TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SEND YOUR CHILD

TO A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

by Paul A. Kienel

The author, Paul Kienel, is the Executive Director of the

Association of Christian Schools International.

p.d.-chapter 1 of REASONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS (c) 1981 (for the

remainder of the book) by Mott Media, 1000 East Huron Street,

Milford, MI 48042, for Paul A. Kienel.

* Note:Find:*

The Christian school movement is the fastest growing

educational movement in America today. The U.S.NEWS AND WORLD REPORT

and CHRISTIAN LIFE magazines have referred to the rapid proliferation

of Christian elementary and secondary schools as the "Boom in

Protestant Schools" and "The Christian School Explosion." Christian

schools are currently being established across the United States at

the rate of two new schools a day.

In California we average one new Chrsitian

school each week. Obviously parents by the thousands have

opted to send their youngsters to Christian schools as opposed to

secular public schools. As a parent who sends my children to

Christian schools and speaks to thousands of parents on the radio and

on tour, permit me to share ten reasons why you should send your

children to Christian schools:

ONE: You are accountable to God for what your children are

taught in school. Proverbs 22:6 is a direct command to parents. It

says, "Train up a child in the way he should go..." What your

children are taught in school should be a direct extension of your

parental views. The teachers under whom your children are taught

should be the kind of teachers you would personally hire if your

children were being educated in your home.

TWO: Christian schools offer a better level of instruction.

There is no question about it. The test scores over a long period of

years are conclusive. The annual Stanford Achievement Test

administered to first through eighth grade Christian school students

in the western states shows these students to be seven to nineteen

months ahead of the national norm in reading, and seven to thirteen

months ahead of the national norm in all subject areas.

THREE: The Bible does not teach that children should be

exposed to all kinds of sin. We are to train "up" a child, not point

him downward. Children do not grow spiritually stronger in a

negative non-Christian environment.

Students do not become stronger Christians by

being taught non-Christian thinking, but by being

taught Christian thinking, and there is no such person as a "neutral"

school teacher who neither advances nor inhibits religion. School

represents 16% of your child's time. It is prime time, a training

time, and Christian school education represents a positive Bible-

centered form of instruction that will build a child up in the faith-

-not tear him down. Proverbs 19:27 says, "Cease, my son, to hear the

instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge."

FOUR: The Christian school is right for your child because

the Christian school has not cut itself off from the most important

book in the world--the Bible. Without the Bible, education is

nothing more than the blind leading the blind. Standards for

morality must be taken from Scripture alone, not from situations as

often taught in secular schools. As Theodore Roosevelt stated, "To

train a man in mind and not in morals is to train a menace to

society."

FIVE: The Christian school provides an opportunity for your

child to witness for Christ. This surprises some people because they

assume all students in a Christian school are Christians. In most

cases a majority are Christian; however, in every Christian school

there are always some students who need the Savior. Christian

students are trained and encouraged to reach these youngsters for

Jesus Christ. Witnessing in a Christian school has the support of

parents, students, teachers, administration and the school board.

Presenting Christ as Savior is not illegal in a Christian school.

SIX: Christian school educators teach all subject matter from

a Christian context. They put the Bible at the center of the

curriculum and ask students to evaluate all they see in the world

through the eyes of God. To quote Dr. Roy Zuck,

The secular vs. Christian school issue is really a question

of whether a child will learn to view life from man's perspective or

God's perspective. From man's viewpoint, history is purposeless;

from God's viewpoint, history has meaning. From man's viewpoint,

science is the laws of "nature" at work; from God's viewpoint,

science is the outworking of His laws.

In a Christian school, a student is exposed to the centrality of God

in all of life. In public education, a student is legally

"sheltered" from this important dimension of education.

SEVEN: Christian schools support the family as the number one

institution of society. Christian school educators train students to

respect their parents. These educators agree with the early American

patriot, Noah Webster, who said, "All government originates in

families, and if neglected there, it will hardly exist in society."

EIGHT: "The atheists have, for all practical purposes, taken

over public education in this country." Shocking words, yes, but they

were spoken by a prominent public school educator, Dr.

W.P.Schofstall, former Arizona State Superintendent of Schools.

Paradoxically, many public school personnel openly support Christian

school education.

As a matter of fact, the largest group of parents who

send their children to Christian schools are public school

teachers and principals. I conducted a nationwide survey among these

public school educators. The following statement is typical of the

responses I received:

I prefer to send my children to a Christian school because

Christ is central to all information taught and caught. The public

school is basically humanistic and materialistic in its approach to

life and the fundamental questions of human existence and purpose.

The Christian school holds a unique position with the home and the

church.

NINE: Christian school educators maintain discipline in the

classroom and on the playground. Without a reasonable standard of

discipline, the process of education is severely hampered. "For whom

the Lord loves, He disciplines..." the Bible teaches. And it is

within that context of love that discipline is carried out in a

Christian school. This important feature of education is rapidly

disappearing from the public school education. According to the

recent GALLUP POLL OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS EDUCATION,

Lack of discipline in the public schools again heads the list

of problems cited most often by survey respondents. Discipline has,

in fact, been named the number one problem of the schools in seven of

the last eight years. New evidence of its importance comes from the

special survey of high school juniors and seniors. An even higher

percentage of this group names discipline as the leading problem

faced by the public school.

TEN: "We believe that our children are gifts of the Lord. We

are responsible to train them according to His Word not only at home

and in church, but in school as well." This statement was made by a

parent in response to a question on an application form for

enrollment of his children at Delaware County Christian School in

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

More and more parents, especially Christian parents, are

coming to the conclusion that secular public education and most of

its teachers and principals no longer represent their personal

parental views. These parents are exercising their freedom of choice

and sending their children to Christian schools and colleges.

Note: The first chapter of this book has over the past two years been

published in newspapers and national magazines for a total

circulation of more than one million copies. It first appeared in

1975 in Dr. Clyde Narramore's magazine PSYCHOLOGY FOR LIVING. Then

Dr. Jerry Falwell secured permission to publish it in his national

publication FAITH AFLAME.

It appeared later in several denominational

publications and a variety of newspapers. Because of

its wide circulation I do not claim copyright. This of course does

not pertain to the remaining chapters. Most chapters of this book

have appeared in recent issues of a one page publication called

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL COMMENT. They were originally written with this book

in mind. Each chapter has been updated, rewritten and rearranged to

fit the sequential needs of this volume.

The TABLE OF CONTENTS of the rest of the book:

1) Ten Reasons Why You Should Send Your Child to a Christian School

(p.d.)

2) Monday School vs. Sunday School

3) Should Parents Shelter Their Children from the Real World?

4) Questions Reporters Ask About Christian Schools

5) The Day the Ohio Supreme Court Voted Yes for Christian Schools

6) Christian Schools Train Youngsters to Think 'Christianly'

7) Ten Ways to be a Super Parent

8) Seven Keys to Family Discipline

9) How Important is the Christian School to the Church, the Christian

College and to the American People?

10) Should Christian School Parents Get Involved in Political

Matters?

11) Six Reasons Why Christians Should Give to Christian Schools

12) Education Beyond the Three "R's"

13) Trends in Public Education

14) Trends in Christian School Education

15) Statements from Prominent Americans About Christian Schools

Recommended further reading from Mott Media, 1000 East Huron,

Milford, MI 48042:

Four Trojan Horses of Humanism, by Harry Conn.

The Separation Illusion, by John Whitehead. Refutes the

commonly-held belief that religion must be separated from government

and applies this discussion to the court decisions on prayer and

Bible reading in public schools.

Are Textbooks Harming Your Children?, by James Hefley.

Shocking quotes of the materials discovered by the Gablers in their

reviews of public school texts. Information is given on how you,

parents like themselves, can take action to improve American

Education.

How To Tutor, by Samuel L. Blumenfeld. The book is divided

into four parts; how to qualify as a tutor, reading primer, writing

primer, and arithmetic primer. Useful for tutoring children at the

preschool level as a preventive measure during the first two grades

of public school as a supplement to the child's instruction, or for

use in remedial instruction at any grade level.

A Christian Approach to Education, by H.W.Byrne. An

outstanding survey of the basic theories of Christian education.

This is a new approach based on Biblical principles and compares the

secular and Christian views of education prevalent today.

Asking Questions: A Classroom Model for Teaching the Bible,

by D.Bruce Lockerbie. Each question leads to a variety of responses

intended to teach, first, what the text says; then, what it means;

and finally how its principles apply to Bible readers today.

Handbook on Athletic Perfection, by Wes Neal. "The perfect

athletic performance can only be experienced by the Christian athlete

controlled by the Holy Spirit who has been sent by God to develop

Jesus Christ's attitudes and actions in your athletic performance as

well as your entire life." Biblical premise for every principle

stated and practical applications of those principles.

Handbook on Coaching Perfection, by Wes Neal. Thesis is "use

me Lord to draw recognition back to you." Emphasis is on seeking

what Scripture says then doing things (even coaching) God's way.

Excellent gift for coaches, athletes.

Teach Them Diligently, A Devotional Guide for Teachers Who

Care, by Arthur Nazigian. Presents concisely many ways to identify

the blessings of God in your educational ministry. You will be

blessed each time you meditate through the book.

Teacher's Report Card, by Mary Vandermey. A collection of

short, warming and insightful vignettes about children and real

teachers. Each chapter provides the reader with encouragement and

inspiration from the Scriptures.

FACS--Fundamentals for American Christians, by Russ Walton,

Basic Biblical principles of government that should be fundamentals

for American Christians.

THE SOWER SERIES OF WORLD HEROES, Character-building

Christian Biographies for Young Readers:

Christopher Columbus, by Bennie Rhodes. An exciting book

about a Christian explorer who sought to discover new lands to spread

the gospel at the risk of shipwreck, disease, and personal failure.

Robert E. Lee, by Lee Roddy. A Christian of impeccable

character, Lee became one of the most respected men in America--even

in the face of defeat.

Abigail Adams, by Evelyn Witter. The story of the wife of

America's second President whose personal faith in Christ kept her

strong in a young war-torn nation.

George Washington, by Norma Cournow Camp. The story of the

first President who was not a great preacher or Bible scholar, but

who patterned his own life around the Bible lessons he studied daily.

He was a sower of seeds of faith and courage.

Johannes Kepler, by John Hudson Tiner. This giant of faith

and science considered his scientific studies to be another way of

looking into God's creation.

Isaac Newton, by John Hudson Tiner. Here is the life story

of the astronomer and mathematician who discovered the law of gravity

and who was a devout, Bible-believing Christian.

Abraham Lincoln, by David J. Collins. A true sower of faith

and freedom, this biography describes Abe's experiences in his search

for an understanding of God.


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