MARTY: Some persons may think we have overstated the dire state of affairs of Christian education. After all, who we are, what we do, and what we know as Christians, is the result of our current and past experiences at church. This is true, however, research by the Search Institute has revealed a Christian education enterprise that is benign and in need of repair.
Additionally, the majority of today's church members have an adolescent faith maturity level according to developmental psychologist, James Fowler. This a a stage that is characterized by conformity to an ideology that comes from "authorities" (usually parents) with little personal reflection and internalization of those beliefs. Many Christians die at this stage (stage 3 of 6 stages, according to Fowler).
Most congregations have not helped church members advance into deeper levels of faith maturity. We do not feel that the current state of affairs in Christian education are overstated. The alarm has been sounded and congregations that are concerned about this must become intentional in addressing this spiritual formation need.
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As a parent of a gifted child I am a bit saddened by some of the comments here (which don't seem in keeping with the intent of the article). Pulling our child out for homeschooling was the result of differentiated classrooms for us. Not because we want to see our child at Harvard or achieve more than other children, but rather that he can be the best "he," he can be. In a public school, differentiated setting, he was doing fine grades-wise, but floundering when it came to developing or using his God-given abilities. Watching him in school was like seeing the man in the parable who buries his talents rather than going out and developing and using them for God. Just remember, there are true benefits to any choice, but also many (often unintended) consequences. Try not to judge until you know someone's situation.Click Here
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