I will never forget the comment a Christian parent made to me years ago. They said, "I will give my child a Christian Education in the home and at church but when it comes to life, I want them to have a real education." Can you see the inconsistency with this statement?

Second only to the type of mentors you provide for your children is the curriculum content that they study. A child will, throughout the course of a public education, encounter some good and sincere people, some of whom may be Christians. I encourage bold and forthright Christians to consider teaching in the public system in order to be salt and light through the many opportunities they have to reach out to fellow staff and perhaps bring changes to the system from within. Nevertheless, Christian teachers will be the first to tell you about the very difficult restrictions they are placed under to keep their views to themselves, especially in the classroom.

The secularization of our public school system is symptomatic of a larger cultural problem. Our society has left its Christian foundation but still believes in and measures itself by the virtues of that foundation. G. K. Chesterton put it this way nearly one hundred years ago: "The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone."

It is no secret that our public school curriculum is void of Christian theology. The case has been made that we live in a pluralistic society and cannot teach any one world-view. So children are not taught the nature of the world and it’s purpose. These ideas would mean that a world-view would have to be taught. The public curriculum teaches children two plus two and they will learn the same answer as is taught in the Christian school. What they are not taught in a public school is why it equals four. And understanding why it equals four is often more important than the solution itself.

Our world and ourselves cannot truly be understood without discovering its Creator and our purpose. The sciences in a secular curriculum must devote themselves to the mechanics of the universe without ever displaying the wonder and majesty of its Creator. The humanities in a secular curriculum must devote themselves to mere human behavior and interaction apart from our nobility and fallen-ness as those created in the image of God. Teaching a curriculum apart from any mention of God means that the true nature of everything can not be understood;

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge....

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom....

One of those "Christian virtues gone mad" is humanism, the idea that man is very unique and special. This view has been isolated from the context of Christian theology, that is, that God created man special for Himself and man, apart from God, is fallen and sinful. Humanism was God’s idea. Man is the highest created being in God’s order. If you secularize humanism (that is try to place man within this special context without a belief in God) a perverted form of knowledge and understanding about ourselves emerges. Thus we think of ourselves as the pinnacle of all the universe and we become our own gods. Humanism separated from Christian theology becomes the antitheses of what man really is.

The public system is going through a more recent transition into a postmodern culture. It is beginning to see that teaching no belief whatsoever is not really as neutral a position as it is purported to be. Thus they are beginning to explore the ideas of pluralism and relativism.

Another "Christian virtue gone mad" is the Christian idea of tolerance. Jesus himself taught us to love our neighbor as ourself. He was merciful to the sinner and accepted those who were different from his culture and beliefs. He did not teach that we must embrace the beliefs of others in order to find a place of harmony. He did not teach that truth is relative to one’s culture and world-view. Indeed, Jesus taught that all non Judeo-Christian world-views are just plain wrong and are from the devil! In the new-world spirit of tolerance we find ourselves having to embrace all beliefs. Some of the more recent public school curriculum, particularly in the humanities, is beginning to embrace this postmodern approach. Truth becomes relative. Something is true because you believe it is true and please don’t impose your truth on my truth that would be intolerant. The new theology of postmodernism can be expressed mathematically: two plus two equals whatever you believe it equals.

With these two seemly opposite ideologies, secular humanism and pluralism, driving our public school curriculum it is obvious that there is a direct antagonism to Christian beliefs.

As a Christian parent you need to be deeply concerned about the underlying philosophy that is educating your children. If the basis is naturalism, the worldview that all that exists is the natural world, then your children will begin to see themselves and the world apart from God. If it is pluralism and relativism then your children will begin to blend into the culture around them. Even if you compensate by having a strong devotional life in your home and attend a strong evangelical church the effects of secularizing the most important part of their ideological development are deep and far reaching as to how your children will perceive the world and reality. Your children will see the "real world" as something separate and distinct from their faith. They are forced to become suspicious of either your beliefs or the things they are being taught by the professional educators.

A Christian education doesn’t mean that your children will learn anything less real than a secular one. In fact they will learn about and begin to see the world as God created it. They will begin to understand themselves and humanity in the light of God’s plan for us. They will see how we have fallen from that plan and God’s restoration to that plan through Christ. They will see things as they "really are."

We do this while maintaining the standards and learning outcomes that are outlined by our Provincial Government for all schools. We are not required to teach government ideology but rather are encouraged by the Independent School Branch to be distinctive in our curriculum and approach towards education. The Independent School Branch inspects our learning outcomes and school more frequently than the public system. Our kids are being prepared to enter the world with a secure and consistent Christian belief system that embodies a holistic representation of all truth. God is the source of a "real education." Your children are receiving an education that is consistent with your beliefs and values taught in your home and church.