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TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SEND YOUR CHILD TO A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
 by Paul A. Kienel

        The author, Paul Kienel, is the Executive Director of the Association
of Christian Schools International.

p.d.-chapter 1 of REASONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS (c) 1981 (for the remainder of
the book) by Mott Media, 1000 East Huron Street, Milford, MI 48042, for Paul
A. Kienel.

        The Christian school movement is the fastest growing educational
movement in America today.  The U.S.NEWS AND WORLD REPORT and CHRISTIAN LIFE
magazines have referred to the rapid proliferation of Christian elementary and
secondary schools as the "Boom in Protestant Schools" and "The Christian
School Explosion."  Christian schools are currently being established across
the United States at the rate of two new schools a day.

In California we average one new  Chrsitian school each week.  Obviously
parents by the thousands have opted to send their youngsters to Christian
schools as opposed to secular public schools.  As a parent who sends my
children to Christian schools and speaks to thousands of parents on the radio
and on tour, permit me to share ten reasons why you should send your children
to Christian schools:

        ONE: You are accountable to God for what your children are taught in
school.  Proverbs 22:6 is a direct command to parents.  It says, "Train up a
child in the way he should go..." What your children are taught in school
should be a direct extension of your parental views.  The teachers under whom
your children are taught should be the kind of teachers you would personally
hire if your children were being educated in your home.

        TWO: Christian schools offer a better level of instruction.  There is
no question about it.  The test scores over a long period of years are
conclusive.  The annual Stanford Achievement Test administered to first
through eighth grade Christian school students in the western states shows
these students to be seven to nineteen months ahead of the national norm in
reading, and seven to thirteen months ahead of the national norm in all
subject areas.

        THREE: The Bible does not teach that children should be exposed to all
kinds of sin.  We are to train "up" a child, not point him downward.  Children
do not grow spiritually stronger in a negative non-Christian environment.

Students do not become stronger Christians by being taught non-Christian
thinking, but by being taught Christian thinking, and there is no such person
as a "neutral" school teacher who neither advances nor inhibits religion.
School represents 16% of your child's time.  It is prime time, a training
time, and Christian school education represents a positive Bible-centered form
of instruction that will build a child up in the faith--not tear him down.
Proverbs 19:27 says, "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to
err from the words of knowledge."

        FOUR: The Christian school is right for your child because the
Christian school has not cut itself off from the most important book in the
world--the Bible.  Without the Bible, education is nothing more than the blind
leading the blind.  Standards for morality must be taken from Scripture alone,
not from situations as often taught in secular schools.  As Theodore Roosevelt
stated, "To train a man in mind and not in morals is to train a menace to
society."

        FIVE: The Christian school provides an opportunity for your child to
witness for Christ.  This surprises some people because they assume all
students in a Christian school are Christians.  In most cases a majority are
Christian; however, in every Christian school there are always some students
who need the Savior.  Christian students are trained and encouraged to reach
these youngsters for Jesus Christ.  Witnessing in a Christian school has the
support of parents, students, teachers, administration and the school board.
Presenting Christ as Savior is not illegal in a Christian school.

        SIX: Christian school educators teach all subject matter from a
Christian context.  They put the Bible at the center of the curriculum and ask
students to evaluate all they see in the world through the eyes of God.  To
quote Dr. Roy Zuck,

        The secular vs. Christian school issue is really a question of whether
a child will learn to view life from man's perspective or God's perspective.
From man's viewpoint, history is purposeless; from God's viewpoint, history
has meaning.  From man's viewpoint, science is the laws of "nature" at work;
from God's viewpoint, science is the outworking of His laws.

In a Christian school, a student is exposed to the centrality of God in all of
life.  In public education, a student is legally "sheltered" from this
important dimension of education.

        SEVEN: Christian schools support the family as the number one
institution of society.  Christian school educators train students to respect
their parents.  These educators agree with the early American patriot, Noah
Webster, who said, "All government originates in families, and if neglected
there, it will hardly exist in society."

        EIGHT: "The atheists have, for all practical purposes, taken over
public education in this country." Shocking words, yes, but they were spoken
by a prominent public school educator, Dr. W.P.Schofstall, former Arizona
State Superintendent of Schools.  Paradoxically, many public school personnel
openly support Christian school education.

As a matter of fact, the largest group of parents who send their children to
Christian schools are public school teachers and principals.  I conducted a
nationwide survey among these public school educators.  The following
statement is typical of the responses I received:

        I prefer to send my children to a Christian school because Christ is
central to all information taught and caught.  The public school is basically
humanistic and materialistic in its approach to life and the fundamental
questions of human existence and purpose.  The Christian school holds a unique
position with the home and the church.

        NINE: Christian school educators maintain discipline in the classroom
and on the playground.  Without a reasonable standard of discipline, the
process of education is severely hampered. "For whom the Lord loves, He
disciplines..." the Bible teaches.  And it is within that context of love that
discipline is carried out in a Christian school.  This important feature of
education is rapidly disappearing from the public school education.  According
to the recent GALLUP POLL OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS EDUCATION,

        Lack of discipline in the public schools again heads the list of
problems cited most often by survey respondents.  Discipline has, in fact,
been named the number one problem of the schools in seven of the last eight
years.  New evidence of its importance comes from the special survey of high
school juniors and seniors.  An even higher percentage of this group names
discipline as the leading problem faced by the public school.

        TEN: "We believe that our children are gifts of the Lord.  We are
responsible to train them according to His Word not only at home and in
church, but in school as well."  This statement was made by a parent in
response to a question on an application form for enrollment of his children
at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

        More and more parents, especially Christian parents, are coming to the
conclusion that secular public education and most of its teachers and
principals no longer represent their personal parental views.  These parents
are exercising their freedom of choice and sending their children to Christian
schools and colleges.

Note: The first chapter of this book has over the past two years been
published in newspapers and national magazines for a total circulation of more
than one million copies. It first appeared in 1975 in Dr. Clyde Narramore's
magazine PSYCHOLOGY FOR LIVING. Then Dr. Jerry Falwell secured permission to
publish it in his national publication FAITH AFLAME.

It appeared later in several denominational publications and a variety of
newspapers.  Because of its wide circulation I do not claim copyright.  This
of course does not pertain to the remaining chapters. Most chapters of this
book have appeared in recent issues of a one page publication called CHRISTIAN
SCHOOL COMMENT. They were originally written with this book in mind.  Each
chapter has been updated, rewritten and rearranged to fit the sequential needs
of this volume.

        The TABLE OF CONTENTS of the rest of the book:

1) Ten Reasons Why You Should Send Your Child to a Christian School (p.d.)

2) Monday School vs. Sunday School

3) Should Parents Shelter Their Children from the Real World?

4) Questions Reporters Ask About Christian Schools

5) The Day the Ohio Supreme Court Voted Yes for Christian Schools

6) Christian Schools Train Youngsters to Think 'Christianly'

7) Ten Ways to be a Super Parent

8) Seven Keys to Family Discipline

9) How Important is the Christian School to the Church, the Christian College
and to the American People?

10) Should Christian School Parents Get Involved in Political Matters?

11) Six Reasons Why Christians Should Give to Christian Schools

12) Education Beyond the Three "R's"

13) Trends in Public Education

14) Trends in Christian School Education

15) Statements from Prominent Americans About Christian Schools

Recommended further reading from Mott Media, 1000 East Huron, Milford, MI
48042:

        Four Trojan Horses of Humanism, by Harry Conn.

        The Separation Illusion, by John Whitehead.  Refutes the commonly-held
belief that religion must be separated from government and applies this
discussion to the court decisions on prayer and Bible reading in public
schools.

        Are Textbooks Harming Your Children?, by James Hefley.  Shocking
quotes of the materials discovered by the Gablers in their reviews of public
school texts.  Information is given on how you, parents like themselves, can
take action to improve American Education.

        How To Tutor, by Samuel L. Blumenfeld.  The book is divided into four
parts; how to qualify as a tutor, reading primer, writing primer, and
arithmetic primer.  Useful for tutoring children at the preschool level as a
preventive measure during the first two grades of public school as a
supplement to the child's instruction, or for use in remedial instruction at
any grade level.

        A Christian Approach to Education, by H.W.Byrne.  An outstanding
survey of the basic theories of Christian education.  This is a new approach
based on Biblical principles and compares the secular and Christian views of
education prevalent today.

        Asking Questions: A Classroom Model for Teaching the Bible, by D.Bruce
Lockerbie.  Each question leads to a variety of responses intended to teach,
first, what the text says; then, what it means; and finally how its principles
apply to Bible readers today.

        Handbook on Athletic Perfection, by Wes Neal.  "The perfect athletic
performance can only be experienced by the Christian athlete controlled by the
Holy Spirit who has been sent by God to develop Jesus Christ's attitudes and
actions in your athletic performance as well as your entire life."  Biblical
premise for every principle stated and practical applications of those
principles.

        Handbook on Coaching Perfection, by Wes Neal.  Thesis is "use me Lord
to draw recognition back to you."  Emphasis is on seeking what Scripture says
then doing things (even coaching) God's way.  Excellent gift for coaches,
athletes.

        Teach Them Diligently, A Devotional Guide for Teachers Who Care, by
Arthur Nazigian.  Presents concisely many ways to identify the blessings of
God in your educational ministry.  You will be blessed each time you meditate
through the book.

        Teacher's Report Card, by Mary Vandermey.  A collection of short,
warming and insightful vignettes about children and real teachers.  Each
chapter provides the reader with encouragement and inspiration from the
Scriptures.

        FACS--Fundamentals for American Christians, by Russ Walton, Basic
Biblical principles of government that should be fundamentals for American
Christians.

        THE SOWER SERIES OF WORLD HEROES, Character-building Christian
Biographies for Young Readers:

        Christopher Columbus, by Bennie Rhodes.  An exciting book about a
Christian explorer who sought to discover new lands to spread the gospel at
the risk of shipwreck, disease, and personal failure.

        Robert E. Lee, by Lee Roddy.  A Christian of impeccable character, Lee
became one of the most respected men in America--even in the face of defeat.

        Abigail Adams, by Evelyn Witter.  The story of the wife of America's
second President whose personal faith in Christ kept her strong in a young
war-torn nation.

        George Washington, by Norma Cournow Camp.  The story of the first
President who was not a great preacher or Bible scholar, but who patterned his
own life around the Bible lessons he studied daily. He was a sower of seeds of
faith and courage.

        Johannes Kepler, by John Hudson Tiner.  This giant of faith and
science considered his scientific studies to be another way of looking into
God's creation.

        Isaac Newton, by John Hudson Tiner.  Here is the life story of the
astronomer and mathematician who discovered the law of gravity and who was a
devout, Bible-believing Christian.

        Abraham Lincoln, by David J. Collins.  A true sower of faith and
freedom, this biography describes Abe's experiences in his search for an
understanding of God.