Christian Parents Must Remember that Education is Discipleship
Proverbs 13:20 reminds us, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” It’s not everyday we see Proverbs play out in real life, but yesterday was one of those days.
On Monday, the “Theological Editor” of Christianity Today, Stefani McDade, published an article titled “Public School Can Be A Training Ground For Faith,” in which she encouraged Christians to send their kids to public schools. The article’s first sentence is correct—it is indeed a topic that elicits strong reactions for various reasons.
The recent developments in public life and government-run schools (increasing secularism, hostility to Christianity, the promotion of evil agendas like CRT and transgenderism, etc.) have made this an issue worthy of solemn consideration. As such, it deserves more thoughtful arguments than what was offered in the rest of McDade’s article.
Education isn’t “Strength Training,” it’s Discipleship
The question of how to best school our children as Christians is critical. As a father and a pastor, I’m convinced that a uniquely Christian education, whether homeschool or Christian school, is vital for children.
I grew up in the public school system and have watched its downgrade in recent years. I have clear personal convictions about this.
However, what Christians need to hear, even more than particular advice about types of schooling, is this: Education is discipleship.
If we were to understand that truth, it would change how we think about the nature and means of education for our children. What our children are taught, how they are taught, and who teaches them are all aspects of discipleship. That reality alone should change the discussion from one of socialization or the silly notion of “strength training” in a hostile enemy environment.
The primary reason for how and why Christian parents think through education must be to answer this question: How can they best raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)?
How will the education their children receive teach and promote virtue and godliness in them? How will their classroom instruction cultivate their growing faith as they learn to think for themselves and apply the truths of God’s Word to the various disciplines and subjects they are taught?
My point in this response is not to defend a particular type of education per se; I am sure that others will do that in the coming days. My concern is more general. After two decades of pastoring people who have weighed through this decision, I know from experience that this is a massive issue. It is personal. It is fraught with bad advice and cultural pressures. What Christians need is wise counsel. As such, my advice to parents is done as part of pastoral care because, again, education is discipleship.
It is of great concern to Christians how our children are educated (what, how, and by whom). The problem is not simply about getting kids to college or mastering a subject. It is about the formation of souls. This is a matter of Christian discipleship and faithfulness.
I must admit that what I encourage Christian parents to do and how I approach that counsel have changed over the years. I entered pastoring with many ideas, many of which did not survive the crucible of experience. However, the biggest lessons I have learned came when the students in the equation are no longer just other people’s kids but my own.
My wife and I have four children, ages 11 to 17. I learned much about this issue simply by discipling my own kids. I know how hard it is to build positive character attributes and teach spiritual truths. My concerns, as we anticipate sending our oldest two out of our home in less than two years, are far different than they were a few years back. I have much better ideas about education in general, what it means to disciple children, and how those work together.
But that knowledge has come through many years of personal experience, and that leads me to my main observation from that article:
Inexperienced people tend to give terrible advice and, therefore, should (generally speaking) not give advice about topics they know nothing about.
The Inexperienced Should Not Be Platformed to Give Advice on Weighty Matters of Christian Discipleship
Inexperienced people often give terrible advice because they do not know what they do not know. The arrogance of youth and inexperience is only removed with time, perspective, and, well, experience.
Only when one has experienced a particular stage is the previous foolishness revealed. Wisdom comes with going through experiences and coming out the other side. Now that I am in my mid-40s, I realize how much wiser my dad is than I knew when I was younger. I would have never seen, much less admitted, that when I was in my twenties. Years of experience have given me a degree of wisdom, and I now know I have even further to go. That is how it ought to be. We all need time to grow in knowledge and out of inexperience.
But there is this trend in our culture, and within the world of evangelicalism as well, of younger people wanting to be prominent speakers, authors, and leaders. I believe it leads to a desire to speak on subjects that the inexperienced person is simply unqualified on which to speak.
Youth and inexperience think of every subject as theoretical because the person has not yet experienced it. McDade actually acknowledges that her entire article and all of her advice is just that—theoretical. She admits, “Our daughter is just a toddler, so she’s not in school yet, and it’s possible something in the next few years will lead us to change our minds. But, for now, my husband and I have decided to send her to public school.”
Making bold declarations about what one will or ought to do is easy. Still, most experienced listeners will dismiss the suggestions because they come from someone who hasn’t lived out what they are telling others do take on. Again, this is a hard-learned lesson for me, as I have been that young pastor in a church full of older people. Their concerns about my lack of experience were not unfounded, though, in my youthfulness, I dismissed them as clearly out of touch. It isn’t that we can’t have younger pastors teaching the older; Paul’s letter to Timothy expects that to happen. However, younger pastors need to show a bit of humility in such settings.
Coming back to this particular issue, a person with no experience with public school, no children, or only a toddler should think long and hard before wading into this particular discussion. The zeal of the inexperienced seeking to be the wise sage often blinds them to how little they know about the subject.
Reading books about something is not the same thing as knowing the subject.
Reading about parenting is not the same thing as actually raising kids.
This is why we shake our heads when people who have been married for a handful of years decide to write a book or lead a marriage conference. It is absurd. Insight and knowledge on these subjects only come from experience.
McDade’s article reads as if it were written by someone with no experience talking about an issue they do not fully understand—and that’s because it is. She admits as much.
Don’t misunderstand me. A lack of experience is not necessarily, in and of itself, a problem; all of us were once there. It is the arrogance that cannot even see how one’s lack of experience makes them unqualified to speak to it that is the problem. Inexperience often comes with that flavor of hubris.
So, to make an effort to be very clear about what I am and am not saying, let me offer this point. If parents of a toddler said, “We are committed to giving our children a Christian education, whether that is in the home or a Christian school,” I believe they are on the path of wisdom, even though they are inexperienced. But if a young couple in the situation above decided to write an article sharing their decision with the Christian world, I would caution them that there might be better people to write it.
This is why I say it is part of a more significant problem of people thinking they know more than they do. Like the brand-new parent who says they will never let their child watch TV, but a few years later, the Bluey theme song is stuck in their head for weeks. Life comes at you fast.
When it comes to such weighty matters as what parents should do with their kids’ education, those who have no experience with the matter should be slow to dispense advice. They should not be given platforms to wax poetic about a variety of subjects on which they are not qualified to speak. Humility is needed for the inexperienced, not an outlet for them to dispense questionable (at best) advice.
A Brief Biblical Admonition About Inexperienced Teachers
Here, we also encounter a clear biblical mandate. James 3:1 states, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”
Those who give advice or write articles are teachers. Teachers will be graded with greater strictness. There is accountability for teachers; therefore, not many should do it.
The task of dispensing advice to the church in this way should be reserved for those who have demonstrated their wisdom over time—that is, the experienced believer who can give wisdom to the people of God from a proper understanding of the Word of God. This is the task of qualified elders and teachers in the church.
Perhaps we need to be stricter about who we choose as theological editors and writers for Christian publications if they are going to make elder-like statements. Perhaps Christians need to be more discerning about who we allow to have our ears as well.
Our local church pastors/elders know us, love us, walk with us, and will help us disciple our children, regardless of our education choices. Their advice, seasoned with experience and biblical wisdom, is superior to that of online magazines, regardless of their scope and influence. After all, our elders must meet biblical character qualifications, including the idea that they have experience as believers.
Our elders are to be proven over time, in front of our congregation. Their advice bears the weight of hard-fought experience, not just a title given to them because they can write well. Both unqualified and inexperienced teachers can ruin the church, so Christians should (generally) not listen to them.
Imperfect Advice From Someone Who Is (Somewhat) Experienced
So, what advice would I give the inexperienced article author who goes out there and makes bold declarations like the ones we find in McDade’s article at Christianity Today?
I would say this: The inexperienced person should be learning, not teaching or writing. They should be soaking up the wisdom of those who have gone before them. They should be slow to speak and quick to listen.
My wife and I have been discipling our kids and overseeing their education their entire lives, and we still seek out the wisdom of those who know more than us. One hallmark of a truly wise person is seeking out the counsel of those more wise than themselves. Wise people realize they do not know everything.
Again, experience humbles us and causes us to admit we need to slow down and learn and not try to speak out of our ignorance. So, this young writer, who I am sure has the best intentions, ought to be advising less and learning more. She does not yet know all she does not know on this subject. She needs wise people to teach her. That is how inexperienced people gain valuable experience that helps them grow. It is how fools become wise.
In my two decades of ministry, I’ve had to learn this lesson many times. Before becoming a teacher or a dispenser of godly wisdom, there must be time to learn the lessons. The hope for the inexperienced is that over time, with the power of the Holy Spirit, and from teaching of those who know more than they do, they will grow in wisdom.
What about those of us who are not teachers? We should be active in learning, quick to listen and slow to speak. We should put ourselves under the authority of God’s Word and those he has called and equipped to teach it. God has given teachers to his church.
Good teachers embody theological precision and real-life experience. Even if they have not gone through exactly what you have, they have wisdom in applying the Word of God to your situation. God has given us a great gift in godly men to lead and teach in our churches as elders. God has given us a good gift of mature and wise men and women to disciple others in our churches. We ought not neglect that or think too highly of ourselves, we should humble ourselves and gather with God’s people so that we may learn from those God has given to us to disciple us and help us grow in godliness and wisdom.
And doesn’t that bring us back to the importance of education? From whom will that person benefit the most spiritually as they seek to grow in wisdom and knowledge? A mature Christian teacher. Why would that not also be the case for our young children, who are inexperienced and lacking in wisdom?
Mature Christians should educate our children, be it in the home, a Christian co-op, or a Christian school. They should impart wisdom to younger believers.
We don’t send them off to the unbelievers for character formation. Not because we are scared of unbelievers or dislike them, but because we do not share the same goals in education. We do not have the same end game in mind for our children. We want our children to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and fear of the Lord. That is defined by Christ in his Word, not the Department of Education.
Conclusion
Remember: Education is discipleship, so make your decisions based on the advice of trusted and experienced believers, not foolish advice from those who do not know enough to know better.
I’ll finish where I started, in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 19:20 commands us to “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”
It will be interesting to see what McDade thinks about public schools after her kid has been in them for a few years. Will she have the same advice?
Only time and experience will tell.
