Education is not neutral. Every form of instruction is shaped by a worldview, either anchored in truth or drifting in deception. Christian parents today are waking up to a sobering reality: the modern public school system, far from being a place of moral neutrality, has become a battleground of ideologies. Many are turning to homeschooling, not out of fear, but out of obedience—obedience to a calling that begins not in a classroom, but in the covenant of family.
The Biblical Mandate to Train Our Children
The Word of God places the responsibility for training children squarely on the shoulders of parents—primarily fathers. In Deuteronomy 6:6–7, the Lord commands,
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
The Hebrew word for “teach diligently” is שָׁנַן (shanan)—meaning to sharpen. The instruction is to repeatedly impress truth into the hearts of our children. This cannot be outsourced. It is the daily, intentional duty of the father and mother. Proverbs 22:6 instructs,
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Again, the Hebrew חָנַךְ (chanak)—”train”—is a deliberate initiation into a way of life. Training is not mere exposure; it is discipleship. Paul reaffirms this in Ephesians 6:4,
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
The Greek παιδεία (paideia)—training—means the entire education and cultivation of mind and morals. Νουθεσία (nouthesia)—admonition—means instruction that corrects and warns. This is a comprehensive mandate.
Scripture never authorizes us to turn our children over to godless systems to be shaped by their worldview. God gives children to parents, not to the state.
A Brief History of Schooling
Education has not always looked like it does today. For centuries, learning was conducted at home or within the Church. The earliest schools in the Western world were monastic or church-based institutions, focused on Scripture, classical literature, and moral instruction.
In the United States, early education was dominantly Christian. The New England Primer—the first reading textbook—was full of biblical catechism. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, and other Ivy League schools were all founded to train ministers of the gospel.
Harvard’s 1646 rules stated: “Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ…”
But by the late 1800s, a shift began. The Prussian model of education, which emphasized nationalism and state control, was imported into America. Horace Mann, known as the father of public education, pushed for a system that would remove sectarian (read: Christian) influence and shape civic-minded citizens through state-sponsored schools.
John Dewey, one of the architects of modern secular education, was a self-proclaimed atheist and a signer of the Humanist Manifesto. He did not hide his goals: to mold children through education into secular, progressive thinkers. Since then, the public school system has increasingly become a vehicle not for knowledge, but for worldview formation.
Indoctrination over Education
The modern classroom is no longer neutral. From the earliest grades, children are taught concepts of gender fluidity, moral relativism, critical race theory, socialism, and evolution—all antithetical to Scripture. Schools no longer teach children what to think, but how to believe.
Colossians 2:8 warns us plainly,
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
The word “cheat” here is συλαγωγέω (sulagogeo)—to carry away as plunder. That is what secular education does. It plunders the minds and hearts of children.
The Role of the Parent vs. the State
Romans 13 teaches that government is ordained by God—but its role is limited to bearing the sword and executing justice. Nowhere is the state granted spiritual or moral authority over our children. Education is discipleship, and discipleship belongs to the family and the Church.
To relinquish our children to a system hostile to our faith is not only unwise—it is disobedient. We’re told in Psalm 127:3,
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”
These are not burdens to be managed; they are arrows to be aimed (Psalm 127:4). And no wise archer leaves his arrows in the hands of his enemy.
Are Schools Inherently Evil?
No. Education itself is a gift. Teaching, learning, the pursuit of knowledge—all are commendable. Paul himself was taught by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), and Moses was trained in all the wisdom of Egypt (Acts 7:22). But both men were used by God only after they were reshaped by His hand.
There is a place for Christian schools—those who faithfully teach Scripture and operate under the authority of God. But even then, parents must remain vigilant. No institution should replace the father’s God-given role as shepherd of his home.
A Warning to Parents
Mark 9:42 contains one of the sternest warnings in all of Scripture:
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”
If we place our children into systems that erode their faith, confuse their identity, and mock their Savior, we are complicit in that stumbling. Education is not just preparation for a career. It is the formation of a soul. Eternity is on the line.
My Final Thoughts
Homeschooling is not a retreat—it is a return. A return to biblical discipleship, to family-centered instruction, to the high calling of shaping the next generation in the fear of the Lord. It is not always easy, nor is it the only righteous option. But in an age where truth is trampled in the streets and classrooms are filled with confusion, it is often the safest, wisest, and most obedient choice.
If you cannot homeschool, then guard your child’s heart like never before. Vet every teacher. Know every textbook. Challenge every lie. And disciple them with urgency—because the battle for their soul does not wait for graduation.
