articles about christian education

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The Great Vision of Christian Education

Ten foundational truths.

Justin Taylor Twitter @between2worlds

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When we hear about “Christian education,” we often think first about schooling that seeks to operate according to biblical principles. Perhaps we think of Christian private schools or homeschooling or Sunday School. We think of desks and homework and assignments and teachers.

These are important forms of Christian education, but these institutional forms are only the tip of the iceberg. Have you ever considered, for example, that Jesus’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) is a charter for Christian education?

Precisely because Jesus has been invested with “all authority in heaven and on earth,” he can command his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.” We do this, Jesus tells us, by doing two things: (1) after they repent of their sins and trust in him, we baptize them in the name of the Trinity, and then (2) we teach them to observe all that he commanded us. We can do this with confidence because Christ himself will be with us always, even to the end of the age.

Christian education is as big as God and his revelation. It goes beyond parenting and teachers and classroom instruction to infuse every aspect of the Christian life. It involves not merely donning gospel-centered glasses when we study “spiritual” subjects, but being filled by the very presence of almighty God as we seek by his Spirit to interpret all of reality in light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

If we are to practice an education that is truly Christian — in both word and deed — there are at least ten foundational presuppositions and principles that should shape our approach.

True Christian education involves loving and edifying instruction, grounded in God’s gracious revelation, mediated through the work of Christ, and applied through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that labors to honor and glorify the triune God.

Christian education begins with the reality of God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — one God in three persons — create and sustain all things (Genesis 1:1–2; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3). It is from, through, and to the one true God that all things exist and have their being (Acts 17:28). The glorification of God’s name in Christ is the goal of the universe (Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Isaiah 43:7; 48:11).

Christian education seeks to rightly interpret and correctly convey all aspects of God’s revelation, both his self-disclosure through the created world (called “general revelation”) and his self-disclosure through the spoken and written word (“special revelation”; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 1:1–2).

Christian education, building on the Creator-creature distinction, recognizes the fundamental difference between God’s perfect knowledge of himself (called “archetypal theology”) and the limited, though sufficient, knowledge we can have of God through his revelation (“ectypal theology”; Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16).

Christian education recognizes that the recipients of our instruction — whether believers or unbelievers — are created in the image of God, designed to resemble, reflect, and represent their Creator (through ruling over creation and relating to one another; Genesis 1:26–27).

Christian education reckons with the sobering reality of the Fall — that because of Adam’s rebellion as our covenantal head, all of us have inherited a rebellious sin nature and are legally regarded as guilty (Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:12, 15, 17–19), and that the creation itself is fallen and in need of liberation (Romans 8:19–22). Our disordered desires and the broken world around us affect every aspect of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, such that even after regeneration, we must still battle indwelling sin (Galatians 5:17).

Christian education is built upon the work of Christ — including, but not limited to, his substitutionary atonement and triumphant resurrection victory over sin and death — as the central hinge of history (Galatians 4:4–5; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:1–5). All of our instruction is founded upon this great event that makes it possible for sinners to stand by faith in the presence of a holy and righteous God through union with our prophet, priest, and king.

Christian education recognizes that to reflect the mind of Christ and to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), we must be born again (John 3:3), putting off our old man (in Adam) and putting on the new man (in Christ), renewed in knowledge after the image of God (Colossians 3:10).

Christian education insists on the indispensable work of the Holy Spirit, who himself is a teacher (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13), who searches everything (including the depths of God) and alone comprehends the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). He helps us in our weakness, intercedes for us (Romans 8:26–27), and causes us to bear good fruit (Galatians 5:22–23).

Finally, Christian education recognizes the insufficiency of merely receiving, retaining, and relaying notional knowledge (1 Corinthians 8:1; Matthew 7:21–23), but insists that our knowledge must be relational and covenantal (1 Corinthians 13:12), such that our study results in delight (Psalm 37:4; 111:2), practice (Ezra 7:10), obedience (Romans 1:5), and the further discipling and teaching of others (Matthew 9:19–20; 2 Timothy 2:2).

Christian education no longer involves physically sitting at the feet of Jesus and walking with him down the dusty roads of Galilee. But Jesus himself tells us that it is to our advantage that he goes away, so that the Helper — the Holy Spirit — can come to be with us (John 16:7).

And now, as lifelong learners in Christ, we can truly say, “Though [we] have not seen him, [we] love him. Though [we] do not now see him, [we] believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). That is a truly Christian education.

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What Is the Purpose of Christian Education?

Education has always been a significant aspect of human life, shaping minds, building character, and preparing us for the future. As Christians, our approach to education can be imbued with our faith, leading us to ask, “What is the purpose of Christian education?” This article will explore this query, guided by the wisdom of the Bible and insights from Christian educators.

Verse about Christian Education

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6, KJV)

What the Bible Tells Us About Christian Education

The Bible offers valuable guidance on education. This verse from Proverbs emphasizes the importance of training children in righteous living from an early age, indicating that such training will have lifelong impacts.

Christian educators like John Piper and Ravi Zacharias echo this idea, advocating for an education that nurtures not only intellectual capacities but also spiritual and moral development, leading students towards a Christ-centered life.

Biblical Life Application for Christian Education

The application of this biblical wisdom suggests that Christian education is not merely about information transmission. But the formation of character in line with Christian values. The purpose of Christian education is to integrate faith and learning, enabling students to view and engage with the world from a Christian perspective.

Christian education aims to help students grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people (Luke 2:52). It strives to cultivate individuals who are intellectually competent, morally sound, and spiritually mature.

Key Purposes of Christian Education

• Spiritual Formation:  Christian education seeks to nurture students’ spiritual growth, helping them understand and live by Christian teachings.
• Moral Development:  It aims to shape students’ moral character, instilling Christian values like honesty, compassion, respect, and responsibility.
• Intellectual Growth:  Christian education fosters intellectual growth, encouraging students to explore God’s world and His truth in all areas of study.
• Cultivation of a Christian Worldview:  It cultivates a Christian worldview, enabling students to interpret and interact with the world in light of God’s truth.
• Preparation for Godly Living:  Christian education prepares students to lead lives that reflect Christ’s love, serve others, and contribute positively to society.

Choosing a Better Way:

Choosing Christian education is about opting for an education that nurtures the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, and morally. It’s about cultivating a God-centered perspective, instilling moral values, and fostering intellectual growth. Christian education seeks to prepare students not only for career success but for a life that reflects Christ’s love and serves God’s Kingdom.

A Prayer for Christian Education

Our Father in Heaven, thank you for the gift of Christian education. We pray that it may be a tool to shape minds, nurture spirits, and cultivate Christlike character. Guide all those involved in Christian education to lead students towards wisdom, moral soundness, and spiritual maturity. May Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done, in our schools as it is in Heaven. Amen.

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What is christian education.

• Semi-Technical
• Johannes G. Vos

In this article the author discusses why Christian education is needed, mistaken views on Christian education and the essence of Christian education.

Source: The Outlook , 1980 . 6  pages.

Bright as is the manifestation which God gives both of Himself and His immortal kingdom in the mirror of His works, so great is our stupidity, so dull are we in regard to these bright manifestations, that we derive no benefit from them. For in regard to the fabric and admirable arrangement of the universe, how few of us are there who, in lifting our eyes to the heavens or looking abroad on the various regions of the earth, ever think of the Creator? Do we not rather overlook Him, and sluggishly content ourselves with a view of His works? John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Chapter V, Section 11

By Christian education is meant education of which the basis and unifying principle is the historic Christian view of God, man and the universe in their mutual relations. This historic Christian philosophy finds its most comprehensive and consistent expres­sion in Calvinism, or the Reformed Faith; therefore the most comprehensive and consistent Christian education must be based on, and unified by, the Re­formed or Calvinistic view of God, man and the uni­verse and their mutual relations.

Why is Christian Education Needed? ⤒ 🔗

Why must there be not merely education, but definitely Christian education? It is not primarily a matter of training up young people for Christian service as ministers and missionaries, or for other specialized vocations in what is called "full time Christian service." That is the task, rather, of Bible institutes and theological seminaries, not of ordi­nary Christian schools and colleges.

First of all, there must be Christian education for God's sake. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ... with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). This command implies that God must be recognized, honored and served in every field in which the human intellect operates. Above and prior to all considerations of human and social needs, there stands the primary obligation for man to love the Lord God with all his mind. This cannot be done through an education which regards God as irrelevant; it requires a frank and explicit recognition of the God of the Bible as the first premise of education.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7

In the second place, Christian education is re­quired to give expression, in the educational field, to the radical difference which exists between the two classes of human beings in this world, namely, the regenerate and the unregenerate. The sin of the human race has had an adverse effect not only on man's spiritual and moral nature, but also on his intellect, his mind. The apostle Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us what sin has done to the in­tellect of man. He states that although men knew God,

they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing them­selves to be wise, they became fools... Romans 1:21, 22

Sin, then, has darkened man's mind and has made man foolish, however much he may profess to be wise. Only by the miracle of regeneration or the new birth can this damage to man's intellect be removed.

The Holy Spirit's work in regeneration has an ef­fect not only on man's spiritual and moral nature, but also on his intellect; it opens the eyes of his understanding (Ephesians 1:18). He begins to see facts in the light of God (Psalm 36:9); that is, he begins to see the true meaning of facts. The unregenerate person, on the other hand, continues to maintain that facts can be understood and explained in the light of man; he recognizes no higher category than the human mind, and he will never admit that his mind has been darkened by sin.

This radical divergence or cleavage in the human race results in two radically different, irreconcilable philosophies of life. These two philosophies of life may be broadly termed the secular and the Chris­tian philosophies of life. The former is man-centered and holds that man as he exists today is normal; the latter is God-centered and holds that man as he ex­ists today is abnormal (his life having been blighted by sin). These two philosophies of life are as far apart as east is from west. Between them there is an unbridgeable chasm. There can be no compromise or harmony between them, for in the one God is re­garded as irrelevant, while in the other God is re­garded as all-important.

These two radically different philosophies of life, in turn, must inevitably find expression in two radically different types of education. Unregenerate hu­manity expresses its own inner principle in secular education; regenerate or Christian humanity must express its own inner principle in Christian educa­tion.

The unregenerate person always takes for granted that the God of the Bible does not exist. He may have some idea of a reduced, limited, finite God; but he takes for granted that the God of the Bible and of historic Christianity is not real. He also assumes that man and the universe are self-explanatory — that they can be understood without reference to the God of the Bible. The Christian, on the other hand, must always take for granted that the God of the Bible does exist, and that He is ab­solutely meaningful for every fact in the universe.

The secular and Christian philosophies of life can­not be harmonized; both in their starting points and in their conclusions, they are irreconcilable. The one starts with man and the universe, and ends with man and the universe misunderstood; the other starts with the God of the Bible, and attains a gen­uine insight into the true meaning of reality. There is no area of life in which the difference between the regenerate and the unregenerate does not count. The three great doctrines of God, Creation and Providence must be accepted as the major premise of all study by the regenerate; these doctrines are rejected or regarded as irrelevant by the un­regenerate.

There can be no real neutrality as to these three doctrines. The unregenerate person walks around in a dream world. He thinks that facts exist of them­selves, and can be adequately explained by human reason alone, without reference to the God of the Bi­ble. The Christian, on the other hand, knows that facts do not exist of themselves, and that they can­not be adequately explained on the basis of human reason alone. The Christian does not believe in what has been called the "just-there-ness" of facts. They are created facts, not self-existent facts; therefore they can be really understood only by assuming the doctrines of God, Creation and Providence. God is the reason why facts exist; Creation is the source whence facts exist; Providence is the manner how facts exist.

The unregenerate person also assumes that the human mind is an uncreated mind which exists of it­self and is competent to be the absolute and final in­terpreter of facts. The regenerate person, on the other hand, realizes that the human mind does not exist of itself; it is a created mind and is not compe­tent to be the absolute and final interpreter of facts. The regenerate person recognizes that he is dependent on divine revelation for the ultimate interpre­tation of the meaning of the facts.

Education, then, must be either on a secular, non-Christian basis, or on a Christian, God-centered basis. To obscure this distinction amounts virtually to abandoning the field non-Christian philosophy of life. For non-Christian philosophy of life is uncritically held — even automatically and unconsciously held — by the great majority of the human race.

The Christian philosophy of life, on the other hand, requires a revolution in a person's thinking — a revolution resulting from the miracle of the new birth. This comes only by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in the deep personality of a human being. The tragedy is that even many who no doubt are born-again Christians fail to see the implications of Christianity for life as a whole, and continue to look at man and the universe (including the field of education) from the point of view of the secular or non-Christian philosophy of life. Many Christians, it would seem, have had their souls saved, but their minds remain tangled in the non-Christian view of life.

Mistaken View of Christian Education ← ⤒ 🔗

1. christian education does not mean educa­tion limited to the field of religion. ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗.

The idea that Christian education means education limited to the field of religion is held by many people, but it is too narrow an idea of Christian education. Such people seem to think that God is connected only with the salvation of people's souls, and has nothing to do with the world and life as a whole.

We must not limit Christian education to religion. For if we do that we will fail to glorify God in all of life and knowledge. There must be a Christian view of history and economics and politics and physics, as well as a Christian view of salvation and the reli­gious life. God is God everywhere, or He is God nowhere.

2. Nor does Christian education mean secular education with some religious features externally added. ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

This is a very common misconception of Christian education, even among earnest Christian people. The common idea of a Christian college, for example, is that a Christian college is just like any other college so far as the study of mathematics, chemistry or English literature is concerned, but that in addition to the regular curriculum the Christian college will have courses in Bible study, daily chapel services, seasons of evangelism, a religious emphasis week, prayer groups, Christian service or­ganizations, and so forth.

These specifically religious features are certainly of greet value and importance, but they do not of themselves make an educational institution truly Christian, any more than merely attending church and carrying a pocket Testament makes a man a Christian. By Christian education we do not mean secular education with Christian features added on externally; Christian education means education that is Christian in its essence or inner character all along the line, not only in the chapel and Bible class­room, but in every classroom and every laboratory, as well as in the life and thinking of every teacher.

The Essence of Christian Education ← ⤒ 🔗

In order to show how radically Christian educa­tion differs from that education which proceeds from the non-Christian philosophy of life, let us con­sider the essence of Christian education with re­spect to its source, its standard and its purpose.

1. The Source of Christian Education ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

The source of Christian education is not society as such, but Christian people, people to whom God means everything. Society being predominantly unregen­erate and having a non-Christian philosophy of life, cannot produce truly Christian education. A stream cannot rise any higher than its source. Education which originates from the impulse of society, or the public in general, will not consent to take the God of the Bible seriously. It will not agree to the assump­tions of God, Creation and Providence on which gen­uine Christian education must be based. For "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis­cerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Nor will education which originates from society as such assent to the truth of the damage done by sin to the human intellect, and the resultant need for regeneration, the recognition of which is absolutely basic to any truly Christian view of education. We must conclude, therefore, that the source of Chris­tian education must be Christian people — the regenerate portion of society, who have received the new life-principle of regeneration by the special work of the Holy Spirit in their personality.

2. The Standard of Christian Education ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

A stan­dard is a recognized authority by which something is measured, regulated or directed. The non-Christian philosophy of life finds this standard in society. It speaks of the needs of society, social pressure, social demand, and the like, as the stan­dard by which the character and content of educa­tion shall be determined.

The true standard, on the other hand, is the Bible as the revelation of the mind and the will of God. This is the standard recognized by the Christian philosophy of life. To affirm that the true standard of education is the Bible as the revelation of the mind will of God, does not, of course, mean that the Bible is to be regarded as a textbook on chemis­try, mathematics or psychology. But it does mean that the relevant principles of the Bible are norm­ative for every field of study. The Bible has a rela­tionship to every field of life and knowledge, just because God is the real source of all life and knowl­edge.

The facts of science must never be treated as ex­isting of themselves "in the nature of things;" they must always be regarded as created facts, existing only by the creation and providence of the God of the Bible. The laws of nature must never be re­garded as existing of themselves "in the nature of things;" they must always be regarded as created laws, existing by the creation of God and functioning by the providence of God. The human mind must never be regarded as competent to be the absolute and ultimate interpreter of facts; it must always be recognized that in the end it is God who determines what facts mean and how they are related to each other.

God must be the major premise of every textbook. God must be the great assumption in every class­room. God must be the Person whose handiwork is investigated in every laboratory. This means, of course, not some vague or distorted idea of God, but the living and true God, the God of the Bible. "In the beginning God" must be the watchword of all truly Christian education. In textbook, classroom and lab­oratory the student will learn to think God's thoughts after Him. Unlike the student in a non-Christian institution, he will learn that human thought is never really creative in the strict sense, but always derived from the prior thought of God — that human "creative" thought is really the unfold­ing, in man's intellect, of God's eternal decree by which He has, from all eternity, foreordained all that comes to pass in time. What is new to the mind of man is as old as eternity to the mind of God.

This function of the Bible as the standard for truly Christian education further implies two things:

Education is more than mere training; it is essen­tially a matter of enabling the student to attain a grasp of the real meaning of everything — the real meaning of God, man and the universe.

Truly Christian education will not be a miscellaneous as­sortment or hodgepodge of diverse principles and viewpoints, as non-Christian education usually is, but will have a single unifying principle, namely, that the God of the Bible is the sovereign, active Lord over all reality.

To this unifying principle, everything will be re­lated. Around this principle, everything will be arranged. The result of this unifying principle will be that the students will not merely acquire a mass of miscellaneous information and insights into various detailed fields, but will gain a consistent, unified view of God, man and the universe, a true and valid philosophy of life — a real insight into what every­thing is really about.

Secular education is continually groping around for such a unifying principle, but is never able to at­tain one; truly Christian education has the only real­ly valid unifying principle; while its students may sometimes not acquire as much detailed information as those receiving secular education, at least they will know what it is all about. They will come to real­ize that it is only in the light of God that man can really see light (Psalm 36:9); that it is only when re­lated to the God of the Bible that anything really means anything. As a well-known Christian philos­opher has said, "He who has physics without God will finally have religion without God." If God is not God in the laboratory, then He is not really God in the Church, nor anywhere.

3.  The Purpose of Christian Education ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

The purpose of the Christian education is the glory of God, and the true welfare of man in subordination to the glory of God. Thus its purpose transcends human society; it is something above and beyond the human race. Only when the glory of God is made the great aim can the true welfare and happiness of man be attained. Where merely human aims such as "social welfare" or "the development of the resources of personality" are substituted for the glory of God, human benefit and happiness will prove illusory.

This transcendent purpose of glorifying God means that the utilitarian demands of society for training in skills by which to earn a living will never be allowed to monopolize the character and content of the curriculum of a truly Christian college or uni­versity. The emphasis will always be on giving the student a valid, God-centered view of life as a whole. Courses of a utilitarian character may properly be included, of course. But a truly Christian college or university will not allow courses on such subjects as salesmanship, bookkeeping and radio broadcasting to crowd out history, philosophy, literature, pure science and religion. In other words, the main em­phasis will always be on education rather than on training; the attainment of a unified view of life will be given priority over the acquisition of practical skills.

The purpose of Christian education thus consists in the mandate to glorify God in every sphere of life; every thought is to be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This means consciously and intentionally to glorify God in every sphere of life, not merely to glorify God unconsciously and in­voluntarily as a bird or a blade of grass glorifies God. We are to aim at glorifying God in education, as in all other matters. This means that the God of the Bible must be frankly and explicitly recognized as the major premise and end of every educational function.

The Religious Features of Christian Education ← ⤒ 🔗

Religious features such as Bible study and chapel exercises do not of themselves make education truly Christian. However they are essential to truly Christian education and they are of very great importance.

Religious Features must be Integrated ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

In truly Christian education the religious features will be related to the rest of the curriculum and life of the institution not in an external but in an organic way. That is, they will not be merely something ex­tra tacked on, but will be the crowning expression of the entire curriculum and life of the institution. In the history classroom and the chemical laboratory the student will learn to think God's thoughts after Him — those thoughts of God which have consti­tuted history and chemistry what they are. In the Bible classroom the student will learn to think the same God's thoughts after Him, as those thoughts are revealed in His Word, the Bible. Here he will learn the relevancy of God's Truth for his own per­sonal life, as well as for the human race and the world of nature. In the chapel services the student will worship the same God whose thoughts have been unfolded to him in the classroom and the laboratory.

Religious Features must be Orthodox ← ↰ ⤒ 🔗

The religious features of truly Christian educa­tion must always be orthodox. That is, they must be in harmony with the truth of God. In many tradi­tionally Christian colleges today the teaching of the Bible has moved so far from orthodoxy that it is ac­tually worse than useless; it is downright harmful, and would better be omitted altogether. Better not teach young people the Bible at all, than to teach them that the Bible is full of contradictions, forg­eries and errors, a collection of ancient myths and legends, and so forth. Better leave the Bible out en­tirely than to teach it in the distorted form required by a non-Christian, evolutionary philosophy.

Orthodoxy, of course, implies a standard of ortho­doxy. This is properly the standard held as valid by the denomination or group that controls the institu­tion. This does not necessarily imply that all faculty members must be members of a particular denomi­nation, but it does imply that the confessional stan­dards of the denomination are to be regarded as nor­mative in determining what is orthodox in religious teaching, worship and service in a Christian college or university.

Faculty must be Active Christians ← ⤒ 🔗

It should be needless to observe that what has been said in this article should not be regarded as a body of abstract ideas. For education to be truly Christian, these ideas must be embodied in the living personalities of teachers and students. The teachers, especially, should be living examples of what real Christian education means. No stream rises higher than its source, and it is not to be ex­pected that an educational institution will rise higher than the life and loyalty manifested by its faculty and administration. Every teacher and ad­ministrative officer of a Christian college or university should be, not merely a professing Christian or church member, but a spiritual, active Christian, a person to whom Christ is the object of faith and to whom the Triune God is all-important.

The writer once knew a medical missionary in Korea who had an immense influence. This doctor was the head of a hospital with a staff of doctors and nurses. Besides these there were other employees, including a Korean mechanic-chauffeur for the doctor's car and an old man who opened and closed the compound gate. The missionary doctor insisted that every person employed by the hospital, from the medical and nursing staff down to the chauffeur and gateman, must be a serious, active Christian, able to witness for Christ whenever opportunity might offer. The influence of this hospital was tremendous. Only eternity will tell the whole story. But what might not be accomplished by the Christian colleges of America and the world if their teaching and administrative staffs were composed entirely of people whose great aim in life is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? What might not be accomplished if every teacher, of whatever department or subject, were convinced that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge? And what establishment and stability in the faith might not be produced in the students if every teacher could be depended upon to give any student faithful, sympathetic counsel based upon the Christian view of life?

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Empowering Faith and Learning: The Essential Guide to Christian Education

Christian education is a transformative journey that integrates faith with learning. This holistic approach aims not only to impart knowledge but also to shape individuals’ character and beliefs according to Christian values. In this guide, we will explore the various facets of Christian education, from its foundational principles to the diverse forms it can take, addressing the challenges it faces and highlighting the vital role of community and family in this educational journey.

Foundations of Christian Education

The philosophy behind Christian education is rooted in the belief that all truth is God’s truth ( Isaiah 45:19 ). This educational approach seeks to develop students intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially, grounded in biblical principles. It emphasizes the development of moral character and the importance of serving others in line with Christian teachings.

• Biblical Integration

Biblical integration involves weaving Christian principles and perspectives throughout the curriculum and activities. This doesn’t mean merely adding a Bible verse to lessons; it involves a fundamental approach where biblical worldview shapes how subjects are taught and understood, guiding students in applying their faith to everyday life and learning.

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• Forms of Christian Education

Formal Christian education includes institutions like Christian schools, colleges, and seminaries. These institutions aim to provide a comprehensive education that balances academic rigor with spiritual growth. The curriculum in these settings is designed to prepare students for professional and personal life through a Christian lens.

Informal Christian education occurs in settings like Sunday schools, Bible studies, and vacation Bible schools. These venues provide flexible, often more personalized, learning experiences focused on biblical knowledge, personal growth, and community building. They complement formal education and serve as important spaces for spiritual development.

Curriculum and Teaching Methods

A Christian curriculum goes beyond conventional subjects to incorporate spiritual and moral education. This curriculum is designed to help students see the world through a Christian worldview , understanding subjects in a way that connects them to God’s creation, purpose, and standards.

• Innovative Teaching Methods

Christian education often employs innovative teaching methods that cater to the holistic development of students. This includes experiential learning, service projects, prayer and worship integration, and discussions that encourage critical thinking from a biblical perspective.

Challenges and Solutions

Christian educators and institutions face challenges such as maintaining religious identity amidst societal pressure, integrating technology in a godly manner, and addressing diverse student needs. There’s also the challenge of ensuring academic excellence while fostering spiritual growth.

• Strategic Solutions

To overcome these challenges, Christian education requires a commitment to its core values while adapting to change. Solutions include continuous professional development for educators, employing technology that aligns with Christian values, and creating inclusive environments that respect and nurture all students.

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The Exponential Growth of Classical Christian Education

More by sarah eekhoff zylstra.

On a Monday morning 17 years ago, Russ Gregg quit his job because of a sermon he’d heard the day before about “venturing something for God that’s a little bit crazy.”

So he left his position as development director for a Christian school in one of Minneapolis’s wealthiest suburbs in order to launch a classical Christian school in one of the city’s  poorest , most  violent  neighborhoods.

Without teachers, parents, a building, or financial support, Gregg was determined to love his neighbors as he loved himself. So he sought to give them the best education he could think of—a school like the one his own kids attended.

Seventeen years later, Hope Academy has grown from 35 students in a church basement to 500 students in a seven-story school building. Among Hope’s five classes to date, 99 percent of students have graduated. In fact, almost every graduate (95 percent) was accepted at two- or four-year colleges, with a few receiving full-ride scholarships to private liberal arts colleges.

“This is in a community where half of my neighbors aren’t even graduating from high school,” Gregg said. “The ones who do graduate read at an eighth-grade level.”

Even better, Gregg has also seen “promising fruit” among students in their desire to follow Christ.

The astonishing growth and success of Hope mirrors the classical Christian education movement that’s been sprouting up across the country for the past 25 years. In the fall of 1993, there were 10 such schools in the United States. By 2003, there were 153.

Today, more than 251 schools are members of the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), and they educate more than 43,000 students a year. But the total number of students receiving a classical Christian education each year is both higher and harder to calculate, since it includes both non-ACCS member schools and home schools.

Nonetheless, experts place the number of somewhere between 200,000 to 300,000 students nationwide.

Going Back to Go Forward

While calling education “classical” is new, the practice is as old as Plato and Socrates.

“What we call ‘classical education’ was before the late 1800s simply ‘education,’” said Christopher Perrin, a national leader in the classical education movement and founder and CEO of Classical Academic Press . “The word ‘classical’ as an adjective has become dominant now because we’re describing its renewal.”

In the late 1800s, classical education was “calcifying,” Perrin said. While there were some good schools, there was also “some severity and some austerity and some examples that weren’t great.”

At the time, many factors prompted the invention and rise of progressive modern education. And in the face of the industrial revolution, mass immigration, the scientific revolution, and the advent of social sciences, classical education simply couldn’t hold its own.

Early in the 20th century, influential educational reformer John Dewey  argued  against objective truth. He believed education should be solely pragmatic and focused on helping humans adapt to their environment. Dewey’s goal instead was to equip individuals for particular spheres of usefulness: business, medicine, housework, or factories.

“What it boils down to is that a certain group of people are educated for factories, and another group to rule, but everybody is going to be educated for practical reasons,” said Andrew Kern, who founded the Circe Institute in 2001 as a center for independent research on classical education.

This approach to education quickly became popular, so much so that progressive education has dominated the landscape in the United States since the 1920s, and until lately, classical education was nearly extinguished.

“The questions in education went from ‘What kind of citizen do we want?’ to ‘What do they need to be able to do, and how can we prepare them for that?’” said Keith Nix, who heads the Veritas School in Richmond, Virginia. Nix also sits on the boards for ACCS and the Society of Classical Learning (SCL).

“Not only did we start to lose subjects like Latin, but we also started thinking differently about subjects like mathematics. If we think math is man-made, the question is ‘What do I need it for?’ rather than ‘What is true and beautiful and good about math that I need to pursue?’”

“It’s not ‘What good will it do me?’ but ‘How do I respond to this thing God gave me, and in my pursuit of it what kind of human being am I becoming?’”

Finding the Lost Tools

As Western education drifted from traditional education, author Dorothy Sayers sounded the alarm in her 1947  essay  “The Lost Tools of Learning.” She wrote,

The combined folly of a civilization that has forgotten its own roots is forcing [the teachers] to shore up the tottering weight of an educational structure that is built upon sand. They are doing for their pupils the work which the pupils themselves ought to do. For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain.

‘For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain.’ — Dorothy Sayers

In his book  The Abolition of Man , C. S. Lewis similarly warned that the modern education system was going to be a problem:

For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men.

Then, in the early 1980s, three classical schools independently sprouted at the same time in Idaho, Indiana, and Kansas.

“If you were to define the three places classical education was least likely to be heard of, this would be it,” said ACCS president David Goodwin.

Logos School in Moscow, Idaho, sparked the book  Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning . The book, which referenced Sayers’s essay, launched “about 100 schools in five years,” Goodwin said. 

Across the country, classical schools reinstated history classes that taught chronologically from creation to the modern era. In the modern educational schema, Dewey had traded out history for social studies. These new classical schools also taught children to read based on phonics instead of whole language; they dusted off classic literature and Latin flashcards, implemented Socratic discussion and school uniforms. They taught the fruits of the Spirit and sought to shape the souls of children so they would in time seek and enjoy God.

Throughout the decades, those elements hadn’t completely disappeared, Perrin said, but they only showed up in pieces.

“Now we’re trying to take all the pearls and put them on a string again,” he said. “It’s like putting together a puzzle having lost the box top.”

But by the 2000s, led by groups like the ACCS, the SCL, and the Circe Institute, a renewed classical education movement began to take shape. This movement centered on three biblical ideas: truth, goodness, and beauty.

Administrators and teachers first sought to reassemble the curriculum that had been used for centuries. This curriculum teaches in what’s called the trivium, because it’s tailored to three stages of child development.

The first stage is grammar school (grades 1–4), in which teachers focus on telling stories, and students memorize math facts, history timelines, and Bible verses.

The second stage is logic school (grades 5–8), in which teachers cover the same ground, but in greater depth and with an eye to teaching logic and helping students test and debate what they’re learning.

The third stage is rhetoric school (grades 9–12), in which students dig into texts more deeply, honing their ability to write and speak about truths they’ve learned and tested.

But classical schools don’t fulfill their purpose if they’re only teaching students truth. They also seek to cultivate goodness in students’ lives.

“One of the number one values of Hope Academy is . . . to cultivate virtues—the fruits of the Spirit,” Gregg said. “What do we do if we have a student bullying another student? There’s good news from the gospel both for the bully and also the one being bullied that could cause repentence and bring about reconciliation.”

‘What kind of citizen and human being and Christian will they be at age 30? 40? 60? What kind of old men do we want these fifth graders to be?’ — Keith Nix

He said Hope encourages high parental involvement, which can be hard in the inner-city.

“Many schools have decided it’s hopeless to engage the families,” Gregg said, “but we have bucked against that trend and gone to some extraordinary lengths to engage and involve parents.”

Every year teachers visit the home of each child in their class. Parents are required to come to school two Saturdays a year, where they attend workshops on how to support their child’s education. Hope also provides parental report cards to let them know how they’re doing.

“In our neighborhood, about 15 percent of parents go to parent-teacher conferences,” Gregg said. “Here it’s 97 percent on the first day, and the other 3 percent get it done the next week.”

That’s because Hope asks them to keep their children home until the conference is rescheduled.

“New families don’t believe we’ll follow through, but we do,” he said. “We find that all of us need accountability.”

Leaning on parents for involvement fosters a community of love, something that prospective parents find more attractive than academic strength, Gregg said.

“Being a college prep school is too small of a goal,” Nix said. “When we come together and talk about the kind of schools we’re building, we return to the question ‘What kind of citizen and human being and Christian will they be at age 30? 40? 60? What kind of old men do we want these fifth graders to be?’”

Those questions change everything, Nix said.

“One way the Devil can get in is to get us too focused on something that is good but not best,” Perrin said. “If we focus on the good of curriculum and neglect Christian love, we’ll destroy everything, because we’ll have made the secondary thing primary.”

“In the early years, the focus was on the truth of the curriculum, then on community,” Perrin said. “In the last five to seven years, the focus has been on the discovery of beauty.”

Instead of fluorescent lights, plastic posters, and jumbled rooms, classical educators are wondering how they can make the physical school buildings more beautiful.

They’re also making some of their activities beautiful. Some schools gather their students in the halls in the morning or afternoon to sing a hymn, a cappella, as a blessing on their day. Others are busy beautifying their lunch periods, setting round tables with real tablecloths and playing classical music.

Homeschools

But these schools aren’t the whole story. Classical Christian education is also trending in homeschools.

Perrin said most homeschools choose “eclectic” curriculums. But recently, many have turned to classical education curriculums.

One homeschool program, Classical Conversations, serves more than 100,000 students. And Susan Wise Bauer’s  The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home , now in its fourth edition, has sold more than 100,000 copies since its publication in 1999.

One of the biggest challenges has been staffing all these new classical schools. The number of teachers who have received a classical education themselves, even at this point, is minimal.

As more classically educated students show up on campuses across the country, colleges are feeling the pressure to provide training suitable for them, Kern said.

New Saint Andrews, a college founded amid this classical renewal,  began  in 1994 with four students from a nearby church in Idaho. Now it has almost 200 graduate and undergraduate students.

Other colleges are beginning to come online, Perrin said. Grove City College has added a  minor  in classical studies. Hillsdale College has also added a  minor  to prepare teachers to teach classically. Baylor University’s “ Great Texts ” program offers good preparation for classical Christian teachers, as does Houston Baptist University’s  master of liberal arts program .

For More Than the Elite

Another challenge has been the stereotype that classical education is for wealthy children with high IQs. To be fair, this assumption has a whiff of truth to it. Classically educated children score higher on standardized tests, and private education by nature costs more than public. ACCS schools average an annual price tag of $7,000.

But classical educators point to the success of Gregg’s Hope Academy as proof that classical education isn’t just for the privileged elite. Three-quarters of the students are from low-income families; 80 percent are ethnic minorities.

Three-quarters of the students at Hope Academy are from low-income families; 80 percent are ethnic minorities.

What’s more, these students are accomplishing it on only $9,000 a year—a relative bargain compared to the $12,000 a year Minnesota spends on its public school students, and the $21,000 spent on Minneapolis private school students.

Of course, in a school where the median household income is less than $28,000 a year, $9,000 remains far too high a price to pay. That’s why all of Gregg’s students are on a scholarship model, he said. Parents pay what they can afford on a  sliding scale ; for many, it works out to around $600 a year, and the rest of the cost is picked up by sponsors.

These 500 students require a lot of sponsors, especially with the school’s excellent 88 percent retention rate.

“Every year, we need to find 40 to 50 more partners who say, ‘I really do want to change the inner city in the most powerful way possible by giving this child a great, God-centered education,’” Gregg said.

Looking to the Future

Hope’s seven-story building used to be a public school, but it closed down after failing to achieve its academic objectives.

Today, Gregg is raising $7 million dollars to add to the building: 10 more classrooms, a second gym, and an expanded cafeteria. He wants to raise enrollment from 500 to 700 students in the next five years.

At the same time, he’s raising $3 million to plant 10 Hope Academy schools around the country, the first of which will launch next fall in Houston’s Fifth Ward.

Gregg is not without his fair share of worries, chief among them religious freedom and students who show up far behind. But all things considered, he’s optimistic.

“Giving students the tools to become lifelong learners—that’s the kind of education I want for my neighbors.”

Are You a Frustrated, Weary Pastor?

In ‘You’re Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches,’ seasoned pastors Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry help weary leaders renew their love for ministry by equipping them to build a gospel-centered culture into every aspect of their churches.

We’re delighted to offer this ebook to you for FREE today. Click on this link to get instant access to a resource that will help you cultivate a healthier gospel culture in your church and in yourself.

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra is senior writer and faith-and-work editor for The Gospel Coalition. She is also the coauthor of Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age and editor of Social Sanity in an Insta World . Before that, she wrote for Christianity Today , homeschooled her children, freelanced for a local daily paper, and taught at Trinity Christian College. She earned a BA in English and communication from Dordt University and an MSJ from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She lives with her husband and two sons in Kansas City, Missouri, where they belong to New City Church . You can reach her at [email protected] .

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12 christian colleges remove ties with planned parenthood as others increase support: report.

While a substantial number of Christian colleges continue to maintain ties with Planned Parenthood, one pro-life organization is celebrating that over a dozen schools have taken action this year to address concerns about their ties to the nation's largest provider of abortions and cross-sex hormones for youth confused about their sex. 

The Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, a project of the pro-life advocacy group Students for Life of America, released a report highlighting the findings of its 2024 Christian Schools Project.

The data for the report is based on research conducted throughout the 2023-2024 academic school year, culminating with outreach to each of the 87 Christian colleges and universities found to have ties to Planned Parenthood.

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"New findings by the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement uncover the sad reality that Christian schools have steadily increased their support of Planned Parenthood by 10% each year since 2022," the report states.

"An additional investigation into each school's staffing revealed a startling number of professors with individual connections to the abortion industry, hinting at a more insidious problem brewing at Christian schools that suggests their staffing choices do not reflect the foundational values of their institutions. This year's report looks deeper into where exactly so many Christian schools are missing the mark with several factors at play."

The report assigned to each of the 732 Christian colleges a letter grade based on the number of "infractions" it has accumulated through its promotion of or relationship with the abortion provider.

A school without any infractions that also has a relationship with a pro-life pregnancy center received a grade of "A+" while a school without any infractions not determined to have such a relationship received a grade of "A." 

The letter grade dropped based on the number of infractions measured, with the lowest possible score of "F" reserved for universities with four or more infractions.

The pro-life advocacy group identified 12 academic institutions that "removed ties to the abortion industry after initial contact with researchers in 2024," which resulted in nine of them seeing their grades increase. Researchers note that 54 connections have been severed since the study began in 2021. 

Chaminade University in Hawaii saw its grade increase from a "B" to an "A" after it removed Planned Parenthood from its list of "health and parenting" resources. Felician University in New Jersey also saw its grade increase from a "B" to an "A" for taking a nearly identical action by removing the abortion provider as a "health" resource.

The grades assigned to three additional academic institutions rose from a "B" to an "A" after they took action to address their relationships with Planned Parenthood: High Point University in North Carolina, Rocky Mountain College in Montana and Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

High Point "removed an honoree tied to Planned Parenthood," while Rocky Mountain College eliminated Planned Parenthood as an internship opportunity. Villanova removed the abortion provider as a "Graduate School health resource."

Initially assigned a grade of "C," the University of Indianapolis in Indiana saw its grade increase to a "B" after removing Planned Parenthood as a "health" resource.

Moravian University in Pennsylvania and Southwestern University in Texas had their grades increase from a "D" to a "C" after taking the same course of action, indicating that the universities still have two infractions despite working to correct a third. 

Although Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma removed Planned Parenthood as a "health resource," it still retains a "D" grade for "adding and removing a connection." Due to having at least four infractions, Duke University in North Carolina, Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and Santa Clara University in California continue to have "F" grades even after removing Planned Parenthood as a "volunteer opportunity," "self-help" resource and "a resource concerning consent," respectively. 

Most of the 732 Christian colleges and universities examined in the report earned grades of "A" or higher, meaning they do not have any ties to Planned Parenthood. Fifty-eight schools have grades of "A+," while 591 received "A" grades. 

Notable schools with grades of "A+" include Arizona Christian University, Benedictine College in Kansas, Hillsdale College in Michigan, Liberty University in Virginia, Marquette University in Wisconsin, The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and Wheaton College in Illinois. Meanwhile, prominent schools with "A" grades include Asbury University in Kentucky, Baylor University in Texas, Bob Jones University in South Carolina, Brigham Young University in Utah and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

However, 83 Christian institutions of higher education received grades of "B" or lower, indicating some type of relationship with or promotion of Planned Parenthood on behalf of the schools. This amounts to more than 11% of the total. Twenty-four colleges achieved "B" grades, 20 schools earned "C" grades, and 15 secured "D" grades. 

The 24 schools that received "F" grades for having four or more "infractions" include American University in Washington, D.C., Boston College in Massachusetts, Davidson College in North Carolina, Emory University in Georgia and St. Olaf College in Minnesota. The combined number of infractions at each of the schools tied to Planned Parenthood adds up to 247. 

Listing Planned Parenthood as a "health resource" was the most common infraction at the Christian schools, accounting for 41.9% of violations.

The second most common infraction was offering an internship opportunity at the abortion provider (25.4%), followed by hosting campus events in support of the abortion provider (18.2%), making a general statement in support of the organization (9.7%) and offering volunteer opportunities there (4.7%). 

Compared to last year's "Christian Schools Project," infractions increased by 33%. At the same time, the number of schools receiving an "A+" rating rose by 32%. 

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]

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Vance explains trump’s “concept of a plan” is to essentially dismantle obamacare, israel is carrying out deliberate “starvation campaign” in gaza, says un expert, postal workers plan day of action to fight dejoy’s plan to “modernize” the usps, ohio is giving millions in taxpayer-funded grants to religious schools.

Critics warn that the state is using public money to expand a separate, religious system of education.

The state of Ohio is giving taxpayer money to private, religious schools to help them build new buildings and expand their campuses, which is nearly unprecedented in modern U.S. history.

While many states have recently enacted sweeping school voucher programs that give parents taxpayer money to spend on private school tuition for their kids, Ohio has cut out the middleman. Under a bill passed by its Legislature this summer, the state is now providing millions of dollars in grants directly to religious schools, most of them Catholic, to renovate buildings, build classrooms, improve playgrounds and more.

The goal in providing the grants, according to the measure’s chief architect, Matt Huffman, is to increase the capacity of private schools in part so that they can sooner absorb more voucher students.

“The capacity issue is the next big issue on the horizon” for voucher efforts, Huffman, the Ohio Senate president and a Republican, told the Columbus Dispatch .

Huffman did not respond to ProPublica ’s requests for comment.

Following Hurricane Katrina and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic , some federal taxpayer dollars went toward repairing and improving private K-12 schools in multiple states. Churches that operate schools often receive government funding for the social services that they offer; some orthodox Jewish schools in New York have relied on significant financial support from the city, The New York Times has found .

But national experts on education funding emphasized that what Ohio is doing is categorically different.

“This is new, dangerous ground, funding new voucher schools,” said Josh Cowen, a senior fellow at the Education Law Center and the author of a new book on the history of billionaire-led voucher efforts. For decades, churches have relied on conservative philanthropy to be able to build their schools, Cowen said, or they’ve held fundraising drives or asked their diocese for help.

They’ve never, until now, been able to build schools expressly on the public dime.

“This breaks through the myth,” said David Pepper, a political writer and the former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. Pepper said that courts have long given voucher programs a pass, ruling that they don’t violate the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state because a publicly funded voucher technically passes through the conduit of a parent on the way to a religious school.

With this latest move, though, Ohio is funding the construction of a separate, religious system of education, Pepper said, adding that if no one takes notice, “This will happen in other states — they all learn from each other like laboratories.”

The Ohio Constitution says that the General Assembly “will secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state; but no religious or other sect, or sects, shall ever have any exclusive right to, or control of, any part of the school funds of this state.”

Yet Troy McIntosh, executive director of the Ohio Christian Education Network — several of whose schools received the new grants — recently told the Lima News that part of the reason for spending these public dollars on the expansion of private schools is that “we want to make sure that from our perspective, Christian school options are available to any kid who chooses that in the state.”

When they were implemented in the 1990s, vouchers in Ohio, like in many places, were limited in scope; they were available only to parents whose children were attending (often underfunded) public schools in Cleveland. The idea was to give those families money that they could then spend on tuition at a hopefully better private school, thus empowering them with what was called school choice.

Over the decades, the state incrementally expanded voucher programs to a wider and wider range of applicants. And last year, legislators and Gov. Mike DeWine extended the most prominent of those programs, called EdChoice, to all Ohio families.

It was the ultimate victory for Ohio’s school-choice advocates. The problem, though, was that in many parts of Ohio and other states, especially rural areas, parents can’t spend this new voucher money because private schools are either too far away or already at capacity.

This, in turn, has become a major political liability for voucher advocates in many states , with rural conservatives becoming increasingly indignant that their tax dollars are being spent on vouchers for upper-middle-class families in far-off metropolitan areas where there are more private schools.

In April, the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based conservative think tank affiliated with the Koch brothers’ political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, recognized the problem. In a policy memo , the institute said that it was offering lawmakers “additional solutions to address the growing need for classroom space” in private and charter schools, “given the success of the Ohio EdChoice program.” Among its recommendations: draw funding from the Ohio One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund, which provides grants of state money for the construction and repair of buildings, as well as other “capital projects.”

Within months, the Legislature did precisely that. Led by Huffman, Republicans slipped at least $4 million in grants to private schools into a larger budget bill. There was little debate, in part because budget bills across the country have become too large to deliberate over every detail and, also, Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers in Ohio.

According to an Ohio Legislative Service Commission report, the grants, some of them over a million dollars, then went out to various Catholic schools around the state. ProPublica contacted administrators at each of these schools to ask what they will be using their new taxpayer money on, but they either didn’t answer or said that they didn’t immediately know. (One of the many differences between public and private schools is that the latter do not have to answer questions from the public about their budgets, even if they’re now publicly funded.)

The total grant amount of roughly $4 million this year may seem small, said William L. Phillis, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding. But, he noted, Ohio’s voucher program itself started out very small three decades ago, and today it’s a billion-dollar system .

“They get their foot in the door with a few million dollars in infrastructure funding,” Phillis said. “It sets a precedent, and eventually hundreds of millions will be going to private school construction.”

Mollie Simon contributed research.

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Why Some Christians Don’t Want to Bring the Bible Into Public Schools

As the idea of incorporating the Bible into classrooms gains traction, concerns about the mission of public schools — and differences across the faith — have led even some conservative Christians to push back.

Oklahoma’s state superintendent announced in June that every teacher in the state would be expected to teach the Bible. Credit... Desiree Rios for The New York Times

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By Troy Closson

• Sept. 16, 2024

In Caddo, Okla., a two-block stretch of the small town contains churches of at least four denominations, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and nondenominational. More than four in five voters in the neighboring counties went Republican in the last national election.

This rural region near the border with Texas might seem an ideal testing ground for an emerging but highly contested campaign by conservative officials to expand the role of religion in children’s education and mandate that history, literature and even math classes teach the Bible to students in grades five to 12.

Yet even here, the plans are not being embraced. Rather, they are finding unexpected opposition.

“It’s one thing that has shocked me,” said Lee Northcutt, the superintendent of Caddo Public Schools. “How many truly have said, ‘That’s why we have eight, nine, 10 churches in town. They can do that.’”

Parents have told him, “That’s my job,” he added. And one teacher who serves as a preacher told him “flat out, ‘No. We shouldn’t do that,’” Mr. Northcutt recalled.

Over the last several years, some conservative Christian politicians and organizations have sought to accelerate a national movement to bring prayer and religious texts into classrooms. Many evangelicals and Catholics oppose what they view as liberal orthodoxy in school curriculums. They would like the country’s democracy to be explicitly grounded in Christian values.

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