The Case for Christian Education

I found this great article through my former highschool in Denver.  I believe it is applicable to those making education decisions for their children in Hawaii as well:

The Case for Christian Education

If you were to list the most important thing that you are looking for in a high school, what would it be? Strong academics? Superior athletic programs? School safety? What is the one non-negotiable characteristic that your high school has to have?

Let’s do some simple math. The average high school student attends high school for 180 days for 8 hours a day (we’ll throw in an extra hour for athletics or activities.) That’s 1440 hours per year. Considering that the average teenager will be awake 3780 hours during the course of a school year, that means that approximately 40% of his/her awake time during a school year will be spent at school. That’s a big number.

The decision about Christian education really comes down to this:

Spend that 40% at a school that encourages growth in Christ.
Or
Spend that 40% at a school that wants nothing to do with Jesus Christ and promotes a non-Christian worldview.

The truth is that Christian high schools have the one thing that public schools will never have, and it is the most important educational tool ever – God’s Word (the Bible). God’s Word is used in Christian high schools for:

1. Salvation – Students will come to know Jesus as their Savior through their Christian high school experience.

2. Training – Students will not only learn daily about God’s grace, but also how to defend their Christian faith and what it means to be a Christian in today’s world.

3. Magnifying God’s glory – students will learn about how great God really is.

At Denver Lutheran High School, God’s Word is found in the following places:

• Daily theology classes
• Chapel twice a week
• Regular academic classes
• Team devotions
• Small group Bible studies
• In the advice of teachers and staff
• All aspects of operation

Current scientific research tells us that a teenager’s brain is not fully developed. An undeveloped frontal lobe explains certain teenage behavior: recklessness, emotional outbursts, poor decision making, etc. What this means for you is that high school plays a pivotal role in the development of the brain. High School will have an effect on how the brain is hard-wired.

The decision on whether or not to attend a Christian high school is really the choice between developing with Jesus Christ and developing without Him. Imagine for a moment…how different might your child’s life be if they develop without Christ at the center of their hearts and minds.

 

Now go back and look at what you think is the most important characteristic of the high school that you will choose. Is anything more important than developing with Christ?

(information about Trinity)

Still not convinced about the importance of a Christian education?  Click on your response below and hear our response!

Objection #1 – Isn’t a public high school a neutral environment for my son or daughter? (Isn’t it good enough?)

Objection #2 – Doesn’t DLHS shelter kids from the real world? (Shouldn’t they experience the real world of public high school?)

Objection #3 – Shouldn’t my son or daughter be a witness to the kids in the public high school? (I want my son or daughter to be a missionary in the field of the public high school!)

Objection #4 – How can I possibly afford the tuition?  (It’s too expensive!)

Objection #5 – But they want to go where their friends are going!

Objection #6 – But doesn’t bigger mean better?

Objection #7 – Won’t my son or daughter have a better chance at an athletic scholarship if he or she goes to a big public high school?