LifeWay Christian education leader gives 9 principles of Kingdom education

                                                                                                                                                                       Vol. XVIII, No. 2, February 2005

Scripture makes it clear that teaching children is God's homework assignment to parents, says Glen Schultz, director of LifeWay's Christian school resources area. His wish is that all parents make the grade when God checks their work. In his book, Kingdom Education: God's Plan for Educating Future Generations, Schultz provides a framework to help parents guide their decisions and help them teach their children to interpret the world through the lens of Scripture.

Through his life-long and careful study of God's Word, Schultz has identified nine biblical principles to guide the total education of children:

Principle 1: The education of children and youth is the primary responsibility of parents.

Principle 2: The education of children and youth is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week process that must take place from birth through maturity.

Principle 3: The education of children and youth must have as its primary goals the salvation and discipleship of the next generation.

Principle 4: The education of children and youth must be based on God's Word as absolute truth.

Principle 5: The education of children and youth must hold Christ preeminent in all of life.

Principle 6: The education of children and youth must not hinder the spiritual and moral development of the next generation.

Principle 7: The education of children and youth, if and when delegated to others by parents, must be done by teachers chosen with utmost care to ensure that they all follow these principles.

Principle 8: The education of children and youth results in the formation of lifestyles or worldviews that will be patterned after the belief systems or worldviews of their teachers.

Principle 9: The education of children and youth must have a view of the future that includes the eternal perspective.