cHRISTIAN EDUCATION PREPARES CHILDREN FOR LIFE

​     Christian education is a strong conviction for some parents and merely a convenience for others. Sometimes people think that "isolating" children from the "real world" is not good for them and, therefore, decide to subject their children to the evils of the "real world" in order to let them learn how to deal with the problems they will eventually face anyhow. This way of thinking is not consistent with other areas and certainly does not give proper preparation to the student. We would never allow a student to fly an airplane without adequate preparation first. We would never place a child into college without first giving him the necessary preparation, or he would be doomed to failure. Why would we think that we could turn a child loose into an environment for which he is not prepared?
     Having a child in a Christian school does shelter the child from a lot of evil, but certainly not from all of it. It is the duty and responsibility of Christian parents to protect and shelter their children from any and all evils of Satan for as long as they can possibly shield them. Notice what God says we should do to those who teach things opposite of what He teaches in the Scripture.
     "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good works and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:17-19).
     What are these teachings that are "contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned" that we are to "avoid"? A few of these contrary teachings are as follows: that abortion (murder) is right under certain circumstances, that homosexuality is an acceptable, alternate lifestyle, that religion (especially Christianity) has no right to be mixed with government, that evolution is fact, that education is the answer to society's problems with drugs, sex, and crime. The Bible clearly says Christians are to avoid these teachings. That is one reason why Sumter Christian School exists. We want to help Christian parents avoid these teachings (doctrines) that are contrary to God's Word.
     What is the result of allowing children to sit under the influence of these ungodly teachings? These teachings "deceive the hearts of the simple." Satan is very deceptive and can transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). The verse above says that "good words and fair speeches" deceive the simple. Satan knows that if he used methods that were obviously evil, then no one would be deceived. Satan is a master deceiver. He works overtime in making sin look "not so bad." Revelation 20:10 says, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." John 8:44 says that there is NO truth in him and that he is a liar and the father of lies. One of his goals is to deceive and seduce our children, and we as Christian parents must protect our children by using every available means. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." 
      The "contrary teachings" listed above are only a few of the false teachings that have their source in hell. We must shield, protect, isolate, and shelter our children from as much sin and deception as possible for as long as possible, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). His devices are deceit and trickery.
     In the passage from Romans quoted in the third paragraph of this article we are told to be "simple concerning evil." The word translated simple is the Greek word akeraios, which means "without any mixture of deceit." If Christians are to avoid subjecting their children to the deceitful teachings of Satan, there must be consistency with the teachings of the home, church, and school. That is why Christian education to many parents is not merely one choice in a smorgasbord of selections, but it is a Scriptural conviction, whether carried out in the confines of a traditional Christian school or a home school. Subjecting our children to the deceitful teachings of Satan should not be an option.
     David said in Psalm 101:3, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." The principle found in Romans of marking them which teach "contrary doctrine" and avoiding them is not new. It was practiced long before fundamentalists of today and even before the Apostle Paul.
     Christian education continues to help parents identify false teachings so we can avoid them, keep our children from being deceived by "good words and fair speeches," and teach our children to be "wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil."