Family Values and Christian Home Schooling
As the political season heats up, it appears obvious that this is going to be the most intense and highly debated political race that the U.S. has had in a long time. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are trying to fight off former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain, while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama face challenges from North Carolina Senator, John Edwards.
As the Iowa Caucuses approach, it seems like every group imaginable is throwing their hat into the ring to either throw support behind a like-minded candidate, or to challenge the politics of a candidate that they who particularly threatens their agenda. I heard an interesting discussion on the radio yesterday concerning Mike Huckabee’s recent endorsement by Christian home school group who believes that the former governor’s religions background (he’s a former Baptist minister) makes him their candidate of choice.
Christian home schooling is becoming a very popular form of education across America, particularly for evangelicals who see it as a way to ensure that their children receive only influences that they deem to be appropriate. Furthermore, the Christian homeschool agenda allows family bonds to be strengthened as children spend more time in the home where family-based activities can be encouraged.
I don’t want to sound like I am necessarily for, or against Christian homeschooling, because I am neither. I definitely see the benefits that come from the practice, but I can also see how social development could be more challenging for homeschooled kids, if they aren’t careful. But, is Christian home schooling the epitome of family values? I think that, while there are certainly a lot of family values that can be strengthened through Christian homeschooling, we should for a lot more than that in the lives of our leaders when determining our next President.