And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:2-6
Whether a child is being educated at home or school, the journey can be marked by a series of milestones or “millstone moments”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a milestone as “an important event in the development or history of something or someone’s life”. In biblical times, a millstone referred to an extremely heavy grain grinding mechanism requiring the force of a large animal to move it. This exhibits the ease in which such a tool could sink the source of condemnation.
Scripture is infallible and the only reliable source of Truth. It is also crystal clear on how our Savior regards ALL children and how they are to be treated. Take into account several verses.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Mark 10:13-16
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 18:10
Ministries involving children, specifically Christian education, should be approached with reverential fear. No calling that has direct access to influencing and molding a child’s or youth’s mind and heart toward Christ should be entered into casually. Whether a homeschool co-op or Christian school, candidates for employment or voluntary service should go through a thorough multi-layered vetting process. Even then, a checks and balances infrastructure should be in place to ensure that sound, biblically-guided accountability is present at all times. The following should be standard qualifications of a Christian educator or administrator.
They have a genuine relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
They are able to share their salvation testimony and be in agreement with ALL of God’s Holy Word.
They should be able to demonstrate how to lead a child to Christ.
They should be able to verbalize what Biblical Worldview is and how it should directly impact education.
They should be able to answer positional questions on controversial topics such as social justice, the biblical definition of marriage, and sanctity of life.
They should be trained in educational methodologies and pedagogy.
If any one of these criteria are absent or weak, then there should be a serious contemplation of whether the individual in question should biblically educate children. There is simply too much at stake to forgo caution, and hope that training will develop in key areas. Too often, Christian administrators and teachers are thrust into positions of influence out of sheer need and friendly familiarity rather than genuine aptitude and preparedness. As a result, students are the unfortunate beneficiaries of sub-par biblical worldview education and potentially harmful millstone experiences.
Likewise, Christian school board positions should not be haphazardly filled by individuals who do not have a deep passion for or understanding of biblical education. The responsibility of ensuring righteous leadership of a school is critical to each and every child that is subjected to the policies and counsel of administration. As John C. Maxwell so aptly stated “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” While surface successes and numeric growth may indicate advancement, oversight must be present to make sure the core fundamentals are in place. For example, equality not equity is driving decisions, student athletes are held accountable and shepherded, academic best practices and ethical record keeping are being employed, finances are properly stewarded, professional development is respected and encouraged, and most importantly the spiritual culture is flourishing and supportive of biblical worldview training. If leadership is a mile wide and an inch deep, unethical or apathetic, the school infrastructure will inevitably implode. A Christian school board’s primary function is to implement safeguards to avert such detrimental issues.
Lastly, a school truly focused on investing in children’s biblical worldview development will exclusively regard and cultivate each student’s strengths and giftings rather than treat them as a collective whole. Leadership must resist falling into the “factory mindset” that is prevalent in compulsory education, and seek to meet the needs of each child in a biblical manner. John Taylor Gatto described it well when he stated, “There is not, nor can there be, a one best way to teach a child; each kid is as different as his or her fingerprint. I’ve often thought that God introduced the anomaly of the fingerprint-or of DNA-to hit us over the head with that fact.” Aside from biblical worldview immersion of subject content, students should be afforded every opportunity to be equipped for and grow toward their individual callings.
The combination of sound hiring practices, a solid Christian school board, and a biblically-aligned intentionality to nurture students establishes a trustworthy and robust biblical worldview institution of learning that will prove steadfast. Such an environment will assuredly produce a thriving biblical worldview journey marked by transformative milestones. Our Lord and Savior modeled biblical education clearly. It is imperative that all Christian education entities are found aligned in every area to His modeling and scriptural guidance on training children. Anything less is detrimental to the purposes of biblical education. There are eternal consequences at stake and time is of the essence.
Author: tonya gordon
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