Responding to Myths About Christian Education

Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from wisdom.- James 3:13

Are common misconceptions about Christian schools stopping you from considering a Christian education for your children? Let’s take a look at some myths—and the associated realities.

Myth: Christian education is appropriate if the goal is for your child to go to a Bible college, but not to a secular university.

Response: According to the Association of Christian Schools International, the majority of graduates of Christian high schools go on to secular universities.

Students and their families may lean toward a Bible college or secular university for a variety of reasons, including career goals; spiritual and cultural concerns; the personality, interests, and aptitudes of the individual student; and many other factors. However, if the goal is to equip a student to pursue either path, it’s important to look at such issues as accreditation when choosing a Christian school.

Christian School of York, for example, has dual accreditation from the Association of Christian Schools International and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the latter of which is the same organization that accredits public schools in the region. The college preparatory program at CSY, moreover, is designed to match or exceed those of the best public school systems and private schools. As such, our graduates have gone on to a variety of higher education settings ranging from Bible colleges to Ivy League universities.

Myth: Christian education shelters students too much from the world.

Response: Take the phrase “too much” out of this myth, and it’s no longer a myth. Christian schools do help shelter students from a variety of negative influences—spiritual, cultural, and otherwise. And that is a good thing, particularly in the earliest years of a child’s education, when they are at their most vulnerable and impressionable. Jesus said in Mark 10:15 that we must “receive the Kingdom of God like a little child.” Yet the pace at which our culture pushes children away from the state of innocence of early childhood seems to accelerate constantly, making it that much more difficult to approach the Lord from a place of childlike innocence as older children and adults. So the more we can shelter our children from these influences, the better.

Students in the upper grades are challenged to develop a biblical worldview of their own. There is no better environment in which to do that than within the context of a Christian school solidly founded on God’s word working in conjunction with the local church and family. The goal at CSY is that a graduate knows what he/she believes and can defend it based on God’s word. By equipping students with critical thinking skills at all levels in a solid Bible based environment, students are ready for the harshest of secular encounters.

We must remember that the world is not as God intended. He created a perfect environment for Adam and Eve in which to flourish. Sin and evil entered when they chose to disobey. God’s intent was for them to enjoy the protection of His presence in that environment.

Myth: Because they have been sheltered, graduates of Christian schools may be more vulnerable to having a crisis of faith in early adulthood, once they get out on their own, either at secular colleges or when they begin their working lives.

Response: A period of doubting, questioning, and finding oneself is an almost inevitable a part of the young adult experience, and Christians are no exception. God clearly wants His people to be “strong, firm, and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). But in our fallen state and imperfect world, we all have times when we stumble, and young adulthood is one of the periods when we are most prone to do so. While God does not condone our stumbling, He uses those times to help us grow and mature in Christ, “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4). And those who have gained a firm foundation for their faith, such as the foundation that can be gained with the help of a Christian education, are likely to not lapse as far--and they’re likely to recover their faith more quickly. We don’t send children out to the mission field to fend for their own. When is the last time we sent an 18 year old to another country as an ambassador or diplomat representing our country?

Myth: Christian education costs too much--just think how much I could save for my children’s college education if I sent them to the public schools instead!

Response: Let’s face it: running a quality Christian school—paying excellent teachers, building and maintaining facilities, providing up-to-date instructional materials, and all the expenses associated with running any educational institution, public or private—is not an inexpensive proposition. So the cost of tuition can, in turn, be a significant sacrifice for families. But what price should we put on the ability to protect our children from the negative influences of secular culture, and to provide a spiritually guided context in which they can learn the skills they need to succeed in the world? Moreover, a look at some of the components of today’s family budgets suggests that certain adjustments, sacrifices, and economies can be made to help offset the cost of tuition:

• Average cable TV bill: $71.00 per month, according to Multichannel News
• Average cellphone bill: $73 per month, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
• Average monthly payment on a new car: $400 per month, according to The Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research

Looking at these figures and thinking further about other budget components they bring to mind, one can see that reducing or eliminating certain expenses can go a long way toward covering the cost of tuition. It may be simply a matter of setting priorities and making some well-chosen sacrifices. Further, these figures suggest that paying Christian school tuition need not be mutually exclusive with a college funding plan. And don’t overlook the potential contribution of financial aid programs available at many Christian schools, including CSY, which can help make tuition affordable to families from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Myth: Due to their stance on issues like evolution, Christian schools aren’t effective in preparing students for science and technology fields.

Response: The mind of God is infinite. No matter how diligently we study His creation through the sciences, we ultimately realize that “these are but the outer fringe of his works” (Job 26:14).

Christian schools rightly take issue with scientific dogma on such issues as the origin of the universe and of man and, especially, with the implication that these theories are not compatible with a theistic point of view.

But the operational study of fields such as chemistry, biology, and physics is not at all incompatible with our faith. From the periodic table of the elements to the elegantly simple “four-word language” (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine) of recombinant DNA that now appears to encode all the complexity of the life we see around us, the structure and workings of the creation are part of God’s general revelation of Himself to mankind: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Roman’s 1:20).

Particularly in schools such as CSY that are dually accredited by both Christian and secular organizations, the standard of science education can match or exceed that of the best public and private schools. Students leave such programs well prepared for higher education in science and technology, and have the added benefit of a spiritual context to their education that enables them to reconcile science and faith.

Steadfast on Essentials, Open on Debatable Issues

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until
the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through
Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
--Philippians 1:9-11

On some points scripture is abundantly clear. The deity of Christ is one of the strongest examples. Despite the contrary teachings of certain sects, Christ clearly, in multiple parts of the Gospels, declares himself not only to be the Son of God but also to be one with the Father and, therefore, to be God Himself. John 8:58 is one of the most salient—but also just one among many—examples: "’I tell you the truth,’" Jesus answered, "’before Abraham was born, I am!’"

On other points, however, God seems to challenge us with richly nuanced revelations, through His word, that we might not be able to fully comprehend in this world. Just when will the rapture occur in relation to the second coming, and what precisely will be the timing and specific nature of the 1,000 year reign?

The complexity of the scriptures on these issues is such that room for debate still remains among those who hold to essential doctrines of the faith. On some of these issues, the Holy Spirit may one day open up for us a clearer understanding. But God also challenges us to search the scriptures for truth, and some truths may not be fully revealed to us until after Christ returns and we are living in the new creation.

On other points God seems to grant us liberty in terms of how we may practically apply principles that, in a general sense, are essential. Baptism is a good example. As Hank Hanegraaf argues in his essay on “The Importance of Baptism,” scripture appears to be quite clear that baptism, though not essential to salvation, is a vital exercise for the believer in expressing his or her faith. But in terms of the specifics of the exercise, Hanegraaf argues that “Christians may forever debate whether one should be dunked, dipped, or drycleaned.”

As a school that, while steadfast on the essential doctrines of the faith, is not committed to any single denomination or set of teachings on issues that are subject to interpretation, our practice at Christian School of York is to be non-dogmatic on such issues and to encourage their active discussion.

It’s all a part of how God helps us use His word for the renewing of our minds. While abundantly clear on essential points, the more complex and nuanced areas of God’s word challenge and enrich us—this is one of the factors that makes scripture “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Learning to be Living Witnesses

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have.
-1 Peter 3:15

For Christian school students and their families, the basic fact of their affiliation with the school can be a conversation starter and the opening of an opportunity to witness to new people we encounter in the general community. Our families have made a commitment that sets them apart in society, creating an immediately noticeable difference that can spark curiosity among others, which can lead in turn to opportunities to share.

With Bible courses being part of our educational program from preschool through high school, we work to equip our students with a scriptural understanding that enables them to, in Peter’s words, “give answer to everyone” when the opportunity arises to testify about their faith.

But by striving to be a school in which Christ is visibly present in all of our activities, whether directly related to scriptural study or not, we also work to equip our students to be living witnesses to God’s good work in all aspects of their lives.

There’s a difference that shows when people come to visit, as related in several of the testimonials on the CSY Web site--like the story of the hospitality our students showed to an opposing basketball team that inadvertently arrived early while a spaghetti dinner was still taking place in the gym, or the comments on the Christian character that our basketball players have demonstrated both on and off the court.

Just as living the Christian life is something that can’t be done on Sunday alone, building in our students the ability to serve as living witnesses isn’t something for Bible class alone. Christian education is a ministry that builds witnessing into the whole life of the whole student, so that through their actions as well as their words they will show themselves to be “a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9).