More often than not, christians that oppose home schooling do so because they think that Christian children should be sent to public schools to be the salt and the light to other children. I don’t buy that load of crap for a second and let me tell you why.
The dictionary defines salt as preservative as well as something that adds savor and enjoyment to our daily food. Light is an exposer of darkness, a symbol of truth; it is also comforting, penetrating, guiding and eminently useful.
Christians are sent out to be salt and light. Yes, I give you that. But, what does that mean? Should we throw any believer at any stage of their walk with the Lord into the darkness without giving them tools needed to share their light? Or, should going out and being the salt and the light draw people to the Lord simply by living our lives to the glory of God? Jesus did eat with the drunks, but He didn’t follow them, they followed Him and He did not turn them away.
So, let’s talk about this in relation to children. Because this is my blog, lets use my children. Isaac is 5, hannah is 2, Emma is 1. In order for my children to go to school and be salt and light, they would first need a relationship with the One who created them. Second, they would need to show in their school classrooms and playgrounds the kind of mature, practical, single-minded devotion to Christ that results in an attractiveness to the other children that preserves the good (since salt does preserve) and brings glory to God.
When I was in school, even as a young believer in Christ, I did not exhibit salt and light. Instead, I did what EVERY public school student does. I acted foolish, made fun of my peers, mocked those that I didn’t like, rebelled to be cool, spoke foul language to fit in, and brought glory to myself and not to God. I spent a lot of my time with my friends and unbelievers, but I was not salt and light…I was one of them. I fit in. However, by worldly standards, I am a success of public schools. I am now married, saved, raising children in a Godly home, and atleast not stupid 
But, the way I acted while in public schools, away from my dad and my church influences, I was a total emberassment to the gospel. I’m sure that my actions have scarred some of the people that I went to school with. Their blood is on my hands.
Let’s go back to my children. Isaac knows more catechism than most adults. So does Hannah. Neither are believers in Christ. It breaks my heart to even type that out. My children can tell you about Jesus, and sin, and regeneration. However, all they can do is tell you what they have memorized. They do not know about it by believing in the One who draws people to Himself. We pray that the Lord does call each of our children, and those not born to us yet, to be His own. It would be very foolish and flat out deadly for us, as a Christian family, to send our impressionable children out to the public schools to be educated for 8 hours a day. 8 hours a day to spend with children and people that we are training them NOT to act like. Children who hate their parents, cuss at them behind their backs, rebel in serious ways, and are angry about life. Be honest, you can all remember what you were like in school away from your parents.
The textbooks used today do not glorify the Gospel, it glorifies sin. My 5 year old is not a believer, so what makes you think for a second he can be salt and light to his 5 year old peers? How can he know that same sex marriage, as is now taught in schools across california as being ‘normal’, is indeed a SIN if I did not spend hours upon hours teaching him and guiding him in the ways of the Lord? How is he, a 5 year old, supposed to know that he is not allowed to act foolish and tell lies and be mean to other kids his age if I don’t form his actions and thoughts now? I can’t correct and train if I am not with him all day. How is he, a 5 year old, supposed to learn to protect his sisters and enjoy their company if they never spend time together? How is he supposed to biblical truths from worldly lies if I don’t teach him? Most importantly, how can he be saved, if we aren’t teaching him about the Lord. No, we can’t save him, but we can raise him to know that he is lost and only God can change his heart. We strive to raise him to be a man of honor, of wisdom, and a man that fears the Lord and will train his children and lead his family to do the same.
Children can’t…CAN’T…be salt and light if they haven’t been trained. You can’t train them if they spend more time AWAY from you, and more time WITH the lost, than they do learning the ways of the Lord. The risk is too great, and the battle is too important to not train them to fight.
Jessica, M.ED.
Jessica