I know recommending a book to busy parents right before school is out in the spring might not be high on the priority list, but this is something that has the potential to be beneficial for you. There are multiple reasons why parents choose to enroll their children in a Christian school, in most cases to make sure their child's education includes exposure to a set of values taught in the scripture and practiced in the community of Christians which surrounds us.
Simply being in a Christian school for an extended period of time is not a guarantee that the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be caught, or that a child who attends a Christian school for years will respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit at some point. It takes spiritual transformation to believe and practice the Christian faith, as it is outlined in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And while there are no guarantees, a child who grows up in a place where those values are integrated into the school curriculum is led to a point where they understand, and are able to respond when the conviction of the Spirit comes upon them.
These two Christian counselors have spent a lot of time helping parents answer questions about why anxiety is so rampant among the younger generation, or how to deal with the sense of entitlement, and the lack of respect for authority that seems to come as kids grow up. Parents have a lot of questions about the effect of popular culture on their children, and how it is that values like integrity, peace, and respect for authority get lost in the cultural atmosphere.
The Operation of an Educational Institution Based on the Core Values of the Gospel
We live in a culture where the basic philosophy of our educational system is to provide enough education to stimulate and train human intellect, which is the highest power in the universe according to the humanist educational philosophy, to overcome humanity's problems. As a Christian school, our core educational philosophy recognizes the existence of God, and sees him as the highest power in the universe, who has chosen to resolve humanity's sin problem through a redemption process involving that of Jesus, the Christ, his only son.
Values that we want to see our students develop, as a means of demonstrating their growth and maturity, do not come about by simply letting them observe the world and the culture around them, and pick up what's positive, while discarding the negative. Values are not benign or random. Their visibility is evidence of the growth of a seed of faith that has been brought about by the movement of the Holy Spirit. Unless they are cultivated, encouraged, nurtured and affirmed, and empowered by the indwelling presence of the Spirit, they will not grow and will not naturally become part of their life.
This particular book places a priority on values such as kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, integrity, responsibility, patience and confidence. This comes from the author's own experience in working with parents and students. They all stem from biblical values, the practice of which comes from spiritual disciplines that begin with the conviction of sin brought about by the Holy Spirit and the redemption that comes from acknowledgement of Jesus as the Christ. That's the motivation, and that's where the strength comes from to make these values part of life.
There isn't any way to shield students from observing the way the world and the culture around them lives their lives. What they are seeing is the result of human sin nature, the "problems of society" that come as a result of thinking human intellect is the only means we have to resolve problems. But human intellect does not produce the kind of values that are evidence of a spirit-filled life.
The authors begin with a description of the surrounding culture and the way that things like anonymity, lack of respect for authority and a sense of prosperity and entitlement can cause a lack of values and a lot of selfish ambition. They point to factors which are causes of behavior that reflects a lack of the presence of these specific values and then help parents with ways that they can reduce their exposure and lead their children to the truth.
Faith in Christ is Nurtured by the Ministry of the Church, Performing its Biblical Functions
The first step is to introduce a child to Christ as Lord and Savior. That's the beginning. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness, and there is no spiritual growth, so there is no fertile soil in which values that are the visible and practical part of the Christian gospel to grow.
The basic unit of a Christian church, formed out of the gathering of those who have been redeemed because of God's grace, is the family. There's a structure in family relationships that give a specific role to parents when it comes to raising their children and part of that is a high degree of responsibility for teaching, modeling and living according to the principles of the Christian gospel within their own home. Values are picked up by observing and being around those who live them out, so if a family is obediently part of a church community, their children will be in a place to observe those values in a different way than they see the worldliness around them.
The Christian school is just one part of this. If you are blessed by having the ability to enroll your child in a school that will support and undergird these values that you are teaching then you understand the purpose that the school has in their life as part of the church's discipleship ministry. Discipleship is one of the functions of a Christian church. As a parent, if you want to see the development of these values in your children, then you must consider the importance of raising your child in the church, and a Christian school, which helps a church fulfil its biblical function of discipleship, is a blessing.
Will this solve all of everyone's individual sin problem? No. But not being part of a church is a guarantee that the values parents want to see in their children won't develop at all.
Here's a link you can use to follow.
Bookshop.Org, Modern Parents, Vintage Values