by Kevin Wilaby
When God blesses a couple with children, life changes. Priorities are adjusted as the needs of the child replace the needs of the parents. Parents are so excited about their son or daughter; they see their child as amazing and beautiful. They desire what is best for their child and they begin to dream about the future and what they hope their child will become. Parents will spend less time enjoying their ‘hobbies’ as they invest their time in the activities that interest their child. They are committed to making their child’s life very good and are willing to make sacrifices.
Time flies by as infants become toddlers and toddlers become school children. Very soon, parents must determine what school (public, private, Christian) or educational system (online or homeschool) they will choose for their children. Most recognize that there is a connection between the education that their child receives and the future success of the child. The school decision is not taken lightly. Parents want their children to receive a quality education that will prepare them to be successful in careers and in life.
Depending on where a family lives, they may find that there are several school options to consider, some better than others. There is an education crisis in our country in which some students do not have an equal opportunity to receive a quality education. Often these students live in a school district where poverty is an issue. Thus, some states or cities have created systems, such as vouchers or tax credits, which provide parents with the financial assistance they need in order to choose a private or Christian school for their children. Parents should be able to choose the school that they believe will best prepare their son or daughter to be successful at college, career, and in life.
Christian schools provide an option that parents should consider. There was a time when Christian parents believed that an education in a Christ-centered environment was worth the financial sacrifice. Times are changing and now more and more parents are questioning whether the financial sacrifice is worth it.
For Christian parents there is an even greater issue at hand in making a school choice than the financial one. When this issue is understood, it may make Christian parents realize that they can’t afford not to send their child to a Christian school.
We know that our world is broken because of sin. Satan wants to separate us from Christ. More specifically, consider this: If Satan can find a way to remove the opportunities for children to be taught in Christ-center schools, ones that proclaim Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, then in several generations there will be a diminishing number of Christians that remain. The success of Satan’s strategy is already evident.
For instance, there is a growing concern in the church that young adults, who grew up active in church, are walking away from church attendance and the Christian faith. These young adults have grown up, and are growing up, in a world that is post-Christian—a world that is rejecting biblical truth and with it the need for Jesus Christ.
A significant battlefield in this erosion of faith is found in schools and in the curriculum that is being taught in them. Christ has been removed from public education. Secular curriculums are teaching “truths” that are not founded on God’s Word. There are curriculums that teach that absolute truth (God’s Word) does not exist, but that truth is actually relative and based on the experience of the individual. This way of thinking is being pushed on our children and they are learning it. There are curriculums that are redefining marriage and gender in ways that are not biblical. These curriculums contain many ideas that are not biblical. These curriculums are written for public schools by major curriculum publishers, and they are being adopted and lauded. This means that a signification segment of the current generation and future generations of students will be indoctrinated into a way of understanding the world that will have left Christ and biblical truth out of the educational process. The impact of this is eternal.
School choice is more significant now than ever before. The financial challenges and sacrifices associated with choosing a Christ-centered school certainly exist, but they are well worth making. Especially in light of what is happening in secular curriculums and education. Students need to be in a school that professes Christ as Lord and Savior; in schools that teach the Bible as God’s inerrant Word and the source of truth; in schools that can teach about confession and forgiveness of sins, that help students understand and experience God’s unconditional love, so that they will, by the power of the Holy Spirt, desire to share the love of God and the Gospel of salvation with people who need to hear it. Christian education, founded on God’s Word, is essential and must be passed on to future generations.
The education that is offered in our Lutheran schools is exceptional because it is focused on Jesus Christ and the inerrant Word of God as the source of truth. Students are pushed to grow in intellect and maturity. They complete rigorous courses that force students to learn to apply their minds to learn new material and apply previous knowledge in new ways. Students gain life skills as they learn to organize and prioritize their lives to meet the academic demands that are set before them. They are equipped to lead their lives, believing in Jesus and responding to the love of God through their example.
We must equip our students, our children, to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasing intolerant of the Gospel and of the inspired and inerrant Scriptures as the ultimate source of truth. In a world filled with school choice options, Lutheran schools choose truth. We confess it, teach it, and live it—faithfully and as redeemed Christians. Thank goodness that God chose us when He sent His Son to die for each of us, and the families who chose to attend our schools.
Kevin Wilaby is the Principal at Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN. He can be reached at kevin.wilaby@mayerlutheran.org.