Simply stated, a Christian worldview is the lens through which people see and interpret the universe, humans, nature, and events. This view is characterized by three primary confessions or predispositions that are indisputable and firmly seared in the minds of those who profess to be and in fact are Christians. God exists and seeks to have a personal relationship with humans is the most fundamental of these beliefs. God is not a projection or a watchmaker or a force. God is real and relational and has knowledge of us and interacts with us and hears us when we pray. God is creator is the second major proposition. All that exists came into being as a result of the creative act of God. If one accepts the theory of evolution, then evolution is part of the creative processes of God. If one accepts the theory of the Big Bang, it was God who caused the Big Bang.

Thirdly, God has acted particularly and most profoundly in history by sending God’s son, Jesus Christ into the world to reconcile us to each other and to God. Christians make no apologies for any of these major, bedrock beliefs and see no reason to debate, prove, or minimize them. Each of these confessions must be represented in a curriculum for it to qualify as Christian. God must be seen as active in history and in the lives of humans.

And though it may not be clear to us, God is moving all of creation to a predetermined end known only to God. Thus, there is a purposefulness to our lives and to events in history. This is not to say that everything which happens is God’s will for humans can and oftentimes do act contrary to God’s will. These principles or worldview must be clear and unequivocal for a curriculum to be considered Christian.

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While absolute values are on the decline in public education, you have the opportunity to teach right from home in your homeschool.If you are a Christian and considering Christian homeschooling, you may want to think about a few things. First of all, if the intolerance of your religious preference in public school is troubling you, this might be a good decision. You have the freedom in your home to teach about God and the Bible along with your daily instruction. You don’t have to worry about saying “God” and being criticized.

On the other hand, this may not be a great enough reason to homeschool your children. When a child’s beliefs are practiced in a school setting, they can learn how to interact with others who are non-Christians. They can also be a good example to others and show them what Christians are really like.

There are also Christian private schools that use Christian teachings and doctrines in their curriculum. However, these types of schools are usually expensive. This makes the choice of Christian homeschooling a rational decision.

Other motives for homeschooling your children may be because of unsafe schools, or not wanting your children to change school after school if your family is in the military. If you find that your reasoning for homeschooling fits into a couple of categories, it is definitely an option you might want to consider.

If want to homeschool your children, Christian homeschooling is a great option, especially if you want to instill values into their education. There are many support groups that can help you decide on curriculum. Some support groups can help you determine how to help your children socialize, while others support you emotionally.

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It was only in 1852 that Massachusetts first mandated compulsory schooling for all children. While the law was good in theory, in practice many children from outlying areas were to far from schools to be able to attend schools and education in the house continued. Things slowly changed and by 1918 every state had its own laws on the compulsory education of children. With the spread of schools, formal education became a reality and by the middle of the 20th century, education provided by the school system was accepted as the norm. By the 1960s however, parents began to have doubts about the standard of formal school education, the values it taught and the harmful influences their children were being exposed to. Looking for an alternative, people started educating their children at home and today home schooling is legal in all 50 states and an estimated 2 million children are being homeschooled today. Among the various options for home schooling available today is the Christian home school.

There are no hard and fast rules in regard to what constitutes a Christian home school. Some families create the formal school environment at home with a room reserved as a class room, fixed study times, recesses and even home work for the children to do on their own. Others integrate schooling into their Christian life style and place less emphasis on a formal education environment and more on the teaching of life skills and values through example and the active participation of their children.

A search of the internet will reveal a variety of Christian home school programs that parents can adopt. All these are designed around the idea that an important part of education is providing children with a strong foundation of Christian values, ethics and morals. But it is not necessary to use these programs in a Christian home school. Many parents use non religion based home school programs and add their own religious teaching to these. That’s the advantage of home schooling – the curriculum can be adjusted (within the applicable state laws) to provide the kind of education that parents want their children to have.

The basis of a Christian home school is that Christian values are passed on to the children, either in a formal structure manner of a specific program or in a way and by using methods that parents feel are more suitable for their families.

There is no right or wrong way to create a Christian home school. As long as part of the education encompasses teaching the children the Christian values that the parents believe in, the home school becomes a Christian home school.

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How can mathematics possibly be Christian or unchristian, redeemed or unredeemed? This is a great place to start the discussion of Christian mathematics. In more formal terms, the question could be phrased, “Is mathematics neutral?” Most people have assumed mathematics is neutral for so long that the question is usually phrased as a wavering statement such as “Mathematics is neutral, right?”

Neutrality implies that the knowledge and structure of mathematics is not influenced by religious belief, or that it should not be. Another way to state neutrality is to say that mathematics would be the same whether God existed or not. The claim that mathematics would be the same with or without the existence of God is an antichristian statement, because the Scriptures declare that God created and holds all things, which includes mathematics, together. …God, who created all things by Jesus Christ Ephesians 3:9 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:17

Neutrality also denies that God can reveal truth about mathematics, where the Scriptures never represent the world as operating by laws independent of the Creator. Also, since there is one Creator, we look for and can expect to find unity and harmony between spiritual life, creation, history, philosophy, and mathematical knowledge. The Scriptures even inform us about what kind of mathematics is legitimate, the kind with the source of truth as revelation, verses any secularized version of revelation.

Since mathematics in general and Christian mathematics in particular is still under development, it is important for Christians to include mathematics in their view of the Christian dominion mandate. Just as reading, writing, and arithmetic permeate and influence a person’s life and every field of endeavor, so the impact of distinctly Christian mathematical thought has the potential to transform the student into the image of Christ for a greater influence in the Christian family, church, and society. Since most Christians desire a Biblical worldview in every other area of life, why not include mathematics?

A student fully trained in Christian mathematics has their inward thoughts and attitudes consistent with God’s Word. The student will boldly express his or her faith in their work, words, and writings; even the elusive areas where mathematics comes to bear, as in engineering and science. In other words, the student won’t be a secret believer when doing mathematics (Matthew 12:34b-37). Some say that the student who ignores God as he does mathematical tasks is not neutral, but even rebellious and ungrateful toward the Giver of all his knowledge (Proverbs 3:6;Hosea 4:6). It doesn’t take long in the Scriptures to see that God doesn’t promote neutrality in any subject (Revelations 3:15-16; Matthew 12:30; 1 Kings 18:21; Joshua 24:15).

The Christian math student is encouraged to discover and use God’s logic, attributes, power, nature, and glory (Romans 1:20 ; Psalm 111:10), while keeping logic and science subservient to revelation (Romans 5:18-19; Romans 7:17-21; Romans 8:20). Mathematics demonstrates the truth that every idea has an opposite (e.g., addition /subtraction, right/wrong) which has parallel ideas in theology (e.g., narrow way /broad way, righteousness /wickedness), which can declare the glory and attributes of God (Romans 1:20 ). Absolute truth and many other important philosophical concepts are further seen when one recognizes that mathematics reveals God’s nature through His creation. Disconnected secular math is often the cause for the dislike and even fear of math.

Christian mathematics seeks to keep mathematics connected to creation and daily reality while encouraging the student in their knowledge of God, experience in being led by His spirit (Romans 8:14 ), and discerning the times through illustrations of philosophy and truth in mathematics. This also inspires the student and properly motivates mathematical study, improve diligence, and leads to the lifelong acknowledgement of God in the details.

By the deliberate omission of creation and philosophical contexts, most mathematics teaching today denies the reality of the Creator God, where the wonder of creation and cultural implications reveal the fact that real life mathematics is not boring but exciting. One of the Christian math programs available implements the Biblical view of mathematics through special readings, real life projects, discussions, sharing of specific daily uses of mathematics, and helping students see the corresponding theological, personal, and cultural implications of Christian thinking.

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Stated in the bible is the text that children will not stray from what they are taught. Proverbs 22:6 argues well on this, placing a high value on a child’s education: ‘train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ One verse in particular stands out as a clear argument for raising children to be upright, and will definitely stand out to parents thinking about homeschooling their children. If you desire that your young ones have Christian values throughout their life, it will likely begin with Christian education very early in their life. Homeschooling is another option to think about if you feel a public school does not meet your child’s needs.

Homeschooling permits you to have more influence on your kids. Convenience may be argued as an advantage of public schools, but homeschooling has its bonuses as well. Educating your child in your Christian home and spending more time with your children is certainly a bonus of homeschooling. Your child will see you modeling Christian morals and values more often if that is how you behave around them. The way you behave will have more of an outcome on your kids, if you have more time to persuade them in your Christian customs. Homeschooling allows parents to raise their children learning the gospel and away from the effects of public school peers and teachers.

More lessons can have a central religious theme. Homeschooled kids get more religious teaching than at public school. This is for the reason that the parent can exercise more control over the coaching imparted. Public schools have to stay on track with the government curriculum while homeschooling is much more lenient. In homeschool, you can put your beliefs about Christ into any lesson you like. You won’t have to worry about school teaching the subject of evolution in biology, you can teach creationism. Lessons about history can refer to stories of Jesus’ time. Tithing could also be a good subject for math class. Control your own study program for your child during a homeschooling lesson, without any backlash from the school board or administration. You will have peace of mind that your child will receive exactly the education that you want him to have.

Avoid bad influences with homeschooling. Public school contains children from a variety of backgrounds and upbringings. They will be exposed to alcohol, drugs, pornography, and criminal behavior at open schools. Peer pressure is a potent force for your young student to contend with in public schools.  At home in your care, your child will be less likely to fall off of the path of the Lord. Homeschool helps Christian parents keep a track of the behavior of their children. Christian parents have many choices for their children when they are taught at home.

There are many great reasons for removing your children from the public school system, especially with the variety of homeschooling resources available to Christian parents.

Tiffany Provost writes about homeschooling advantages and education for HowToDoThings.com.

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What does that mean for homeschoolers? Some Christian homeschoolers accept psychology wholesale, some reject it entirely, and some wrestle with which aspects to accept and which to reject. This article suggests that whatever you believe about psychology, the time to address academic psychology is BEFORE your student leaves home for college.

If your student goes to college, there is an excellent chance he/she will take an introductory (at least) psychology course. Most medical schools, liberal arts colleges, seminaries, and teacher’s colleges require students to have some exposure to psychology. Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate majors at public and Christian colleges and universities. College enrollment in psychology courses outpaces every other scientific discipline. Christian students are often ill prepared to confront the criticisms of Christianity and the anti-Christian worldview presented by modern psychology. The material taught in introductory psychology courses WILL challenge their worldview. University level instruction in modern psychology is generally atheistic and humanistic. Psychology departments often are home to the most anti-Christian intellectuals on college campuses. As a group, psychology professors have high levels of agnosticism, skepticism, and atheism. The psychology professor is unlikely to be sympathetic to your child’s Christian worldview and may attack their faith as unscientific, irrational, prudish, exploitive, controlling, inhibitive, oppressive, and naïve.

If psychology is fraught with such danger, shouldn’t Christian homeschoolers reject it completely? Maybe. But isn’t the humble investigation of all of God’s creation part of what it means to love God with one’s mind? Do Christians, and by extension Christian homeschoolers, have a duty to explore all of God’s creation? Does that duty to explore extend to His grandest creation; Mankind? Does that duty extend to Mankind’s mind? Though the conflicts between modern psychology and a Christian worldview are many and perilous, it may be a mistake for Christians to completely reject the study of psychology.

The bottom line is this. Beginning with Darwin’s Origin of Species, all sciences, including psychology, underwent a transformation. Scientific data were interpreted in ways to exclude supernatural beliefs. Darwinian evolution imposed itself on the Christian understanding of life (biology) and then tried to exclude anything Christian. Darwinian evolution imposed itself on the Christian understanding of Man (psychology) and then tried to exclude anything Christian.

The study of the soul, the mind, the brain, and behavior (psychology) are right and proper for Christian homeschoolers. The goal of Christian education, in biology, physics, theology, chemistry, and in psychology, is to understand God’s creation and, in the words of Johannes Kepler, to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” Christians have a duty to assert the Christian worldview in academia and Christian homeschoolers have an opportunity to lead that effort. The involvement of homeschoolers in the study of psychology is an integral part of that effort.

Now browse your favorite homeschool catalogue. Count the number of biology, physics, history, and chemistry texts (and every other academic discipline) written from a Christian perspective. Lots right? Now count the number of psychology texts. Zero right? This article suggests that the absence of material for Christian homeschoolers to study psychology is a function of those critics referenced in the opening paragraph.

Those who condemn psychology cast their nets too wide. Those on the web and in Christendom who criticize psychology are generally critical of “counseling” psychology. The criticisms may be correct, but psychology is much more than counseling. It is not the purpose of this article to evaluate the criticisms of counseling psychology. Many critics seem to be thoughtful God-fearing Christians. But painting the entire discipline with the same brush used to paint counseling psychology causes many Christians to shy-away from the whole field. The study of the mind, memory, emotions, learning, development, sensation, neurons, and all the other topics that comprise psychology, is right, proper, and important for Christian homeschoolers.

Want to use this article in your website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Tim Rice, D. Min. is the author of Homeschool Psych: Preparing Christian Homeschool Students for Psych 101 available at http://www.homeschoolpsych.com

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