Friday 5 January 2018

Christian Education - As Sheep Among Wolves



      In a recent book on Abraham Kuyper, Craig Bartholomew comments on Kuyper's view of the Christian parent's duty to ensure their children have a Christian education, from his 1899 address, As Sheep Among Wolves:  
      “He invokes the example of Jesus and his disciples.  In order to form his disciples, Jesus did not send them to the academy of the Pharisees and Sadducees!  Yes, they needed to be sent out into the world, but only once they were properly formed and ready.  It is the same with children and education.  Children are called to fight the good fight of the faith, and one cannot do that if one remains isolated from the culture.  But it is essential that one be properly prepared first.” 
“And so Kuyper argues, ‘So this is the secret of Christian education.  Keep your children in the company of Jesus and educate them under the shadow of his wings until they are ready.  And when they are ready, send them out into the world, among the wolves, but as sheep—as young people whose shield is the Lord.”
                    - Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction, 296 

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