The Importance of Christian Education in a Secular World

At its core, K-12 education provides students with the opportunity to learn concepts that will prepare them for their adult life including reading, writing, math, science, history, etc. But more important than what a student is learning is the worldview from which the information is being presented. Everyone has a worldview, or the way in which they examine life, which includes larger issues such as one’s meaning and purpose, the origins of the universe and mankind, and responses to moral and ethical issues. For believers, we should examine the world around us through a biblical lens, using Scripture as our starting point to discern what is true and right. We rely on the perfect, complete, and infallible Word of God and not the worldly ideas as our foundation to guide us in all areas of our lives (Romans 12:2; Psalm 119:105). For those who do not rely on God’s Word as their foundation for guidance, their worldview is rooted in man’s ideas, which are imperfect, corrupted, and subject to change based on societal and cultural shifts.

After spending 20 years in education, as both a public school teacher and a curriculum developer, I can say with certainty that the worldview of whoever educates students directly influences what information is taught and how it is presented—and the vast majority of the time it is not from a biblical worldview. Sometimes this is overtly seen in the topics being presented, such as the direct teaching of evolution. Other times this worldview is more subtly presented. For example, students might encounter a word problem in math that casually references a family with a same-sex couple purchasing items from a grocery store. A paragraph in a science textbook or a 15-minute class discussion presented from a secular worldview doesn’t seem like a big deal, but those repeated exposures can have devastating consequences for students. It’s like playing the same song every day. Even though the song may only be a few minutes long, eventually you start to know all the lyrics, notes, and instrumental parts without even really thinking about it.

Scripture calls us as parents to “train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6)

That’s why it’s so important for Christian parents to ensure their child receives an education that is rooted in a biblical worldview using God’s Word as the foundation. In fact, Scripture calls us as parents to “train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). We have a responsibility to educate our children about God, his Word, and how to live a life that is pleasing to him. Every word a child reads or hears and every experience a child has is important in developing their worldview. So allowing a secular worldview to permeate education during the equivalent of two full years of a child’s life can be devastating to a child’s spiritual growth and maturity.

For many families, the solution to providing Christian education comes from choosing to send their children to a Christian school. Even then, however, it’s important to ensure that the school truly has a biblical worldview. You can’t use secular textbooks and curriculum and just “add” a biblical worldview to it, and you can’t truly have a biblical worldview without upholding the authority of all Scripture.

At Answers in Genesis, we recognize the need to help equip our teachers and students in Christian schools with quality curriculum presented from a biblical worldview designed to help students believe, understand, and defend their faith beginning with the very first verse in Genesis. This is why we have decided to create a comprehensive K-12 Bible curriculum, Twelve Stones Bible Curriculum. Over the coming years, we’ll be releasing different grade levels of curriculum to help ensure that students are receiving a solid foundation to develop a biblical worldview.

As parents and/or teachers, we only have a finite amount of time to raise our child before they enter adulthood, so prayerfully consider how that time is being used. Let’s make every moment count and ensure that we point our children to our Creator and help them build their lives upon the foundation of his Word.