Dr. Michael EnglandProfessor of Education

Southwestern Adventist University

Reason #1:

You are accountable to God for what your

children are taught in school. Proverbs 22:6 is a

direct command to parents. It says, "Train up a child in the way he

should go..."

What your children are taught in school should be a direct extension of your parental views.

The teachers at P.C.A. under whom your children are taught are the same

kind of teachers you would personally hire if your children were being educated in your home.

Christian schools offer a better level of instruction.

The test scores over the last three decades are conclusive. The annual

Stanford Achievement Test administered to first through eighth grade

Christian school students shows these students to be 7 – 19 months ahead of the national norm in reading,

and 7 – 13 months ahead of the national norm in all

subject areas.

Reason #2:

The Bible does not teach that children should

be exposed to all kinds of sin.

We are to train "up" a child, not point him downward. Children do not grow spiritually stronger in a negative non-

Christian environment.

Students do not become stronger Christians by

being taught non-Christian thinking, but

by being taught Christian thinking, and there is no

such person as a “neutral” school teacher who neither advances nor

inhibits religion.

Reason #3:

School represents 21% of your child's time each week.

It is prime time, a training time, and Christian school

education represents a positive Bible-centered form of

instruction that will build a child up in

the faith - not tear him down.

Proverbs 19:27 says, “Stop listening to

instruction, my son, and you will stray from the

words of knowledge.”

The Christian school is right for your child because the Christian school has not cut itself off from the most important book in the

world - the Bible.

Without the Bible, education is nothing more than the blind leading the blind.

Standards for morality must be taken from

Scripture alone, not from situations as often taught in

secular schools.

Reason #4:

The Christian school provides an opportunity for your child to witness for Christ.

This surprises some people because they

assume all students in a Christian school are

Christians. In most cases a majority are Christian;

however, in every Christian school there are always some students who

need the Savior.

Christian students are trained and encouraged to reach these youngsters for Jesus Christ. Witnessing in a

Christian school has the support of parents, students, teachers, administration and the school board. Presenting

Christ as Savior is not illegal in a Christian school.

Reason #5:

Christian school educators teach all subject matter from a Christian context.

They put the Bible at the center of the curriculum and ask students to evaluate all they see in the world through the eyes

of God.

The secular vs. Christian school issue is really a

question of whether a child will learn to view life from man's perspective or God's

perspective.

In a Christian school, a student is exposed to the centrality of God in all of life. In public education, a student is legally

"sheltered" from this important dimension

of education.

Reason #6:

Christian schools support the family as the number one institution of society.

Christian school educators train students to respect

their parents. These educators agree with the early American patriot,

Noah Webster, who said, “All government originates

in families, and if neglected there, it will hardly exist in society.”

Reason #7:

The atheists have, for all practical

purposes, taken over public education in

this country.

As a matter of fact, a large group of parents who send their children to Christian schools are public school teachers

and principals.

The public school is basically

humanistic and materialistic in its approach to life

and the fundamental

questions of human existence and

purpose.

Reason #8:

Christian school educators maintain discipline in the classroom and on the playground.

Lack of discipline in the public schools again heads the list of problems cited most often by survey respondents.

Without a reasonable standard of discipline,

the process of education is severely hampered. “For whom the Lord

loves, He disciplines...” the Bible teaches.

Reason #9:

You believe that our children are

gifts of the Lord.

We are responsible to train them

according to His Word not only at

home and in church, but in school as well.

Reason #10:

Public School Path Christian School

Public Schools Christian Schools

Purpose of Education:To prepare citizens for a humanistic society that tolerates all lifestyles

Purpose of Education:To prepare citizens for the Kingdom of God who are equipped to spread the Gospel

Content of Education:Humanism - no values are absolute and no truth is final

Content of Education:All of life is studied in submission to the Word of God and its precepts

Control of Education:The State determines the content and methods of education

Control of Education:The school functions in loco parentis,reinforcing and supporting parental values

Science: Naturalism - everything comes from matter, time, and chance

Science:God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things; science involves knowing God through knowing His world

History:Controlled either by autonomous man or by an impersonal process

History:Controlled by an omnipotent God who knows the end from the beginning

Public Schools Christian Schools

Math: A tool that is useful because it seems to work in manipulating the natural world

Math:A reflection of the mind of an orderly God who has made us in His image to understand His world

English:Literature must be representative of all cultures, which are seen as having equal value, and has no inherent meaning

English:Students are exposed to a variety of quality literature, which is appreciated as a demonstration of common grace and interpreted in the light of God’s Word

Teachers: Varied backgrounds - Christianity or some other religion, humanism, atheism; may be straight or gay

Teachers:Born-again, committed believers seeking to model Christ before their students

Public Schools Christian Schools

Rules:Determined by state and federal laws and guidelines

Rules:Determined by God’s Word and its moral standards

Peers: Varied religious backgrounds, often receiving little moral instruction or values at home or church

Peers:Students from Christian homes who are there because their parents support Christian values

ValueGenesis 3

ValueGenesis 3

ValueGenesis 3

ValueGenesis 3

ValueGenesis 3

How much has each of the following helped you develop your religious faith?

ValueGenesis 3 also found that students have

superior achievement

when:

They attend an Adventist school for multiple years.

They do not spend a great deal of time watching television or

playing on the computer.They have a

healthy diet and get

adequate sleep.They do not spend a lot of time participating in sports.

They have a lot of interaction

with their parents.

There are many good books and magazines in

their home.

Their parents control time and content of TV watching

and Internet use.

Their parents are involved in

school activities.

The church and pastor support the school.

ValueGenesis 3 also found that students have

superior achievement

when:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrJjfDUzD7M

Video: Shift Happens

What do I know about the Path Christian Academy School Teachers?

They are the communicators of truth and

are openly and boldly Christian.

They know the Bible

because the Word of God is relevant to all subjects.

They are committed in every aspect of their lives and work, in all their being,

to the truth.

What do I know about the Path Christian Academy School Teachers?

They seek excellence. This is a seeking after intellectual excellence to the glory of God, and they are

content with nothing less than superiority in this area.

They truly love their students, seeking their

highest good even when at times the way may be hard. Not only do they love their students, they genuinely like

and understand them.

What do I know about the Path Christian Academy School Teachers?

They exercise complete submission to the one great teacher. They listen to the

Lord, and the Holy Spirit for their lessons and they never think that they do not need

to be taught of Him.

What do I know about the Path Christian Academy School Teachers?

Often as a child gets older, his secular worldview will now cause him to choose the wrong friends and make decisions that detrimentally influence and guide

the direction in his life.

The question every parent should ask themselves is: “Is the saving of money

worth the possible sacrifice of my child’s future for the Lord?”

I believe that if a parent is to follow the biblical mandate of “training up a child in the way he should go,” then serious prayer and

consideration should be made to sacrifice and save so that your child can be trained and taught in a school environment where the

name of Christ is exalted and honored instead of being forgotten and forsaken.

Christian education is not just a plus, it is an absolute must!