Saturday, October 1, 2016

Who is training your children?

Tom Wood has published a free e-book titled Education Without the State. You can get it here. Tom's short book makes the libertarian case that the state is not necessary to educate children, nor is it even really educating them.

Perhaps the single greatest tragedy in the Church today is that a majority of Christians still willingly and even enthusiastically send their children away from home every day to be educated and trained by unbelievers.

This is not just a problem for individuals, it is a collective sin of the People of God. It is also a sin of pastors and teachers who make public schooling an acceptable practice.

Imagine if the children of Israel voluntarily rounded up their kids every morning and sent them off to Amalekite, Edomite, or Philistine schools.

There are a great many options for Christian parents. Expensive private schools are far from the only way out of public schooling. Homeschooling is accessible to nearly everyone. For the fringe cases, where there are true barriers to it, there are co-ops, and support groups that can help. Parents that are struggling with finding a solution will have help just a URL away, and can always talk with other families in their church who are already doing it.

Most homeschooling families are passionate about it and will be willing to help find a way to make it possible.

And, don't think that the alternative path for education stops at primary and secondary school. Many young people and families are realizing that universities are also not the only option, or even the best option, for obtaining the education, skills, and training needed to become productive, self-supporting individuals.

Praxis is just one such option for motivated people who are not sold on the "benefits" of spending four, five, or more financially unproductive years gaining a credential that they may or may not use, and might even go into significant debt to obtain.

I'll post more about alternatives to college in the future.

In the meantime, here are some additional articles to help you if you are still part of the public schools but are starting to wonder if that's the right place to be.

Your are responsible for training your children.