God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn

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The Stoics believed that the universe is a living being with no beginning or end, of which Paul said, “God, who made the world and everything in it…” among other notable points directed to the Stoics. The Epicurians believed that man had two primary fears, and that they should be eliminated. One was the fear of gods and the other the fear of death. Paul confronted them by saying “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world…” and “He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” He confronted the Epicureans on several other notable points as well. Another dimension of academic success is the quality of the college one graduates from, which is commonly measured by selectivity. The more selective the institutions from which students graduate, the more likely they are to pursue graduate degrees and to secure high paying jobs.

Paul had been speaking to the Epicurean and the Stoic philosphers in the Areopagus, which is a key meeting place for philosophers and teachers. Paul’s speech in the verses following, showed that he had a very expansive understanding of these two philosophies. Paul even quotes an ancient Greek writers Epimenides and Aratus. In the verses following, he directly confronts the belief systems of those two philosophies showing how very well educated he had been in them. Proverbs 1:7 “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Today, schooling is a social practice that launders white social advantage (inherited and updated) in the name of merit. Yes, schooling can be beneficial for everyone, and yes, many non-whites can succeed brilliantly while many whites can fail. And also, non-white people have generated their own goods as acts of self-determination and resistance within the schools designed for the good of people who are white. But resistance adds cost and risk, and not having to resist is an advantage conferred on children who identify, and were allowed to identify, as white. Footnote 46 King Solomon was the wisest human that has ever lived, or ever will be. He had an immense amount of knowledge about the world and how it worked in addition to a tremendous amount of wisdom. King Solomon was just an ordinary man, but He wanted to be a righteous king, so he asked God for wisdom and discernment. And the Lord graciously gave him what he asked for – and blessed him abundantly on top of that. Repeatedly in the books that Solomon wrote, we are commanded to seek after true godly wisdom, and to run from the temptations of the world. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'" (John 8:32). There is value in studying God's Word. There is also value in pursuing truth in a general sense. Theology was for centuries known as the Queen of the Sciences because it informed all other study, education, and knowledge.

On average, abiders who earned A’s graduated from slightly less selective colleges: schools whose incoming freshman class had an average SAT score of 1135, compared with 1176 at nonabiders’. Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

The abider advantage

Julie has four children and has recently completed her eighteenth year of homeschooling. As children, she and her husband were both bullied and she didn’t want her children to have the same experiences, and the idea of homeschool resonated with them. Daniel 1:5 “The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service.” Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” ( Jesus Bible verses) Corinthians 2:6-10 “Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” A progressive view, still popular among educational historians, suggests that images like this are exceptional. The public good has been the core goal of public schooling and, reciprocally, public schooling has been a foundational good for the United States. Schooling was imperfect, of course, and excluded particular groups, but things are getting better. In that sense, the mob is historically exceptional or regionally idiosyncratic. The kids are marching Arkansas into a better future, to the tune of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Again, this is not to say that education is a bad thing. God created our world, and learning about Him, the world He created, other people, and ways we can live and work in the world are good things. Consider, for example, the importance of mathematics or agriculture or technology or medical knowledge and the impacts those have on people's daily lives. Or consider how a knowledge of history can broaden understanding of society and better inform decisions. Or think of the ways knowledge of different languages can help us better communicate, or how education in artistic skill can help us convey God's beauty for others to rejoice in. Work is part of God's good creation (Genesis 1:28–29; 2:15). Whether paid or unpaid, we all work in some way. And whether a specific degree or certification is required or not, all of our work requires some sort of education. Of course, education is most beneficial in so far as it enables us to carry out God's purposes for our lives, to love others well, to advance His kingdom, and to prompt our worship of Him. Again, all sorts of education can lead toward these ends. Off and on, the Church provided a solid basis for a godly education. The Reformer John Calvin argued for universal education, saying that every child should learn to read and write, gain abilities in math and understand religion. Martin Luther taught that teaching the Bible and the way the world worked would allow a growing relationship with God. In the 1780s the modern Sunday School movement began as Robert Raikes began teaching overlooked and poor children. Many of the oldest and most revered universities were started by Christians, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge. In this talk I offer a new way of framing the goals and functions of schooling in the United States. Schooling in the United States has never been a public good, nor has “the public good” been its primary goal. Instead, I will argue that since its origins in the early nineteenth century, schooling has been a white good, designed to promote white advantage. Insofar as schooling has approached being a public good, that tendency has emerged as the result of counter-majoritarian, explicitly racial activism led by non-white people. The struggle for racial justice has been the struggle of moving schooling from a white good to a public good.

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So far my argument begs the question: How did white Americans maintain their advantages in schooling, when people of color have put up so much resistance? Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” She talks about how children, particularly children under eight, need a lot of free time and play. I wholeheartedly agree. They learn so much through play and exploration and if we are not careful we can fill up their days with school work and not allow them the time needed to play and explore. As my kids approach an older stage of middle and upper elementary age, my kids do need more life skills than academic knowledge. I’d rather have my kids understand how to solve a problem using logic than memorize facts. FINAL THOUGHTS

James 3:17 “ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Her chapter on children ages eight to twelve touches on many areas but I really liked what she had to say about entrepreneurship and service. In our family we believe that serving others is a Biblical command and we try to teach our children to serve from a very young age. During this eight to twelve range, they become capable of more complex service and taking more ownership in serving others. It is an important part of learning and development. Entrepreneurship is another important component of education for that age group. Learning to do meaningful work and contribute is a vital skill for successful adulthood. It is also a Biblical command and she shares several scriptures including 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and Ephesians 3:28 which talk about working with your own hands.The book begins with the author explaining how the Lord directed her to unschooling, why she feels it is biblical in nature, and dispelling some stereotypes surrounding the unschooling approach.