Homeschooling and a Salt Restricted Diet

Tomorrow on the Drew Marshall show he is interviewing Nicole Cottrell. She's a Christian blogger who has some controversial views and posts. You can see her stuff at www.modernreject.com. One of the posts that she put up was called Confessions of a Reluctant Homeschooler in which she says that she has just started to homeschool her daughter, even though she has misgivings about it.

Recently I discovered that a girl I used to go out with homeschooled both her kids all the way from kindergarten to graduation in high school. I am almost offended by this notion, because as far back as I can remember I have thought that there is something not quite right about homeschooling, or even private Christian schools.
How does someone I go out with end up homeschooling her kids??? Maybe that's why we broke up.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do see benefits to homeschooling, and sometimes it is even necessary; there is an increase in the family bond, you know exactly what your kids are learning, you can minimize the negative influences on your kids - etc. If you are a missionary, or are sailing around the world, then you may have to either homeschool your kids or send them to a private school of some kind.

I get it.

But my objection to homeschooling isn't the typical one about social awkwardness, or the quality of education. Both of those can be overcome. It goes much deeper than that.

Believe me, I know that sending your kids to public school can be risky. There are many Christian parents out there with the scars to prove it. But, I just don't think that isolationism is the proper Christian response. How are we as Christians supposed to be salt to the world if we don't engage with it? How are we supposed to reflect the image of God if we have created a fortress that we hide behind? As far as I can see, to homeschool or to send your kid to private christian school, is to go in the exact opposite direction of our God given mandate as Christians to be salt and light. It is ignoring Jesus' mandate to go into all the world and make disciples, in favour if a stress-reduced life. Because in my experience (and I know major players in the homeschool movement), the number one reason among christians for homeschooling, is to keep the kids safe. If you homeschool, you won't have to deal with someone else influencing your kids.

Is a life of ease what Jesus calls us to? Really?

Is that what Jesus meant when he said to take up your cross daily and follow him; to be salt and light, a beacon on a hill? Where did we get this notion that the Christian life is easy?

Please understand, if you are homeschooled, you are no less a child of God than anyone else. Although your parents had the best of intentions, you may have missed out on something fundamental in the Christian life. But that too can be overcome.

If you do homeschool, I understand where you're coming from. It's scary sending your kids off into the unknown. It takes a lot of work to counteract the anti-god attitudes that are out there sometimes. But, sometimes I think that we christians are our own worst enemy, and imagine all kinds of evil that just isn't out there. There are wonderful non-christian parents out there that are just as concerned about their kids as you are: that have moral and ethical standards as high as yours - maybe even higher.