TLP 81: Should You Consider Sending Your Kids to a Christian School this Fall? | Alan Benson Interview

And it's very possible that they actually create a position of greater jeopardy for their child, because they're assuming now a school is not training, and they're not. And they aren't training either as a parent.

The Purpose of Christian Education and the Parent’s Stewardship

Welcome to Truth. Love. Parents. Where we use God's Word to become intentional, premeditated parents. Here's your host, A .M. Brewster.

Thank you for joining us today. I would argue that a discussion about education is one of the most important discussions we can have, because God has called you, the parent, to have direct oversight over all the education, training, and influence in your children's lives.

This is why it's so dangerous to send your kids to the public school. Yes, like we talked about last time, well-grounded, Christ-honoring, God-loving kids who can be a strong light and vibrant salt could do very well in the public school and point many to Christ at the same time.

But does that describe your child? If your kids are more easily swayed by their agnostic schoolteachers than they are by their born-again Sunday schoolteachers, who do you think will win? The Sunday schoolteacher only gets them an hour a week.

If your children's peers have more influence in their lives than you do, why would you send them somewhere for eight hours a day where their peers will tear down God and the.

Bible?

But I'm getting ahead of myself and stealing the thunder from my special guest today. Today I'm joined by a dear friend, Pastor Alan Bensim. Alan is the head pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Schaumburg, Illinois.

But as head pastor, he also plays a massive role in the administration of Schaumburg Christian School, which should sound familiar to you because I used to teach there. In fact, Alan has pastored five churches and he has overseen the Christian schools associated with three of them.

So he comes with a lot of experience, understanding of the Christian school and specifically how it relates to what God has called us to do within the context of the church. But it's also true that Alan and I go back much further than just my time at Schaumburg.

During the last couple years of high school, Alan was actually my youth pastor back when I lived in Michigan. Now, I'm actually kind of happy we don't have any live callers today. This man knows a little bit too much about me.

But seriously, though, I do praise the Lord for the multiple times that he's allowed Alan and my paths to cross and the significant role that he's played as mine and my family's pastor in the past few years.

So thank you, Pastor Benson, for joining me today.

It is my joy, Aaron. As always, the times that our paths cross are an encouragement to me, and they also stimulate me. Our conversations tend to lead to thinking and digging, and today, I'm sure, will be no different.

So it's my joy to come and join you in this program.

Fantastic.

Okay, so let's just go ahead and just jump right into this. The question on the table that we've been putting out is, you know, should my listeners consider sending their children to a Christian school this fall?

I've actually had an email from a parent who was asking this exact question of me. What do you think? Should I consider sending my child to a Christian school this fall? On the last episode, you weren't there for that.

We discussed many of the cons and the occasional pro about the public school option, which is the only other option that we've talked about so far in this series. But I think the Christian school can not only be beneficial where the public school fails and falls short, but I think it has so much more to offer.

So from your perspective, where do we start?

Defining “Should” and What a Christian School Is

Well, like in any discussion, I think it's important that we define our terms. And so we start a little bit by doing that. The question, should my listeners consider sending their children to a Christian school this fall?

A super valuable question. So let's define first, should. What I want to make clear first is we're not dealing with a moral mandate. And I think you're establishing that in the series of discussions that you're having about educational options, because I think it's important to remember that there are educational options, and we're not weighing those options based upon someone violating God's law with the choice that they would or should make.

And so should is an important word. I would say in direct answer to that, absolutely they should, because there is great value in the process of evaluation. And we're dealing with a subject matter that I really think becomes a matter of the conscience.

And we're to live with a conscience that's void of offense. And so I think in order for a parent to move forward with confidence, to not let it be a matter of doubting, they should rightly evaluate this and then make a confident biblical choice for their family that is absolutely right.

And so I think the process is very valuable. I love the discussion because I think it helps parents to do that. But then the next thing that I think we need to define, and I want to make sure I do that in this discussion, is what is a Christian school?

And I think it's important for your listeners to understand then what I'm going to say, because not everybody is going to hold my perspective on what is a Christian school. First of all, I want to be clear.

You mentioned in introducing me that I've been involved with several Christian schools, but all of them have been in the church setting. And so for me, I want to define what I'm talking about as a church Christian school.

So rather than just an independent Christian school, and I'm not here to downplay them, and maybe you can have another guest who could address that, I've never been associated with one. And part of the reason for that is I am a pastor.

God has helped me to shepherd churches, and therefore the ministries that I'm engaging with are happening in the context of a local church. And that is what I understand to be, for me, the right ministry setting for a Christian.

School.

So it happens in the context of a church. I say that to say this. It's important that we understand a right philosophy of ministry. That philosophy of ministry is given to a church. The church implements that in many different ministry expressions, from a youth group setting to a children's church setting.

And another ministry setting would be a Christian day school. And thus the accomplishment is of the church's mission, rather than just, here's a school and it exists independently of any ministry context.

It is to accomplish the overall philosophy of the local church. And so because of that, education in that setting is important. Christian education in that setting is important. Educating the mind, the heart, the soul of a child in the truth of the Scripture.

That's what we're endeavoring to do in age-directed ministry. So our youth group, that's what we should be doing. Our children's ministry, that's what we should be doing. And thus in Christian day school education, that's what we should be doing.

So what is that? I think the Scriptures are clear with regard to the process of educating a child biblically, spiritually, practically. And we find that most in the wisdom literature of the Scriptures, probably specifically.

I think there are three steps to rightly educating a child. And I think they start, first of all, with understanding. And so there needs to be a knowledge base. We're teaching them a knowledge base so that they have a worldview, an understanding of where they live, why they live there.

That would take us to things all the way from creation and knowledge of God. It's just a basic understanding. But that's not where education stops, not biblically. It moves from that knowledge base to an understanding.

It's the why behind those facts, if you will. So a process of beginning to explore the connections between those facts. If this is true and that is true, how did they come to be true? What is the truth base upon which they're established?

But then it goes one step further. And that is what we see as laid out for us as wisdom. Solomon implored us to get knowledge. And with all your get understanding and with the getting of the understanding, get wisdom and wisdom skill for living.

It is a correlation of those truths that enables me to filter the questions of life and live skillfully.

That's wisdom.

And I think it's fair to say, too, that that is true of all education, whether that education is in math class or in fine arts or in the truths of Scripture. I mean, that that's how God created us to learn.

Exactly. And that's exactly what I'm saying, that what we do in an educational system as a day school must be done in the context of that form of learning. Why am I teaching math? I could teach math and adjust the knowledge.

How do I take teaching math and move it to a level of understanding and then help that child to realize that you can use math to have skill for living? How do I do that with economics? How do I do that with chemistry?

And so to just we would consider it educate to give facts is only a very small part of the job. And so a Christian day school is driven by a biblical mandate. If it's going to educate, it has to educate all the way to wisdom.

And that's why I'm a proponent of Christian education within the church setting. So when I define Christian school, I want you to understand that that's what I'm talking about.

Sounds fair.

That being said, understanding what that vehicle is, I think parents should consider that because of the opportunity that the kind of Christian school that I'm defining has to further their purpose as a parent.

And I want to make sure that is clear. It is not a byline. It's not a sideline. And it's not even there's somebody else who can do my job for me. All of those become pitfalls to really what we're trying to accomplish.

God has called two people to be stewards of their children. Children are inherited from the Lord. And that means that on the other side of that is we are stewards. And so who is responsible to train up their children in the way they should go?

It is parents. And so parents choosing a vehicle to aid them in doing that is very important. But it's important that they understand going in that Christian education in the setting that I'm describing is a tool for them to use.

It is not a program to set aside their parenting responsibility. What is it that we are called to do in a sense as parents with regard to training up our children in the way that they should go? And really, there's two things I want to address.

We understand early on that as children are born into our home, they are born as unbelievers. They're unsaved. And so I have a responsibility as a parent, as a steward of this child created in God's image, to introduce them to the faith.

And therefore, part of that educational process ought to be, first of all, defying faith. What is it? What is not just belief but the faith as Jude describes it, that body of truth once for all delivered to the saints?

What is that? And so the process of starting with who is God, what is creation, what is God's word, the process of defining the faith and walking them through in an understanding level what that is, I think that's essential for any Christian school.

I think we can call ourselves Christian because we're not public. And I think we've stopped short of the definition. That is not biblically in keeping with what we would define as Christian. It must have a component where it is defining the faith in order to be Christian.

And so I think it is a tremendous asset that parents can utilize a place where there are people who have been specifically trained not just to educate with regard to the normal subjects that we consider education, but to take them in a context where they can use those to help define the faith.

And we had that discussion last time because that one of the things that we pointed out that in math class, for example, everybody communicates from a specific worldview. They all communicate from their belief system.

And even just the simple idea of teaching math without God communicates a way of living and a way of thinking that permeates the agnostics and the atheist life. And unfortunately, many people who profess to be Christians because they're practical atheists in the fact that, well, you know, when I'm making dinner, God doesn't really play into that.

And when I don't really need to think about God when I'm in math class or when I'm out there playing soccer, I just need to, you know, do my best or whatever else. And so that ends up being so vital. And what makes the Christian school so valuable is that math, these other knowledge bases, these disciplines can be taught within the context of the reality that God has created in this world.

Yes.

Defending the Faith, Apologetics, and Biblical Worldview

So why should a parent consider? I would say this. If there's a parent who sits realizing how vital it is for their child to understand the faith, what they believe, and they don't feel equipped to do that, that the Christian school becomes an equipping option for them.

Here's somebody I can partner with. Now, my hope is this. If that's where you find yourself and you're going to use this asset to help you, make sure that you learn along with your child.

Yeah, amen.

So don't just say your teacher's teaching you the faith. If I don't feel equipped to teach it to you, I need to take that as a challenge to me. While my child is learning it, I need to learn it. So engage with your child.

When they learn, what is the Bible? I learn, what is the Bible? Why is it I believe the Bible is inspired? Why is it that I believe that it is profitable to help us to grow? And so I would implore the parent, if you are there and you say, you know what, I think there are assets that I could utilize that would help me parent my child so that they understand the faith because there are other people who are trained, and I'm going to use the context of a day school to do that.

I think that's a great choice. I think that's a right choice, and I think they should do it with a shepherding heart, a stewardship heart that says that I'm going to engage with my child so that we're learning together because I need to have the conversations with them.

What are they learning? Why are they learning it? And so I think that is a great, a great reason for parents to consider this type of Christian school in the fall, that they would say, it is vitally important biblically that my child have a proper definition of what we believe.

And so across the spectrum of what we would call systematic theology, who is God? Who is man? What is the church? How do I understand future things? I think those are the vital components of our faith that need to be defined for our children so that they fully understand them.

And I believe that the right kind of Christian school can be an asset to a parent in that training process. So definition, defining the faith is one thing that I think is an asset that would cause parents to consider, should I do this?

But I think there's a second component, and that one I am finding is becoming more and more important in our cultural setting. And becomes even more important as the children move from, in a sense, the rudimentary component of education, which we would find in maybe at a K -5, first grade, second grade, where they move to the place where they're able now to understand and move to the correlation of wisdom.

As they age, I think the second component becomes even more important. Because it's moving from just teaching Bible knowledge, which so often we do. Sunday school has become about Bible characters. And frankly, we train a bunch of children to want to be like Moses or like Abraham.

And we miss the point. We miss the fact that they ought to want to be like Abraham's God, or they ought to be like Moses' God. And so, in a sense, we need to move beyond the story to the understanding of the truth in the story.

And if you will, I think Christian education needs to progress that way, too. If we get kids to high school and all we're doing is still teaching the Bible stories, we've fallen short of the goal. And that is that we need to move from defining the faith to a second prong, is defending.

The faith.

I really believe in our cultural setting, there's a mandate in the church that we teach people to defend the faith, an apologetic component. That needs to be present in our pulpit ministry. Beyond just filling people's heads with knowledge of the next passage, we need to help them be equipped to give every man an answer for the hope that lies within them.

And that needs to be a part of our Christian school environment as well. A very large Christian denomination is facing a crisis. They have done a study, and they are convinced, based on their study, that in this next generation, 98 of their young people are going to leave their denomination.

And more than that, they are going to leave church. They're looking back to say, how can this be true, number one? And number two, what can we do to stop that? They wrestled through this issue, that in the development of what they saw as Sunday school, they lost what they defined once upon a time as training union.

They set that aside, and they instead moved the direction of Sunday school. They became convinced that what happened was they moved their young people to understanding stories away from understanding truth.

As a result, they are convinced that they need to move back to a catechetical type of learning, meaning, what do I believe, and why do I believe it? So truth statements, and those truth statements supported by scriptures, so that their young people understand the why behind what they believe.

I think that's very interesting. I think it's where a lot of Christian education has fallen down. We've created an environment that we then describe to ourselves as Christian, without it having the process of it actually being Christian.

And I think this apologetic dynamic is what is missing. And so I want to espouse Christian education that moves beyond just the thought of information, and actually moves then to inspiration. What should you be doing with the truth that you are learning?

How should you be living that truth? How do you engage a culture with truth? How do you answer a culture's questions about right and wrong, about truth and error? Is everything fair game? Does it really matter, the choices that you make?

And I think those are the apologetic questions that we need to be building into our children. And so if a parent says, you know what, I'm looking for assets that would be able to help me, help my children defend their faith, I think the right kind of Christian school is something they should consider.

Because I think the school should be doing things like teaching apologetics, teaching ethics, teaching biblical worldview. And those become components that I think are vital to us truly being a Christian school that accomplishes the mission that God has for the Church.

Choosing a Christian School Carefully and Not Outsourcing Parenting

So if I can jump in here real quick, what I'm hearing is that, you know, if I'm questioning whether or not I should continue keeping my kid in the public school system and I'm concerning other options, any old school that calls themselves a Christian school isn't necessarily the best option to just go there, sign up my kid and throw them in.

I would agree with that wholeheartedly.

And really, if I'm going to be doing...

I think that's a form of escapism.

Yep. And if I'm going to be doing my job as a parent, I have to be premeditated. I've got to be intentional. And if I'm going to ask a school and a group of teachers and whatnot to assist me in this idea of raising and rearing my children, then I need to know how they're going to do that.

I need to know what they're going to be taught. I need to understand the truth claims that these people are going to be exhibiting in their lives. Is that fair?

That is absolutely fair. I think one of the right questions that any parent in considering this process should ask in an interview is, what is your philosophy of education? And then they need to be listening for these components that education is going to be about defining the faith and defending the faith as my child learns about life.

And I think it has to be more than just, well, we have a Bible class and we have a Bible memory team and things like that. I think what you're saying needs to be true across the disciplines and every subject, every teacher needs to be tying those realities into their subject matter.

Absolutely. I agree with that. The places where the subject matter in normal education find overlap in the structures, that's not just, doesn't just need to be seen as coincidental. It needs to be causal.

And so I'm teaching math and math obviously teaches us of the miraculous, intentional structure of our world. It's not random. Therefore, I need to use that as a principle to say, as we study math, we're studying the known world and we need to see that God intentionally created the world and it wasn't haphazard.

It wasn't random.

It's intentional.

And therefore, the mathematical formulas that we find in our world are an intentional display of the intentionality of God. And so I make math about seeing God in the structure of the universe. When I study physics, physics is beautiful to me.

I used to have things like wavelengths that you can go out and shake a rope and that rope will not just randomly vibrate. It actually will vibrate at a harmonic every time. Why is that? Because the universe isn't random.

It is declaring that there's a God that made it and made it with intention. And so I think, like I said, causal. It's not just, hey, by the way, let me show you how, no, this is causal. The universe, as we study it in academic pursuits, is declaring that there's a God.

We need to know him.

Amen.

Seeing God’s Design in Every Subject

You're actually bringing back so many memories from when I taught there at Schomburg for seven years. Because I taught Bible, but I also taught English and speech. I taught economics. And I found myself so often within the context of those classes saying to the students, listen, this is important because obviously these things help us to function in a Christ-honoring way in this life, to be wise stewards of what God has given us.

Beyond that, we need to understand that if I am an amazing grammarian or if I'm an amazing mathematician or economist and then I die and I go to hell, who cares? What's the point? To understand the bigger picture, to see how God created these concepts to be used and stewarded as we fulfill his will on this planet.

All those speeches are coming back to me and I'm hearing it in the head. Praise God, because those are the types of Christian schools that we need if we're going to be considering sending our children to the school this fall.

And I will have to admit that some of you listening right now, after doing some research and doing your due diligence, are going to find that there may be a number of Christian schools or schools that claim to be Christian in your area that don't think this way.

And I have to admit, if you're in that situation where you're looking at the public school option and all of the issues associated with that, and then you're looking at the Christian school option, but you're seeing that the Christian school is kind of just a private version of the public school where the things of God don't really play into the realities that they're going to be teaching, then you really need to be careful what you do next.

And we know this for certain, that God has given us in his word everything we need for life and godliness. And I would encourage you to get counsel, get prayer. I pray a lot, have people praying for you as you search this out.

All of that to say that we need to be making intentional decisions, premeditated decisions that are going to do what we believe is going to glorify God the most in our families. And we here at Truth Love Parents, we would love to help as much as we can.

We have, like I said, we had somebody email us recently and say, Aaron, this is the situation in my family. This is what I'm looking at. What do you suggest? And obviously we can only give so much information, but we want to help.

But the best people, and I think Pastor Benson would amen this heartily, the best person I think you really need to be going and talking to is your pastor. Sitting down with him saying, Pastor, listen, this is the situation.

This is where our kids are in school right now. This is what we believe God has called us to. We're starting to see that we've been giving away our parenting responsibilities blindly, and we need to take it more seriously.

But this is the situation we find ourselves in with the schools in our area. What do you suggest? What do you counsel us to do? There's wisdom in a multitude of counselors, and we really encourage you that this subject is a huge subject, and you need to be thinking about it, and you need to be thinking about it biblically.

The Danger of Assuming a Christian School Will Do Your Job

Amen.

Aaron, I would end with this one caution in the process of consideration. There is a sense in which because of the nature of the environment they're in, a Christian parent who has their child in a public school setting is due to caution going to be engaged because they're being careful.

What are you learning? What are you hearing? I need to correct that. There is the possibility that they choose a Christian school and make the assumption that, okay, that's all fixed now. I don't need to be as careful.

And with that assumption, assume that some of the things that we're talking about in defining the faith and defending the faith are happening in that Christian school. And in fairness to that school, that school may never have said that that's what they were going to do.

They're just going to give your child the same education, but they're going to do it in a different environment than the public school. And it's very possible that they actually create a position of greater jeopardy for their child because they're assuming now a school is doing that training, and they're.

Not.

And they aren't doing it either as a parent. And so that's where I would say use caution. Make sure you know what they actually are getting so you understand your role because your responsibility doesn't go away.

Amen. Amen.

Well, Alan, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate the time that you've taken.

My pleasure.

And I pray that your experience and your insight will be helpful as as any of these families out there who are struggling to come up with the best choice for their family, really the Christ honoring choice for their family.

So thank you. Thank you. And thank you.

You're welcome. God bless you. And God bless Truth Love Parent.

Thank you.

I'd also like to thank Kara for being a patron of Truth Love Parent. Her gifts make TLP possible. And if you'd like to learn more about the many ways you can support TLP, just click the support TLP link in the description of this or any episode.

Next time, we're going to meet with Scott and Becky Anuel as we discuss whether or not you should consider homeschooling your children this fall. Whatever you do and whomever you entrust to educate your children, you must be prepared to take full responsibility.

They're your children. Their third grade teacher should be your ambassador at school, but they shouldn't be doing your.

Job.

See you next time.

Truth Love Parent is part of the Evermind Ministries family and is dedicated to helping you become an intentional premeditated parent. Join us next time as we search God's Word for the truth your family needs today.