as matters of personal taste like preferences for chocolate over vanilla. Media and academic elite (the primary means for social conditioning) have tried to persuade the public that moral and religious opinions (unlike scientific facts) are merely personal matters we should keep to ourselves. An unsuspecting public has been taught to marginalize and trivialize religion and morality into a private sphere irrelevant to life in the real world.

Public education: learning environments for the tyranny of tolerance

Participants in public learning institutions face an imposed rule of tolerance that requires acceptance and celebration of each person’s moral and religious beliefs and practices. In his extensive research concerning the thinking and beliefs of American teenagers, Professor Christian Smith suggested that among today’s young students, “The strategy for dealing with religious and moral disagreement is: ‘You don’t go there’” (Soul Searching). To avoid hurt feelings or unnecessary conflict, young people have learned to avoid particulars and absolutes and talk about everything in strictly non-offensive ways. This is the safer option if they wish to be accepted rather than ostracized.

This social conditioning has produced in our young people (and in many adults) in our churches an in-articulacy with regard to the faith. A learned capacity to talk about differences becomes unnecessary in a society that asks us to avoid speaking in particular or absolute categories. As a result, large numbers of people are not only unable to articulate what they believe and why they believe it, they are guarded against beliefs that are too particular or in any way exclude or offend the beliefs of others.

Even if they actually hold to particular moral or religious beliefs, they have learned to suspend their commitment to them in most social circumstances. And, since they have been taught that moral and religious opinions are merely matters of personal taste, why stir things up over such matters? You don’t go there.

Exceptions to the rule of tolerance:
Exceptions to this rule of tolerance are found in areas where society decides acceptable views for everyone. The primary tools of influence on these matters come through the media and academia. Elitists in these fields pressure others to see things their way or face ridicule and condescension. Uniformity of opinion is required for all who wish to be considered open-minded and progressive. Those who see things differently will be labeled (among other things) narrow, backwards and right-wing conservatives.

For examples, homosexual lifestyles and gay marriage must be considered acceptable. Abortion is a fundamental right and not the taking of innocent life. All religions lead to God in their own way and the value of religion is found not in its truthfulness but in the benefit it brings to adherents. As long as you are sincere in your efforts to serve God, it doesn’t matter what religion you follow. Conversely, one must never publically refer to what the bible teaches—outside of Church at least. Those who are brave enough to do this should expect to hear collective groans and sighs about the presence of “one of those radical Christians.”

No need for evangelism or apologetics classes:

Under this kind of social conditioning, it becomes unnecessary to be trained in moral argument or to learn how to constructively engage someone in a discussion about different beliefs. Young people in particular might question the value of such training. Why talk about things that could be perceived exclusive or violations of pluralistic civility. Some might even suspect hidden imperialistic agendas designed to oppress a minority group or to impose your politics on others. Let’s not go there.

A growing number of people actually feel that there is something morally repugnant about followers of one religion maintaining that they are correct in their beliefs and that sincere adherents of other religions are mistaken in what they believe. Most college students, for example, accept the idea of some creative force behind the existence of the universe. “What is a debated topic is how you move from this rather impersonal force to the beliefs of a particular religious tradition, and especially whether in affirming the truth-reliability of one path, you must stand against the truth-reliability of all other paths.” (Professor Daniel Liechty, Illinois State University). The new tension is not about belief in God but whether or not it is “safe” to believe in one absolute deity. The tyranny of tolerance has scared people into postures of neutrality. It feels safer to choose not to believe anything too conclusively but to hold all beliefs in their broadest terms. The by-product is a culture that has lost its ability to think, discuss and debate. “Whatever” has become the common response to differences on morality and religion. In this environment, it becomes increasingly hard to train people to share and defend their faith.

A new social etiquette

Social etiquette requires acknowledgement of the independent validity of every faith. Those who attempt to convert people to their religious beliefs are viewed as religious chauvinists. It’s not enough to maintain (as we should) that each person is free to follow and express his or her own religion. Now we must treat each religious belief as equally valid and abandon, as unacceptably arrogant, any attempt to convert others to a different religious opinion. Strangely, this approach “… forecloses on open-mindedness in the same breath by which it extols the virtues of open-mindedness. Both the irony and tragedy of this fierce intolerance stem from the fact that it is done in the name of tolerance” (D. A. Carson, God and Culture). The new mantra is: “No exceptions to tolerance will be tolerated”. Effect on Christian witness and missions Should we be surprised that Christians with a missionary faith feel intimidated by this attitude? How can they obey Jesus’ call to, “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), without being considered rude and intrusive? Under the tyranny of tolerance, how should we think about Jesus statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but through me” (John 14:6)? Should we change Jesus’ words and make him say, “I am a way, a truth, and a life. People can come to the father through me or any other means they desire.”

It’s tempting to feel marginalized by the selective tolerance of our culture. The primary object of intolerance is Christianity. Islam doesn’t receive the same level of ridicule and hostility. Professors who openly mock Christianity wouldn’t dare attack the Islamic faith in university classrooms. But like the first followers of Christ, we must not compromise the message of salvation. In a fiercely pluralistic and polytheistic Roman society, the early apostles testified of Jesus that, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). They did not offer this as a personal opinion among many equally valid options. This was proclaimed as a fact of prophecy and history.

When Jesus described his true disciples in the beatitudes (see Matthew 5:10-16), he included persecution as distinguishing mark (cf. John 15:20). Persecuted people live provokingly different lifestyles in the world. They are true difference-makers and Jesus picks up on this when he reminds his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He also cautioned them not to follow the temptation to dilute the salt or hide the light. The followers of Jesus must be like well-lit cities on a hill that cannot be hidden. We must capture strategic places of influence for Jesus and not allow ourselves to be marginalized by the pressures of selective intolerance.

Witness with wisdom and grace:

Considering the atmosphere I have described, Christian witness should be offered with wisdom and grace. Scripture that is particularly applicable exhorts us to, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5-6). Given the prevailing distortions of tolerance and the misdirected attitude toward religious beliefs, it is also wise to emphasize the inclusive parts of our message. The good news of salvation is meant for all people.

At least seven truths related to the gospel apply to all people - without exception.
1. God has demonstrated his love for all people (John 3:16).
2. God desires the salvation of all people (I Timothy 2:3-4).
3. God has made provision for the salvation of all people (I John 2:2).
4. God commands all people to repent (Acts 17:30).
5. God will hold all people accountable for their response (Acts 17:31).
6. God takes no pleasure in anyone’s rejection of his provision (Ezekiel 18:23,32).
7. God will save all people who place faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Final note: A Good reason for Christian Education

Christian Schools and colleges provide learning contexts for our children and youth to talk freely and openly about absolute moral and religious beliefs. They do not have to suspend their commitments to these beliefs or feel unsafe to discuss them. They are able to learn how to articulate why they believe what they believe. Many who work in these environments are discouraged due to decreasing enrollments and funding. Yet the work being done in Christian education is vital to the advancement of the gospel and the preservation of liberty and justice for all. Keep on providing the context for faith to flourish!

Questions for discussion:
1. What are the long-term affects for those who spend large amounts of time in environments where they learn to avoid talking about particulars and absolutes?
2. Would a learned ability to suspend commitment to one’s belief lead to moral compromise in similar circumstances?
3. How can churches address these matters and the issue of inarticulacy regarding the faith?
4. How does Christian teaching that all people are created equal in the image of God serve as the only reliable basis for true tolerance?
5. Does tolerance ask too little of people?
6. Would it be better to use the word respect instead of the term tolerance? If so, Why?
7. How would a call to radical neighbor love over tolerance be more socially transformative from a Christian perspective?
8. How do the salt and light metaphors relate to the roles of Jesus’ followers in the world?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Fresh Air


Today’s Christian Education Commentary

with Harold Naylor

When was the last time you encountered someone whose countenance and manner toward you literally felt like a breath of fresh air?

Click here to listen!

Do you ever find yourself wondering if you have that effect on others, or wishing that you did?

The truth is, the presence of God in our lives is meant to visible and felt by those around us. However, this doesn’t just happen. It takes a deliberate choice in the way we live and order our lives and priorities. It takes learning how to seek God with a WHOLE heart, mind, soul, and strength.

If you long for this kind of life for yourself and your children, then maybe, among other things, it is time to consider choosing a Christian education for your family.

We can help you find a Christian school and fulfill the directive we have been assigned as Christian parents.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Ultimate Reason for a Christian School Education


John Fedele – Discover Christian Schools


In these ever changing times I find it interesting to read the variety of “reasons” given to parents in considering a Christian School education. The fact that Christian schools have weekly chapels, memorize Scripture, study the Bible, or that our schools are safe places for kids, or that there is a positive learning atmosphere, those things are all important, but they are not the essence of a Christian school education. They are good, things, but they do not fully represent in my opinion what a Christian school education is really about.

The first and most important thing that you’re going to find in a Christian school is an education that is presented from an eternal perspective, meaning, students are taught about the reality that there is a God, and His will for each young person is to know him personally as Savior and then, to begin learning how they can become totally devoted disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

  • It’s an education about having children understand the need for a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, and how that Creator can profoundly impact and interact with their lives right here, right now as well as for the rest of their lives.
  • It’s not just about the sweet bye and bye or punching a ticket for heaven, but it’s coming to a deep awareness and a knowledge that a student’s life can make a difference right here, right now and that they are being equipped to impact God’s kingdom and ultimately, to influence the world in which they live.
  • It’s not about students learning to adjust or adapt to the culture, but rather having students learn how they can change the culture and ultimately the world wherever they go.
  • It is not about getting an education that prepares students to get into the best college, to get the best job, to make lots of money, so they can buy “stuff” and be happy. Getting a good education is important, don’t get me wrong, but if that is the end goal and the only goal, and our children are not equipped or prepared to live lives of meaning and service, to live lives that make a difference in the lives of others, then we have failed in our mission to truly educate them.
James Braley, noted Christian educator said it best, “It’s changed lives, changing lives!” It’s the impact of a teacher’s changed life, changing the individual lives of his or her students. And those students going out and doing the same.
Christian parents, isn’t that what you really want for your son or daughter? To have them grow in relationship with their Creator and live a life of purpose and meaning, having them being able to discern and discover God’s will for their lives and to have access to His blessings, goodness and favor, and not just simply “grab the gusto?” That’s what students will receive at a Christian school, an education that is from an eternal perspective based on a personal relationship with God that will be lived out in some kind of service to the kingdom of God and to others. It is an education not only of the mind, but of the heart as well, to love God, and to love and serve others.
An education for an eternity! The ultimate reason to consider a Christian school education!


Click here for a PDF version of this post!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Daily Diligence

Today's Christian Education Commentarywith Harold Naylor

What are you teaching your children daily?

In Deuteronomy 6:7, parents are instructed to teach their children the word of God with diligence. In fact, parents are specifically instructed to teach their children throughout their entire day, from the time they rise in the morning until they go to bed at night.

And yet, most of us have either chosen or find ourselves forced to accept lifestyles that make obedience to God in this area of our lives virtually impossible. 

While God certainly understands the reasons that keep us from spending all day, every day with our children, He has not lessened His requirement of instilling His Word in them consistently and constantly from a very young age. We believe that choosing a Christian school for your child can help you fulfill the directives found in God’s Word.

DiscoverChristianSchools.com - Where Christian education is priceless!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Parenting With Vision


Today's Christian Education Commentary

with Harold Naylor

When was the last time you wrote down some of your parenting goals?

Click here to listen!

Raising kids with Christ-centered hearts is the greatest challenge Christian parents will ever face. Not only that, but it is not a challenge that is confronted and won in a day, week, or even a year. Rather, it takes many, many years of diligence, consistency, and prayer on the part of parents, and even then, success is not guaranteed.

This is why writing down your parenting goals or a vision for your family is so important. As the years pass and individual challenges come and go, it is important that we keep our eyes fixed on our ultimate goal.

Choosing a Christian education is a great way to start approaching the job of parenting with new direction, purpose, and a vision that includes God at the center.

Friday, November 14, 2008

From the "Front Lines" of Christian Education


The MidAtlantic Christian Schools Association recently held its 60th anniversary convention. The convention was attended by over 1350 administrators, development officers, board members, teachers and support staff! These are the folks on the FRONT LINES of the Christian schooling movement.


Dr. Crawford Loritts, Jr., Senior Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA was the keynote speaker and spoke at the convention's three general sessions.
Thursday AM: Stewardship of a Generation
Thursday PM: On Assignment from God
Friday AM: The Anatomy of Pressure


John Fedele, Executive Director of http://www.discoverchristianschools.com/ was in attendance at the convention and was encouraged by the messages brought by Dr. Loritts. "I believe each address will not only challenge and encourage you, but minister to you as well - as parents, as teachers, as administrators - as those involved in Kingdom work! I strongly recommend listening to each address and that you pray for the 1350 delegates who attended, that they might be instrumental in transmitting to this generation the convention's theme of a "A Legacy of Faith . . A Future of Hope."

Please click here to download and listen to the three keynote addresses. You will be directed to the MACSA website when you click on the link.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Children of the State

Children of the state
Don’t be surprised at socialized education’s product

Joel Belz - WORLD Magazine
Originally published November 1, 2008
Reprinted with permission

If you want a classic example of how fast a whole culture can be turned on a dime, redirected by 180 degrees, try this: Just when it seemed, through the 1980s, 1990s, and even well into the past decade, that a socialist mindset had been successfully put down in the United States, back it comes—with a vengeance.

"Free markets are better for everybody," Ronald Reagan had taught us. So we deregulated. We reformed welfare. We defeated Hillary's nationalized health care. We popularized tax cuts. We watched the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapse, and we applauded the market economy in Europe. Talk radio exploded.

And, as fallen humans are wont to do, we also abused our freedom.

Which always provides an excuse to those with socialist inclinations to argue that we need to be regulated again, that we need stacks of new rules to curb our excesses, and that government needs to be called in to make everyone behave. And that's why you find a newly muscled Uncle Sam these days shutting down big investment brokers, buying huge equity clout in traditional banks, and rumored to be ready to buy similar shares of Ford, Chrysler, and GM.

All that under a supposed pro-free market Republican administration! So nobody's going to be very surprised if under an Obama presidency there will be a redoubling of Sarbanes-Oxley, re-regulation of the airlines (and just about everyone else), universal health care, a new budget line for carbon and energy, restrictions on talk radio, and increased taxes to pay the staggeringly higher bills.

Much of that has happened, may I suggest, because we also long ago conceded the most critical territory of all. While strenuously wrestling over business and banking and health care and energy and a dozen other issues, we cavalierly handed over to the state a perpetual 90 percent share of the nation's educational interests. America regularly has about 50 million children enrolled in K-12 schools, and about 20 million more in colleges and universities—and while the pattern fluctuates a little, 90 percent of those 70 million young people regularly get a state-flavored view of reality.

Socialized medicine? Most of us recoil at the idea. Socialized airlines? Reminds us of Aeroflot. Socialized banks? When it happened last month, it terrified us.

But socialized schools? Nine out of ten of us patronize them regularly.

And we do so with na'ry a thought or concern about how such an arrangement affects next week's election, or the election after that, or the lifetime of elections to come.

I am blessed to have had parents who did look ahead. Half a century ago, my father said often: "If I fail to feed my children, the government will step in. If I don't house them, the government has programs to help. Of course, I don't intend to turn those duties over to the government. But I would much rather have the government feed and house my children than to have the government shape their minds."

That's why, if I were ever forced to become a one-issue person on the political front, my single issue would be freedom of choice in education. With a nine-to-one edge in value-shaping influence, why shouldn't the government be producing products who think government-sponsored-everything is best?

When I enthusiastically endorse the Christian school and home school alternatives, I don't do so primarily because of their effect on the electoral process. Christian education isn't about filling the registration rolls of the Republican party.

But it is about producing thoughtful and earnest citizens. The bells of freedom on every front traditionally ring more clearly where a biblical value system has been inculcated. No one should expect anything resembling such a result from secularist state-sponsored schools, which will naturally glorify the state. No one should be surprised when that's what happens.

So I say: Go get educated about what Christians are doing these days in education. Go online todiscoverchristianschools.com, a notable effort to help parents discover the good things happening on the school front. Go to hslda.org to learn about the growing impact of home schooling families throughout the nation.

It's too late, to be sure, to have much impact on next week's election. But so long as there are more kids and future generations, and so long as they have minds and hearts to shape with God's great truth, it's not too late at all to make a difference for elections yet to come.

If you have a question or comment for Joel Belz, send it to jbelz@worldmag.com.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Christian Education – an Investment in the Future


By Nancy Huckaby

The Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
Published Sunday, November 2, 2008

Christian parents understand well the responsibility they have to not only love their children, but to educate them in an environment that embraces Christ’s fundamental truths.

Many find the answer in home schooling, but for countless others, Christian schools provide the perfect answer. Christian education facilities – both elementary, secondary and higher learning – can help parents make sure their children receive a quality education, taught by dedicated and knowledgeable teachers.

Christian education is not without its critics. Some say it insulates children from the real world, or shelters them from many of the negative influences they’ll have to face in the future. On its Web site, cornerstonekingman.ca, Cornerstone Christian Academy in Kingman, Alberta, Canada, offers this view:

"The Christian school works somewhat like a greenhouse which is designed to provide optimum conditions for growth while a plant is young. Young children are protected and carefully nurtured to help them mature properly. When the time comes for them to be 'transplanted’ into a more hostile environment, they are more likely to endure difficulties and continue to thrive because they have been trained well and have developed a discerning heart."

Christian educators want to help students recognize the hostility and injustice in today’s world while giving them the tools – critical thinking skills, a core value system and a strong foundation of faith – to apply Christ’s truth to solving those problems.

Administrators know that the academic standards at a Christian school must be strong if parents are asked to make what, for many, is a significant sacrifice for the cost of attending a private school. College bound students face their own brand of challenges and for many (and their parents) knowing that the college or university they select is based on Christian principles is paramount.

Gary Ledbetter, communications director for the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention in Grapevine, offered this advice on the CollegeView Web site:

"A final benefit of Christian higher education is perhaps the most significant. The quality of a Christian college experience is higher than any other. Christian educators have an additional motivation to do their work with excellence – the call of Christ on their lives to do just that (I Cor. 10:31). Quality may also be enhanced by the emphasis on subjects and teaching deemed by God to be the first importance. A biblical focus will inform the manner, content, and even the scope of an educational experience, and Christian schools may be less influenced by cultural (or educational) fads."


Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22.6

Monday, October 27, 2008

Risk

Today's Christian Education Commentarywith Harold Naylor

Click here to listen!

When was the last time you took a risk? 
Making changes, especially big ones, usually feel risky. The hard part about risk is that success is not guaranteed.

Is it possible that the reason you have been avoiding a Christian school for your child is because it feels like a risk? Maybe you’re afraid that your friends or family will judge you for choosing a private, Christian education. Or, maybe you’re afraid that if you choose a Christian school and your child grows up to make poor life choices, you will look like a failure as a parent. 

If fear is the only thing hold you back from doing something bold for Christ and for your, then maybe it’s time you took the risk.

To learn more about Christian schools or to find a Christian school in your area, please visitwww.DiscoverChristianSchools.com.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Instilling Character in Your Children


Today's Christian Education Commentary

with Harold Naylor

Do you know what type of character qualities you are trying to instill in your children?

Click here to listen.
Few of us ever sit down and make a written list of the character qualities we are attempting to teach our children and model for them. If we did, certain aspects of our parenting would certainly change. After all, seeing goals spelled out and defined in black and white can be a powerful took of focus, self-examination, and reprioritizing.

Partnering with a Christian school in your child’s education can be a great way to help you as a parent start to focus on the specific character qualities you want to see develop in your child. It can also help ensure that many of those qualities are being deliberately modeled to your child every day by Christian educators.

To learn more about Christian schools or to find a Christian school in your area, please visit:www.DiscoverChristianSchools.com

Monday, October 13, 2008

Arrows


Today’s Christian Education Commentary

with Harold Naylor

Psalm 127:4 compares children to arrows “in the hand of a mighty man.”
Click here to listen.

Of course, this scripture is referring to children of upright and God-fearing parents. However,
the only arrows that are truly effective are arrows that have been carefully and deliberately
designed and prepared.

As we consider Psalm 127 we should carefully consider how God sees them from a spiritual
perspective – they need care and fashioning. Like the arrow, children need a sharp point – a
Christian world view, a strong shaft – the unchangeable Word of God, and the feathers guiding
their flight – this is discipline of parents and teachers.

“Happy is the man who has a quiver of such arrows”. The children with a strong Christian
education can be arrows of truth for God’s Kingdom.

We can help you find a Christian school and fulfill the directive we have been assigned as
Christian parents.

DiscoverChristianSchools.com - Where Christian education is priceless!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Effective Christian Schooling - A Mission to Forge a New Mind


Submitted by Jonathan Ekeland

The Christian Academy (Brookhaven, PA)
www.DiscoverChristianSchools.com Steering Committee

Effective Christian schooling is not simply a process of adding chapel and Bible class to a traditional academic curriculum. Rather, its mission is to forge a new mind – a transformation that begins through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and is then nurtured and developed by deliberate and strategic integration of biblical truth into every curricular area. Christian schooling, then, confronts and challenges the fragmented secular worldview.

But what does that really mean? Many people, adults and teenagers alike, don’t know what “worldview” means, though they hear about it or see it in print. The concept of a worldview is easy and difficult at the same time. For instance, you may have heard the name “Cape Cod” dozens of times, but have you ever stopped to think that a “cape” is a point of land that projects into the sea and a “cod” is a North Atlantic fish? We usually don’t dissect such terms on a regular basis. Well, the term “worldview” may be that simple. It is a set of presuppositions (which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold about the basic makeup of our world. One who holds a Christian worldview would look at everything through the grid of Scripture.
To apply this concept to our basic premise about Christian education, a Christian education does include Bible classes, chapels, Christian faculty, and a host of other “Christian things,” but if students are not learning how to assimilate and put into practice what they are learning, then they are as James describes in chapter 1, verse 22. “But prove to yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

When students study Shakespeare they should ask themselves, “From what worldview does Shakespeare speak?” Then students should compare their own worldview and Shakespeare’s to see the differences and similarities. Similarly, what worldview is presented in Science class? In World History and American Literature, what views are impressed upon the students? If the students have not begun to formulate in their own minds what worldview they espouse, then most everything they absorb and consider will be acceptable (tolerable).

All Christian schools certainly cannot be lumped together, but I would be willing to state that most value the opportunity to teach their students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. From as early as kindergarten, Christian schools are teaching and modeling a Godly perspective regarding every aspect of their education, from math to physical education class. Incidentally, if Christ is not the center of PE class, what does competition look like? If Christ is not the center of History class, where does God fit into the history of mankind? Does He, or doesn’t He? These are just two of dozens of perspectives that children are taught every day for 30 hours a week. Do the math! 30 hours a week times 36 weeks of school equals 1,080 hours in the classroom in a school year. Now multiply that by 13 years. It equals 14,040 hours that children are absorbing worldviews. The question raised to parents is, “What kind of worldview do you want your child to have when he or she graduates high school?”
A catechism question that some kindergarten students respond to is “Why did God make all things?” The little ones answer correctly, “God made all things for His own glory (Rom 11:36).” Our worldview, even at the age of five, should start with God at the center of our lives with everything revolving around Him. As the initial premise mentions, our society’s secular worldview is fragmented. In other words, it is broken and sinful. We as parents and educators need to have a plan -- a plan to instruct our children to compare everything to God’s Word. His Word is our lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. That path that our children tread upon is full of rocks and holes and other obstacles. They need God’s Word and its perspective to keep from falling. They need a bright and true light.

To learn more about Christian schools and Christian schooling - and to find a local Christian school in your area - please visit 
www.DiscoverChristianSchools.com.

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Next President and Education


Today’s Christian Education Commentary

with Harold Naylor

What education changes can we expect to see when we elect a new president?

In this heated election season, each candidate for president will declare that he will improve America’s schools.

They want to see our children be more competitive on the world stage and believe that their solution will turn things around. So, they will either argue for more government involvement or less, depending on their party’s platform.

Why is it that the America’s schools need turning around? It is because they lost their original purpose when government got more involved and parents got less involved.

The solution? It is not a new president. It is parents claiming their God-given responsibility to lead their families and take full responsibility for the training of their children.

To my fellow voters and parents, please partner with a school that shares your values and priorities.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Worldview and Christian Education, Part II


by Allison Hyer

Allison is a gradaute of Calvary Christian School in Naperville, IL (elementary school) and Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, IL (high school). She graduated from Bryan College in Dayton, TN. In addition, Allison is the daughter of Mr. Mark Strohm, Elementary Principal at Delaware County Christian School (Newtown Square, PA).

A person’s worldview—the basic set of beliefs through which you understand the world—is affected by the influences around them. One of the most important influences in a child’s life is his teacher.

Each day teachers pass on basic information that students accept as truth. Especially with young children, the truth of what a teacher says is not generally questioned. Not only in matters of fact does the teaching go unquestioned, though. The way a teacher treats students, the opinions a teacher may communicate—these are accepted as well.

Whether a teacher is passing on factual answers to the foundational questions (like teaching a child about scientific origins) or more subtle opinions (such singling out a child as commendable for something, which teaches about identity), a child is exposed to a teacher’s basic beliefs. Children are not equipped to untangle these beliefs on their own or even communicate them to their parents, so these beliefs will most often be accepted without question.

Since worldview is so foundational, the importance of answering basic questions correctly and consistently cannot be overestimated. When parents send their child to school, they are entrusting the mind of their child to his teachers. If the worldviews of his teachers are not biblical, the parents have led their child into a position where he will absorb basic beliefs that are not true or consistent. And because basic beliefs are also assumptions, he will not know how to question them.

His foundation for meaning, morality, identity and his understanding of his destiny will still be influenced by his parents, but because his teachers are in a position of authority and because they spend so much time imparting knowledge to him, there is no question that they will also be a huge influence on him in those areas. These unbiblical basic beliefs will be established in his mind, leading to, if not action based upon unbiblical beliefs, at least confusion. Which way of thinking is the right way—his parents’ or his teachers’ and friends’?

However, when parents send their child to a school where the teachers’ worldviews are biblical, they can be assured that he is learning—both extrinsically and intrinsically—the same basic beliefs and assumptions that they are imparting to him at home. They do not have to worry about their child learning unbiblical answers to basic questions about who he is, where he came from, what right and wrong are based upon, the value of other people and the meaning of life.

This leads to increased confidence for the child—there is no conflict between the authority figures in his life, so he can be more sure that what he believes is true. This will lead to a greater tendency toward action based on a biblical worldview, as well. Because he is learning to think in ways that are consistent and biblical, the fruit of those beliefs will be evident in a life lived more consistently by biblical principles.

An increase in confidence will also come for the parents—they do not have to worry about trying to help a child who is too young to question his assumptions unlearn what his teachers have taught him. Not that they can or should disengage in the process, but when they send their child to a Christian school, they can rest assured that they have entrusted the formation of their child’s beliefs to allies who are working toward the same goal—imparting a true and biblical worldview to their child.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Distinctive Mission of Christian Education

Submitted by Bill Stevens, Headmaster ~ Wilmington Christian School (DE)


Jesus' Greatest Commandment
Dr. David Dockery, in his book, Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society, writes about the Great Commandment of Christ . . .

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” ~Matthew 22:36-37

Dockery states that this is the starting point of our thinking about the integration of faith and learning. He says that these words of Jesus serve as the framework for carrying out the distinctive mission of Christian education to this changing postmodern world. It’s learning to think Christianly, to think in Christian categories, and at the same time connectedly to a Christian focus . . . namely Christ.

“Learning to think Christianly impacts our homes, our businesses, our health care agencies, our schools, our social structures, our recreation, and, yes, our churches too. Applying this Great Commandment entails all that we know of ourselves being committed to all that we know of God” (pp. 11-12).

Education today has become academically specialized and thus, being and becoming more unwilling to form interrelatedness between the disciplines. This unwillingness to relate disciplines to one another has resulted in a fragmentation of knowledge. It has resulted in a false dichotomy between the life of the mind and the life of faith. This fragmentation should alarm all who are committed to Christian education, for it strikes at the heart of our purpose and mission.
But alarmed we are not. Lest we would be so angered at the present state of education as to make the leap and sacrifice what was needed (at home and in our churches) to make a biblical worldview paramount for ALL the children of this next generation. As George Barna so aptly illustrated, we have become like frogs in the kettle, instead of leaping out, we slowly “boil to death” as the temperature rises. It is time, as the apostle Paul (and the prophet Isaiah before him) stated in their day . . .

“Wake up, O sleeper
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you”
~Ephesians 5:14

Unfortunately, we have become complacent . . . at the very least, comfortable; accepting a postmodern, relativistic, God-neutral (at best) environment to educate kingdom kids. It’s not the money, for He owns it all and will honor those who honor Him (I Samuel 2:30). It’s not the “salt & light” rationale, for we are to be that wherever we are. It’s the philosophy, the mind-set, and the perspective under which we place our children for the foundation of their thinking, learning, and living.

As we see throughout this political campaign, and in the recent financial crisis, people are looking for a sound foundation. What do the candidates really stand for? What is there true worldview? What is at the heart of our economic structure? Will the financial foundation hold? Are power, greed and manipulation of people and their money the standard for our society? I can’t imagine you saying, “Yes”. So now take these same questions one-step further (or back) to the educational foundation of this next generation . . .

Let’s remember the question asked of Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment”? He answered it straight, that it was the first and greatest. And affirmed that it is a command, not just an option or nice idea. Our children need to learn to love God with their entire mind. That’s at the heart and soul of a Christian education! It’s our mandate and marching orders.
Thinking Out Loud,
~ Mr. Stevens

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Because Worldview Matters!


An invitation from Wilmington Christian School ~ Bill Stevens (Headmaster):


This note comes to you to let you know of a special time I am planning for our community. Wilmington Christian School will be hosting, what is hoped to be an annual event, the "RENEWING MINDS FORUM". It will be held at our school on Friday (evening - 7PM) and Saturday (morning - 10AM), October 17/18, 2008. 

The speaker will be Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson, TN. As you may recall, Union University was devastated by tornadoes back in February. Dr. Dockery has also authored several books on developing a biblical world view, with a particular emphasis on Christian higher education and impacting society.

I believe this is a timely topic for the era in which we live and certainly for our Christian school community in these days. I am inviting you to join us and attend this seminar. The cost is $15 per person with all proceeds benefiting the WCS Student Scholarship Fund. 

My vision is that this would grow and develop both as an annual event, and a collaborative effort of our schools. Our churches, pastors, teachers, and board members all need to be stimulated, encouraged, and challenged to move this Christian educational ministry forward . . .

For more information and/or to download a registration brochure, please click here to visit the Wilmington Christian School website and click on the RENEWING MINDS link on the home page!

Please direct your questions to Wilmington Christian School using the contact info provided on the registration brochure.

World View and Christian Education

by Allison Hyer
Allison is a gradaute of Calvary Christian School in Naperville, IL (elementary school) and Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, IL (high school). She graduated from Bryan College in Dayton, TN. In addition, Allison is the daughter of Mr. Mark Strohm, Elementary Principal at Delaware County Christian School (Newtown Square, PA).

Every person has a worldview—a basic set of beliefs through which you see and understand the world. When you wear a pair of glasses, everything you see is affected because you see it through the glasses. Your worldview is similar. Based on it—your basic assumptions about life—you evaluate and act. Everything in your life is affected, from the priorities on your to-do list to the way you process the evil you see around you.

A worldview is made up of answers to some basic questions that everyone has to answer, whether they want to or not, whether they know it or not. As they grow into adulthood, every person has to answer questions like these: “Where did I come from?” “Who am I?” “What is my purpose in life?” “What is right and wrong?” and “Where will I go when I die?” The answers to these questions, acquired on purpose or picked up from others, are the foundation of their worldview.

The answers affect the rest of their lives—how they think about morality and ethics, what they choose to do with their money, the way they conduct themselves from day to day, their interactions with other people. Let me provide a simplified example. Worldviews are not usually as consistent as in this example, but this will allow you to see the thought process through to its conclusion.

If you answer the basic questions according to the worldview that the majority of our culture has, the answers are that we evolved from animals, so we are animals, fighting for survival. Right and wrong can only come from what works best—for the society, for you individually, etc. The ultimate fate is obliteration. This affects why people with this worldview believe in “tolerance”—because no animal has a better grasp of truth than any other. All views must be equal. Whatever works better for you, whatever it takes for you to survive, that must be right for you. Truth comes from within you.

However, if you answer the questions from a biblical worldview—we were created in the image of God, we are here to glorify Him and draw others to know Him, right and wrong are defined by God’s character, and ultimately all people are destined for heaven or hell, based on what they choose about Jesus—your belief in “tolerance” is much different. You do not affirm contrary beliefs to be true, because truth is defined by God’s character. You tolerate people with contrary beliefs not because whatever they believe is true for them, but you love others and are respectful to them because they, too, are made in the image of God.

Most people come by their worldview passively, never taking the time to examine the basic beliefs they have. They accept and proceed to act on opinions they have picked up, either from their parents, their friends, the media or others in authority in their lives. This includes teachers.

Because worldview is important, it is also important that a child’s influences share his worldview. The next blog entry (check back next Wednesday) will explore how the worldview of a school’s administration and teachers is foundational in developing a child’s personal worldview.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Neutral Education



Is there such a thing as neutral education?



Most educators, and far too many parents, have bought into the myth that education can be “religion-neutral.” They are convinced that teachers can train the mind without shaping attitudes, behavior or spiritual beliefs, and leave that for the parents to do at home.


However, neutral education is simply impossible.


In Romans 12:2, Paul observes the vital link between what we learn and what we become. As Gordon Clark puts it, “The school system that ignores God teaches its pupils to ignore God. That is not neutrality. It is the worst form of antagonism, for it judges God to be unimportant and irrelevant in human affairs. This is atheism.”


http://www.discoverchristianschools.com/ ~ We can help you find a Christian school and fulfill the directive we have been assigned as Christian parents.

Monday, September 8, 2008

What happens at a Christ-centered school?


Blog post written by Michael Essenburg, Christian Academy in Japan

Originally posted on the Nurturing Faith blog.

Shortest answer: The “4 differences.”

Short answer: At a Christ-centered school, students learn “different content” for a “different purpose” from “different people” in a “different environment.”

Longer answer:
(1) At a Christ-centered school, students learn “different content, skills, and values.”
They learn to…
Understand Bible stories, the plan of salvation, and a biblical perspective of what they study.
Apply a biblical perspective to what they study.
Respect themselves and others as image bearers of God.
Use their learning to serve God and others, and to take care of God’s creation.
Value and maintain spiritual, moral, physical, social, and emotional health.


(2) At a Christ-centered school, students learn for a “different purpose.”
They learn in order to impact the world for Christ. They learn in order to be Christ-like. The primary purpose of a Christ-centered school is not to help students get into college or get a job.

(3) At a Christ-centered school, students learn from “different people.”
They learn from God’s people. People with new hearts who live for God. People who bear the fruit of the Spirit. People who are passionate about helping all students increase their understanding and application of a biblical perspective.

(4) At a Christ-centered school, students learn in a “different environment.”
A Christ-centered environment. An environment that is safe, healthy, and nurturing. An environment that is characterized by love, gratitude, trust, respect for differences, and high expectations.

It's not too late to enroll your child in a Christian school. To find a Christian school in your area, visitwww.DiscoverChristianSchools.com and use the School Finder feature!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Why should I consider Christian education?


Ten Reasons Why You Need To Pray About It Today


Finances. Location. Perceived academic deficiencies. These are just some of the reasons parents spurn Christian education in favor of its public school counterpart. The DiscoverChristianSchools.com website addresses these and other concerns on the “FAQs” page. (Click here to read about some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Christian education.) But here we’d like to offer you ten solid arguments in favor of Christian education. There are plenty of others, both biblical and practical. But these are the most compelling.

1. God’s Word is taught
2. God commands us to teach kids through the Word
3. The school shares your values
4. Safety
5. Academic Achievement
6. Teachers love and fear the Lord
7. Individual Attention
8. Success after graduation
9. Peer Pressure
10. The State of Public Education

"A truly Christian education is possible only when Christian education underlies not a part, but all, of the curriculum of the school. True learning and true piety go hand in hand, and Christianity embraces the whole of life - those are great central convictions that underlie the Christian school." J. Gresham Machen

For a more detailed look at the “Ten Reasons”, http://www.discoverchristianschools.com/page.aspx?id=151173.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Affording a Christian School Education: Financial Assistance – Is It Available and Who/How Do I Ask?


John Fedele – National Director, DiscoverChristianSchools.com


As national director, one of the more frequent questions I receive from parents is “how can we receive financial assistance or aid to send our children to a Christian school.” This is an important consideration for many families as they look at the expense of a Christian school education in light of current economic conditions, rising prices, and especially if they want to enroll more than one child.

Let me first say that most Christian schools today offer some kind of financial assistance or financial aid program. Schools also may have multiple child discounts for families with more than one child. Each school is different, so a parent needs to inquire about financial assistance with each Christian school. Check with the admissions officer and if necessary speak to the administrator. I want to emphasize “needs to ask.”

In my experience as an Administrator and Development Director I have come across numerous parents who were either hesitant or did not ask because of not wanting to be viewed as needing financial assistance, or were simply “embarrassed” at the thought of asking. The purpose of a financial aid program is to assist parents, so why not inquire to see if you are eligible or even qualify?
Secondly, I have found that family members, (grandparents, in-laws, etc.) are many times looking for opportunities to bless someone in their immediate family. What can be more wonderful than helping a grandchild, nephew, niece or loved one receive a Christian education? It provides an opportunity to invest in the life of someone they truly love and care about. Your family members could be a great resource.

Thirdly, your church may have a scholarship fund or a program to assist parents who desire to educate their children in a Christian school. Don’t overlook your local church as a potential avenue of financial assistance.

In conclusion, I encourage parents to take these steps:

  1. Inquire at the Christian school about their financial assistance or scholarship programs. Ask the person in charge of admissions or the school administrator.
  2. Don’t rule out family members who may be able and wanting to assist you.
  3. Inquire at your local church about existing financial assistance programs or ministries.
  4. Get over any hesitancy or embarrassment on your part in asking, if you don’t ask, you may never be the recipient of a blessing!
Finally, make known your need to the Lord. Pray that He will supply the needed funding through his miracle power or through someone, He will!!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Big Idea


How does the idea of a Christian education sound to you?


To many of us, the idea of a Christian education for our kids sounds nice, wholesome, and yes, even spiritual. But in reality, few of us are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to send our children to a Christian school. After all, there is no guarantee for our kids attached! Some went to a school and turned out OK, and others who attended a Christian school or college may not be the picture of Christianity!

But none of that means you shouldn’t be thinking seriously about choosing a Christian school for your child. For more information about why you should at least think about a Christian education, and some big ideas for you to consider, visit our website at http://www.discoverchristianschools.com/.

We can help you find a Christian school and fulfill the directive we have been assigned as Christian parents.DiscoverChristianSchools.com - Where Christian education is priceless!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

DiscoverChristianSchools.com - On the Air!


Discover Christian Schools on Crosstalk

(http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2008/07/discover_christian_schools.php)
A LIVE radio interview on July 29, 2008

Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Harold Naylor
Listen: RealAudio Windows Media MP3 Order Tape or CD

Harold Naylor, Jr., is Director of Institutional Advancement for The Christian Academy, and co-founder of Discover Christian Schools.

Discover Christian Schools is the public communications arm of the Mid-Atlantic Christian Schools Association, and was formed to create a dialog with parents about their children's training, with the aim of instilling biblical thinking, to explain the differences and advantages of Christian schools over public school education, and then to help parents connect with a Christian school that is right for them and their children.

Mr. Naylor explained that educating children is the responsibility of parents. The purpose of the school is to come alongside them to assist in the education of their children.

There are a number of stark contrasts between public education and Christian education, stating with the understanding that God is the ultimate source and authority for creation, not a humanistic or naturalistic view that says everything came by chance. It is that difference that affects all areas of the curriculum, from history to science to mathematics to social studies, for examples.

Click here to read the rest of the post on the Crosstalk website!