Why choose a Christian school?

There are many reasons why parents choose a Christian school. Here are a few.
- a private school that is not controlled by the state
- better academics
- associate with a select group of families
- smaller classrooms
- choice in curriculum
- better discipline and security
- Christian teachers and staff
- support of Christian values at home
- teachers who will make conferences
- good reports of progress
- testing of every student every year
- extra curricular activities that are acceptable
- dress and conduct standards
- a select student body
- Christian teaching

All of these are good reasons to choose a school and all are elements of Old Suwanee Christian School. But priorities must be set in a Christian home to be blessed by the Lord and so that children can grow and learn God’s way. The Bible provides priorities in the Christian Home.

Here are some of the factors that need to be first on the list.

1. God commands the Christian father to see that his children’s education is Biblical. Ephesians 6:1 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” “Bring up” means to nourish properly so they grow properly. This includes all areas of their life: spiritual, physical, mental, and social. “Nurture” involves the training needed to live. “Admonition” indicates instruction that includes every area of one’s life. Everything that you teach your children is important and must be judged from a Biblical perspective.

2. Parents are commanded to educate their children a particular way. Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is the oldest directive of scripture. There is a right way to train children. That way is God’s way. Progressive educators would rephrase that to say “train up a child in the way the child wants to go.” Secular education removes the “way he should go” from the directive. Humanistic educators (also progressive) would say “train up a child in the way that is humanly reasonable”. But for the Christian, these are not acceptable. Proverbs 14:12 tells us “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

3. A secular education is unacceptable to the Christian. The word secular means worldly, profane, temporal, non-religious. To the Christian this means to leave God out of education.
Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Many parents choose a school that is secular and void of Christian doctrine. With that choosing, they forget the principal reason for education: Godly wisdom. The Bible teaches us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...” Proverbs 1:7. Secular education has a goal that is void of the wisdom of God. It does not take into account that every person has a God designed purpose for his life for eternity and that purpose begins at conception. The training responsibility rests on the shoulders of Dad and Mom. Parents will answer to God for how they brought up their children.

4. Christian education involves the Church, the Home, and the School. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 teaches us that this education must be consistent, constant, and comprehensive of all activities of life. For a child to get a proper education, the home must be godly and function on Bible principles. To promote this, the family must be active in a Bible believing Church.

To assist the parents with education, the family may choose a school where the staff is properly trained in an institution that has the same Christian philosophy to teach children in all disciplines. The teachers should use curricula, materials, and textbooks that are Biblically sound. Their methods must also follow Bible examples and not modern educational methods that are soaked with secular humanism. Parents may choose to teach their children at home and to provide the above. But careful attention should be given to proper training, materials, and methods. It is possible for parents to use secular methods and materials, or to be poorly prepared. Education must be systematic and well planned. Most of all, it must be Christian in philosophy and practice.

If you wonder why Christian young people attending secular government institutions are losing their faith, it is because the above priorities are violated. Many depart from the way because they are not trained in the way they should go.

Old Suwanee Christian School is designed as a ministry to meet the needs of parents in training their children. Our purpose is to provide a Godly education with a Christian philosophy by dedicated Christian teachers using Bible based materials, curricula, and methods.