Our churches are filled with secularists who love Jesus but have no idea what His thoughts are about the real world they live in Monday through Friday .
What is the Real Fruit of Non-Christian Education ?
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BY JEFF KEATON
hen making the argument for Christian education , some have stated that if a child attends public school , they are likely to become an atheist . Although an atheistic worldview dominates public education , it hasn ’ t been my experience that most children from Christian homes who attend non-Christian schools adopt atheism as their worldview . However , almost every child who attends any form of non-Christian education will become what I like to call a “ secularist .”
Here ’ s what I mean by this statement . When a child spends thirteen years in a school where God is never connected to any relevant part of the world ( math , science , history , English / language arts , business , medicine , law , government ), they naturally assume the only thing God is involved in is what happens at church and their personal faith . I will go so far as to say that this Sacred / Secular Divide is the great curse of the evangelical church in America and in many other parts of the world .
Our churches are filled with secularists who love Jesus but have no idea what His thoughts are about the real world they live in Monday through Friday . Therefore , when they are in church listening to their pastor or singing worship music , or when they are having their devotion time or listening to Christian music , they feel like they are doing something sacred and holy . But , when they go to work on Monday , they feel like they have entered the secular world .
Other than Christian ethics causing them to behave well in their work setting , they have no idea what God ’ s thoughts
Our churches are filled with secularists who love Jesus but have no idea what His thoughts are about the real world they live in Monday through Friday .
are about the ultimate purpose for their work and how their work fits into His great plan for humans and the world . Most secularized Christians fail to see their work as a part of God ’ s call for humans to take dominion of the earth and restore all that is broken and out of alignment with God ’ s good design .
The beauty of a truly Christian education , in all of its many forms , is that it frees our children from the inferior view that education is only about helping them to make a living . It inspires them to see education as the journey God is using to help them find their place as one of His vice-regents in our world . As we show them the unique abilities God has given only to humans by stamping His image on us and inspiring them with the purpose of “ repairing the ruins of our first parents ,” the world comes alive , and the opportunities seem endless . If you need help making this kind of education a reality in your school or church , please reach out to us today .
Jeff Keaton has been a successful pastor , church and school planter , and ministry entrepreneur . As the founder and CEO of RenewaNation , Jeff works across the United States and Canada to help awaken the church to the great need to give every child a biblical worldview . Jeff is married to Michele , and they have two daughters , two sons-in-law , four grandsons , and one granddaughter . He is the author of The Life of Radical Faith .
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