I suppose it is part of our depraved nature that we humans have the tendency, when we are given a great cause, to institutionalize it and so alter it and drain it of life that it no longer resembles, and may even contradict the goals of, the original cause.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Should You Be Homeschooling?
In the past couple of decades, home schooling has risen from the ranks of being considered the bizarre behavior of an obscure group of fringe extremists to being one of the major trends of our society. And is it any wonder? By now, most of us are at least casually familiar with the frequent reports of poor academic performance by public school children. And who can miss the appalling headlines of shootings, drug trafficking, and seedy affairs between teachers and students?
Q. How can I afford to homeschool?
This article was originally written in 2009 and was revised in 2019.
A. My wife and I homeschooled all three of our children. We started them in homeschool and they graduated from homeschool high school. We started homeschooling our two eldest sons in the late 1980s. Our youngest came along later and graduated in 2018. How did we do it? The answer is found in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The Hijacking of Homeschooling
The apostle Paul wrote that he marveled that the Christians in Galatia had so soon turned from grace to another gospel, the bondage of legalism. I marvel at how quickly Christian home educators are turning from the freedoms they have won over the past couple of decades back to the bondage of government control. As the patriarch of a family that began homeschooling in the 1980s, perhaps I’ve earned the right to look with a critical eye on younger parents who take for granted their freedom to teach their children 1) at home and 2) without government interference. Keep in mind that there are two freedoms—two birthrights—involved here. Parents who believe they have made a shrewd deal that allows them to retain the first while bargaining away the second for a pottage of textbooks and other “benefits” have indeed been deluded. And make no mistake about it, being deluded necessitates a deluder. In this case, it is the education establishment wielding the bait of government funding.
Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s
A testimony from Bonnie J. Horn, Copyright 1998
This letter is written to Christian mothers of home-educated children, both veterans and new comers such as myself. My purpose in writing is two-fold, to offer an apology, which comes from a repentant heart and to encourage families to educate their children within the private sector. (i.e. Christian private schools and private home schools.)
Dear sisters in Christ Jesus,
I have four beautiful children ages: 5, 3, 2 and 9 weeks. My husband and I decided that we would school our children at home five years ago when our oldest child was not yet born. We had wonderful role models within our home church and we asked many questions of them. Last year was the first year that we attended a conference. We came away spiritually refreshed, renewed and recommitted to the goal of a godly education for our children in their home environment. I had confidence that I could be successful as a home school mom. I also knew that I would benefit from the support and guidance of godly women. One wonderful sister took me by the hand and introduced me to many great curriculums and bookstores. She encouraged me to establish a private school for our family.
Charter Schools: Look Before You Leap!
This article, by Roy Hanson, director of Family Protection Ministries, appeared in The Home School Court Report, vol. xviii, No. 1, January/February 2002. It warns of a specific issue involving government encroachment that home educators should take seriously. But what is even more troubling, charter schools are only one concern among a growing number of similar political and social issues that ought to be a wake up call to Christians. I have written a short essay, "The Hijacking of Homeschooling," that briefly addresses these problems.—PD
In California and across the nation, we are alarmed by the growing number of Christian home schoolers who are enrolling in charter school programs. Below is a summary of most of the reasons why we are concerned. This is based upon my full-time research and advocacy work in behalf of private home educators in California for the last 15 years.
The battle over home schooling in America for the last 20 years has been shifting from eradication of home education to growing attempts to control home educators and recapture them for public school programs (such as charter schools) where they are under the authority and supervision of public school officials. Nothing less than the future of home schooling and the freedom of parents to train their own children in God’s ways are at stake.
What the Bible Says About Tithing and Christian Giving
At a time when giving is reaching all-time lows in the church, ignorance about what is real Christian giving is reaching all-time highs. Surely, this is no coincidence. Not only does this article expose the misinformation we are fed in this area that can actually warp our thinking, but it sheds light on the true, biblical teaching about giving. I sincerely hope that all readers will give prayerful consideration to all this article has to say.
Has anyone ever told you to tithe by giving one-tenth of your income to the church? Or perhaps someone has told you to give to a particular ministry so that God will prosper you. Maybe you were even made to feel that you needed to make up for your sins by giving.
But have you ever stopped to wonder which, if any, of these approaches to giving is the right one for Christians? In this article, we will examine each of these ways of looking at giving to determine whether it is biblical. We will also see whether there is another approach to giving—one that is less popularly promoted. Because it is so commonly taught, we will devote the first section of this article to tithing.
Q. Romans 5:18 says that by Christ’s one act of righteousness, all men were justified. Does this mean that everyone is saved?
A. In Romans 5:18, Paul is comparing the result of Adam’s sin to the result of Jesus’ atonement: “So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life” (World English Bible, WEB—used throughout unless otherwise noted). This verse is often cited by Universalists to support their belief that all humans will be saved. Certainly, taken by itself, it does indeed sound like Paul is teaching that, because of what Jesus has done, everyone has been justified and will receive eternal life. But is this the conclusion we will reach when we examine the verse in context? What is Paul saying in Romans 5:18?
A Rebuttal to George M. Ella’s “John Gill and Justification from Eternity”
On this site, I have posted a talk by George M. Ella titled “John Gill and Justification from Eternity.” The talk is of historical interest in showing the position of John Gill on this subject. I want to be clear, however, that I do not agree that justification from eternity as taught by John Gill and defended by Dr. Ella is taught in the Bible. Another defender of this theory is Peter L. Meney, who has written an article called “Ten Arguments for Justification from Eternity” (December/January 2007 New Focus, also available here). The present article also serves as a rebuttal to Mr. Meney, whose article I will occasionally reference, although most references to John Gill’s and George Ella’s arguments also apply to Mr. Meney’s. I also want to make clear here that, in rebutting justification from eternity as taught by Gill and explained by Ella, I am not necessarily defending the people Dr. Ella argues against, such as John Murray and Andrew Fuller. Neither am I condemning Dr. Ella or Mr. Meney. I am, instead, trying to defend what the Scripture teaches. But before discussing Scripture, I want to have a brief philosophical discussion. I hope the reason for this will become apparent.
Mormons Are Not Christians
I want to make clear that there is no political agenda behind this article. I started planning this article because of a media blitz undertaken by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly called Mormons) in the United States to try to convince people that Mormons are Christians. Then, before I had even started the article, the news was filled with headlines that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain took a back-handed swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney by saying in essence that Romney would not be able to win the southern states because Romney is a Mormon (the implication being that Mormons are not Christians). Then, just as Cain seemed to be backing away from his statements, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and a known supporter of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is also a Republican presidential candidate, made similar headlines. His statements were more direct. He said that Mitt Romney is not a Christian and that Mormonism is a cult. He also said that God will judge America if it elects a Mormon president. Perry then distanced himself from Jeffress and indicated in vague statements that he believed that if Romney says he is a Christian, then he is. Thus, even before I began writing this article, the question of whether Mormonism is Christian became a political issue. But my intention in writing this article is not to deal with a political issue. I am not trying to influence your votes. My concern is not with a presidential election. My concern is that some Christians actually believe that Mormons are fellow Christians. I did not write the title of this article as a question, "Are Mormons Christians?" because I want no misunderstandings. I want to show you statements from websites run by the Mormons and their Brigham Young University (BYU) that, when compared to the Bible, should make a Christian instantly know that Mormons are not Christians.
Suppose John says he is an evolutionist. Rick, who is an evolutionist, says, “Cool, I’ll look into what John says about evolution.” But as Rick looks into the things John has written about his beliefs, he finds that John believes in a literal six-day creation by the God of the Bible, except that John calls this six-day creation, “evolution.” Not only that, but John labels as “false evolutionists” those who believe the commonly accepted understanding of evolution and says they are using “corrupted information.” Rick says, “Hey John, you’re not an evolutionist. You’re a creationist.” John says, “No, I’m an evolutionist.” Rick says, “But you believe in a literal six-day creation.” John says, “No. I call it evolution. So, I’m an evolutionist.” This is a situation similar to what we find in the question of whether Mormons are Christians.
