Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview

by Israel Wayne (Wisdom’s Gate, 2000, 159 pages)

review by T. C. Pinckney                                                                            Vol. XIX, No. 1, January 2006

This is an excellent book which will be of great interest to every homeschooler, everyone considering homeschooling, and anyone wondering just what motivates those kooks to homeschool.

Wayne starts by pointing out an irrefutable but often overlooked fact: everyone has a worldview, whether he realizes it or not. Wayne presents a strong case that parents should be consciously working to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This will not happen in a government school (though it may happen in spite of the government school). God has equipped parents to be the best teachers of their children.

The book is thoroughly Christian in approach and content. For example, the first chapter is “Keeping an Eternal Perspective” and the second is “A Biblical Education”. The latter addresses inter alia the impact of modernism and post-modernism followed by a discussion of the “Immoral Basis of Government Schooling”.

It is also thoroughly practical. In the third chapter (“The Importance of Reason”), Wayne offers twelve rules to keep in mind when teaching children how to reason, the first being “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Just reading these rules and thinking about them would be worth far more than the cost of the book.

Much of the book deals with teaching important subjects such as history, mathematics, science, literature, social studies, and the current fad: multiculturalism. This is followed by a discussion of parents’ rights and then the universal (though bogus) objection to homeschooling: “What about socialization?” The last chapter deals succinctly with thirteen “common excuses to keep form homeschooling”. If you are thinking about schooling at home, you definitely want to read this chapter.

You may contact Wisdom’s Gate to order the book ($12.00) at P.O. Box 374, Covert, MI 49043; wisgate@charcterlink.net; or phone 800-343-1943. You may also visit their website at www.wisgate.com.