It is no secret that evolutionary
teaching and the religion of naturalism
run rampant in public
education. The idea that life has been
evolving on earth for millions of years
is taught as fact from the earliest ages.
Kindergarteners are taught that dinosaurs
never lived with man, and high
school biology courses teach that we
evolved from single-celled organisms.
What is the solution for parents who
strongly disagree?
For many, the plan is to homeschool
their kids from kindergarten through
senior high and then send them to a
Christian college.
Easy enough, right?
Not quite.
Christian parents have good intentions.
Unfortunately, the reality is that
Christian curricula and colleges that
teach a literal 6-day creation around
6,000 years ago are the exception, not
the norm.
The ministry of Answers in Genesis,
where I serve, has looked closely at
curricula and contacted hundreds of
schools. AiG found that many homeschool
curricula and most Christian
colleges promote evolution and hold to
various old-earth views. Parents need
to know what’s going on and be better
equipped to make decisions that will
further the educational goals for their
children.
Invading the Home
Like many other Christian parents,
my wife and I decided that homeschooling
was the best option for our
children. Both of us grew up attending
public school but have recognized
the increasing secularization of public
education. At home, my wife would
know what my daughter was learning.
And together we could ensure that
the classroom—not just our home and
church—was bringing her up to trust
the history in the Bible.
In my wife’s first week teaching,
one of the books referenced sharks
predating dinosaurs by millions of
years. Another book promoted the
idea that the moon broke off from the
earth when it was forming millions of
years ago. As we looked ahead at other
lessons, we recognized the amount of
research that would be necessary for
us to find a solid curriculum and supplemental
reading that gives a biblical
perspective on evolution. Even when
a curriculum is designed for homeschoolers,
that does not necessarily
mean it is a Christian curriculum or
that it teaches biblical creation and a
solid Christian worldview.
Further, we realized that some
of the supposedly Christian homeschool
companies that we found were
simply imprints for a large secular
mega-publisher trying to make a buck
off another market.
A Higher Standard for Higher Education
At AiG, I help connect our supporters
to good Christian colleges. I
recently received an email from a conservative
Christian university wanting
to display and promote their school
at AiG’s annual college expo. After
sending them a list of basic beliefs
regarding creation, the flood, and the
age of the earth that they needed to
affirm to attend the expo, I received
an email asking if the school needed
to actually believe and teach these
tenets or if they just needed to understand
that the statements are Answers
in Genesis’ beliefs. It quickly became
clear that their doctrine was compromised
regarding Genesis and that they
wouldn’t be able, in good conscience,
to agree with these tenets of creation.
Students need help to see
that God’s Word is the
foundation for understanding
everything in our world.
The same issues that impact homeschool
curricula also trouble Christian
colleges, universities, and seminaries.
Back in 2011, Ken Ham explored
this unseen compromise in his book
Already Compromised, featuring a
national study, conducted by America’s
Research Group, of the beliefs among
school leaders. The research showed
that college presidents are often
unaware of what the Bible and science
departments are teaching about origins.
Even on the same campus, surveys
found that the Bible department
may teach evolution while the science
department teaches creation.
As part of my duties to help spread
the biblical message of creation
and help parents and schools work
together toward this end, I am grieved
to see firsthand how few schools take
a strong stand on Genesis and on biblical
authority. It’s a labor-intensive
process, but thankfully the ministry
has decided to help parents by showcasing
the curricula and schools that
are doing things right (see below).
Finding Creation-Based Curricula and Colleges
So where does a parent start to find publishers and schools that take a
strong stand on Genesis? As a free service to all Christian families, Answers
in Genesis has created two websites to help moms and dads in their search
for homeschool curricula and colleges that believe and teach the biblical
worldview. Our new CreationPublishers.org and CreationColleges.org sites are
a clearinghouse of homeschool publishers and schools, respectively, that have
affirmed the most important tenets of creation.
Below are two key examples of the 12 points that the publisher or officials
of the school must affirm to make our list. These two, in particular, seem to
be the most effective filters (for the complete list, see
CreationColleges.com/tenets-of-creation):
I. We affirm that the scientific aspects of creation are important, but are
secondary in importance to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ
as Sovereign, Creator, Redeemer, and Judge.
We deny that the doctrines of Creator and creation can ultimately be
divorced from the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the teachings of Genesis are
foundational to the gospel and indeed to all biblical doctrines (directly or
indirectly).V. We affirm that the account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but
factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable
framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history
of life, mankind, the earth, and the universe.We deny that Genesis 1–11 is myth, saga, or any other type of nonhistorical
literature. We also deny that it is a parable or prophetic vision.
It therefore should be interpreted with the same care for literal accuracy
as other historical narrative sections of Scripture.
The CreationPublishers.org site features companies like Abeka, BJU Press,
Master Books, Science Shepherd, the 101 Series (Westfield Studios), and Answers
in Genesis materials. Schools like Appalachian Bible College, Bob Jones University,
Bryan College, Calvary University, Clarks Summit University, Maranatha
Baptist University, and Patrick Henry College are among the 60+ schools on
CreationColleges.org. We are constantly checking these institutions and others
to ensure that both lists are as accurate and up-to-date as possible.
No Neutral Ground
In the Gospel of John, we read that
Jesus prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify
” (17:17). Scripture is God’s perfect,
them in the truth; your word is
truth
inerrant Word, and his Word is
truth. Throughout their schooling,
children will learn math, science, history,
language, health, life skills, arts,
and physical fitness, but how closely is
the Bible tied to them?
If students are involved in Christian
schooling or homeschooling,
Bible courses will also be included in
their studies. But they need help to
see that God’s Word is the foundation
for understanding everything in our
world.
If kids get Bible teaching in just
one class (or only in church), they are
tempted to believe secular authorities
in other areas like science, math, and
history, even if what those subjects say
conflicts with God’s Word. This goes
against God’s instruction to integrate
the Bible into every aspect of our lives.
God clearly explains in Deuteronomy,
“These words that I command you
” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).
today shall be on your heart. You shall
teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit
in your house, and when you walk by
the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise
If we are not teaching our children
and grandchildren God’s words,
we are teaching them man’s words.
Teaching ideas contrary to the Bible is
teaching kids to distrust the Bible. We
are either for Christ or against him.
There is no neutral ground.
Not everyone will teach their children
formal classes or choose to send
them to a Christian school. But all
parents have the duty and privilege
to diligently bring up their kids in
the knowledge of the Lord, including
by providing a strong foundation for
defending the Christian faith and proclaiming
the gospel.
If parents choose public school
as the best option, AiG’s free new
publishers’ site gives good ideas for
resources to help counter what kids
are being taught and to equip them to
stand for the Lord.
Answers in Genesis. He also serves as content and
marketing coordinator for the CreationColleges.org and
CreationPublishers.org websites. Tim graduated with a
degree in education from Miami University.
https://answersingenesis.org/homeschool/hidden-dangers-christian-textbooks/ This article originally appeared on answersingenesis.org
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