The Children of Caesar

Voddie Baucham does an incredible job of outlining one of the reasons that we have made the choice to homeschool our children. Everyone chooses to homeschool for different reasons - some, it is the time with the kids and family. For others, it is the need to spend extra time/attention in particular subjects. For many Christian families it is a choice to avoid the culture of the current school systems and the youth of our society. Most homeschooling parents have prayed and discussed, sought counsel and shed tears over whether or not they would take this step - and generally it is for a combination of these reasons and so many more....

We are no different. We made the choice to homeschool for the sake of family time, for a more well-rounded education, for the opportunity to teach our own children what we think they should know and to handle the "touchy" subjects ourselves.

But, to "sum up" our reason for homeschooling? We want our children to have a Biblical Worldview....we want them to have a foundation of Scripture and realize that, as a Christian everything we do and everything that we are flows through Scripture. So much of the modern church "compartmentalizes" - I am a Christian...I read my Bible, I am at church every Sunday, I even fellowship with my Sunday School class....but the everyday stuff never gets that attention - the conflict with my boss at work, the 'bully' at school, teaching my kids about money, what movie I watch with my friends....you see, these things happen "in between" my church days and therefore, they are "my areas"....

I want my children to begin and end in Scripture - whether they are arguing with each other or talking about the latest movie - I want them to think about things Biblically - that we are to do "ALL THINGS" for the Glory of God! I realized that when they spend the bulk of their day being taught in a government run classroom, with government instituted curriculum and taught from a government dictated perspective....I am not going to make great strides toward my goal in the hour I have between homework, dinner and bedtime. I think Voddie is right when he makes the statement "if we continue to send our children to Caesar for their education, we need to stop being surprised when they come home as Romans". His arguement is this - if we don't like the government's way of thinking (ie...sex education, homosexuality, abortion, evolution, secular humanism, moral relativism, socialism, feminism, etc.) - we must intervene. We are responsible for our children - we will be held accountable.

I realize that I will look back at my children's lives and my parenting and, as I already do, I pray "God, please protect them from my stupidity and ignorance and keep from them my wickedness"....I do not want them to turn out like me - I want them to understand more, love Christ more, have more of a passion for the Word of God and to be more bold in living for the Glory of God....I cannot give them the foundation for that if I am not wholeheartedly, purposefully and diligently "redeeming the time" to pour the Word of God in them! For us, this was a determining factor - the determining factor. It is not for everyone - I realize that and there is not a judgement about that decision.....but we must spend every moment that we have with them - whether it is during the day or in the evenings - we must be diligent about putting before them the things of God and teaching them to think Biblically....not casually, but passionately! Render to Caesar what is his - but not our kids....

"And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)."