Salt, light, and socialization

After “I can’t afford private education,” sending children to school to be “salt and light” and socialization issues are the next biggest excuses to use public schools among Christians.


For socialization, I just happen to have that chapter of my book up as a “free sample” on my web site. Here is the link. Enjoy.


For salt and light, I again have written about this in my book, so I will just copy and paste that chapter her for your enjoyment. Just consider it a “bonus gift” :-)

13. Shouldn’t I Send My Child To School To Be “Light And Salt?”
First of all, I have met few five-year-olds (the most common school-starting age) that have truly accepted Christ as their savior. Sending any child to school that isn’t even saved yet to evangelize is like sending a drunken thief to Africa as a missionary. Someone must have the “Light and Salt” in order to be “light and salt.”

Besides, if this method of evangelism, (sending children to school to witness to each other), worked, our churches would be packed to overflowing. At the institution of public school, the majority of Americans were regular church goers. If each of their children had just brought one unsaved peer to the Lord then our society would be 100% Christian today. Instead, it is getting less and less Christian and more and more Secular Humanist. (One recent study says 88% of fundamentalist Christian children whole heartedly embrace Secular Humanism and quit church permanently at age eighteen). It appears that sending Christian children to public school is having the opposite effect from evangelism. If my church had an outreach program where we LOST more than 80% of our WORKERS, I would strongly recommend to our leadership that we needed to change programs.

A study commissioned by Homeschool Legal Defense said 96% of homeschool graduates say they are the same or almost the same religion as their parents. Since 80% of homeschoolers are fundamentalist Christians, this is a mighty army of mature spiritual warriors being unleashed on the world. I see this as having a far more positive impact on evangelism than the “send your kids to school to be light and salt” crowd ever dreamed of.

Besides, you wouldn’t send your child to an Islamic or Buddhist temple for their equivalent of Sunday School every week and expect them to stay a Christian. Yet many well meaning Christian parents take their Little Gifts from God to a Secular Humanist (or Humanist trained) teacher, tell them to obey and respect them, for six or more hours, every day, 170-180 days per year, for at least thirteen straight years and are honestly surprised when their children turn out to be half- hearted Christians at best. Jesus said “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”[1] Atheist teacher, atheist kid. Christian teacher, Christian kid.

Sending your child to school to save a class full of unbelieving peers is an awful lot to ask of a child. Few adults could handle that kind of pressure. The Bible says “If the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”[2] Childhood is the time a child should be building his foundation for lifelong service to Christ, not evangelizing the world. That is what adulthood is for. Wouldn’t sending him to school to evangelize before he is mature Christians be “lay(ing) hands suddenly”[3] on your child, something Paul said not to do to any man? You wouldn’t throw tomato seeds out in the snow and expect plants much less fruit. For the best crops of tomatoes, you start them inside in a controlled environment and only gradually take them into the real world when they are almost grown and ready to handle it. Same for Christians. As I recently heard one woman say, “If one apple in a barrel has a bad spot it will turn all the apples bad. I have never yet seen a bunch of good apples turn a bad apple good again.” Solomon said “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”[4] Jesus said “the student will become like his teacher.” Who do you want your children to be like?”



[1] Luke 6:40
[2] Matthew 5:13
[3] 1 Timothy 5:22
[4] Proverbs 13:20