“Why should I teach my children this?”
“Why do I have to learn this?”
“My child will never use this information.”

If you have said or heard similar statements, you might be wondering why we as homeschoolers are expected to teach certain subjects. You may even make excuses for why you do not teach some subjects. But a child’s complete education necessitates the teaching of math, science, history and geography, and language arts.

We Just Teach The Bible…

Well, that’s great. But did you learn how to make a nutritional meal from the Bible? Did you learn how to balance your checkbook? Did you learn how to use your washing machine? Of course not. So if you teach your children nothing but the Bible, how will they be able to live on their own?

If you needed an appendectomy, would you want your doctor to have studied human anatomy and physiology? How do you think he learned it?
If you need your transmission replaced, would want your mechanic to have studied a Chilton’s manual at the very least? How did he learn?

The Bible offers wisdom for all areas of life, but it is not an exhaustive manual. God has given each of us a brain, and He expects each of us to use it to discover information for ourselves in a variety of ways.

A Christian Education

Math is neither good nor bad; it just is. Language arts is neither good nor bad, but how we use our words makes us like Christ or like the world. Science points to a Creator. But evolutionists and creationists both agree on the laws of thermodynamics. People of all belief systems agree on some indisputable facts of history and geography, but men will either learn from the past or repeat it by putting man in the place of God. As for art and music, if God did not approve of those, wouldn’t He have made us blind and deaf?

Biblical Examples Of All Subjects

The Bible implies people should be educated in all subject areas. When instructions for the temple and ark were given, one assumes the recipients had already received instruction in mathematics. The genealogies listed in the Old and New Testaments exist because parents taught their children history.

Luke was already a physician before he joined Paul’s missionary journeys; someone had to teach him science. Paul received training in language arts and oral communication before he was an apostle. The temple musicians had to learn how to play instruments somewhere. And the artisans who created the tabernacle and temple were skilled in their labor and had learned their craft long before the commands were issued.

If these people had not received good, thorough educations, they might have missed out on an opportunity to serve God. Would you want your child to miss out on opportunities to serve Him?

If you believe God to be all-present and all-knowing and trust that He takes an active role in our lives, then you must believe Him to be involved in all subject areas.
Your child might glorify God by unclogging a pipe in the pastor’s home. Your daughter might glorify God by finding a cure for a deadly disease. But they will not be able to glorify God as well if you do not do your part in giving them a proper education.

Here are some examples of skills ground in each of the four core academic subjects.

bookkeeping
calculating grocery discounts
making safe buildings
reading maps
setting property boundaries
predicting the weather

manufacturing safe airplanes
using the Internet
programming a computer
making eye glasses
performing operations
preventing diseases

communicating with people of different cultures
making a better future by learning from the past
creating maps
understanding current events

delivering a good sermon
writing an e-mail for work
sharing the gospel
gaining more by reading