Philosophy. Philosophy is also an
important subject that I believe is a vital part of a well-rounded
education. While many Christian parents
are apprehensive about teaching their children secular/humanistic philosophies
and the philosophers who purposed such thought, I believe it is imperative to
inform my children of competing worldviews.
Philosophy is the “love of wisdom”, and Proverbs 29:3 teaches “A man who
loves wisdom brings joy to his father”.
For this reason, the study of philosophy and worldviews will be a core
part of the curriculum used as my children mature. Within the realm of philosophy the approach
that I will take is one of Presuppositionalism; formulated by the late Dr.
Cornelius Van Til, which will presuppose aspects of reality such as the
existence of God and absolute truths.
The purpose for focusing on philosophy in this manner is to instill into
my children a particular worldview. Each
person has a worldview and all people have a philosophy about life. These two things create a set of beliefs that
will inevitably control or govern how we live, and each child has questions
about life that must be settled in their own minds, thus, the study of
philosophy and its different facets will greatly affect the end result.
Literature. Home-based education
allows for much variety in the choosing of which types of literature a child
will be exposed to. Authors, whether
they write fiction or non-fiction intend to convey a message, and in most cases
reveal in some way their own personal worldview through their writings. For this reason, literature is carefully and
thoughtfully chosen based on a Biblical worldview. While many of the “classics” are quite
enjoyable to read, they may not be suitable for all ages, thus the literature
chosen is age appropriate and can be read aloud as a family. In taking advantage of family reading time,
different components of the literature can be discussed and explained, such as
discussing the different characters, moral implications, and definitions of new
vocabulary words (Wayne, 2000).
Social
Studies. The
instruction of social studies as it pertains to culture greatly affects one’s
worldview. A term that comes to mind
which describes the method for which I teach my children in regards to culture
is to be “counter cultural”. Israel
Wayne explains the three different general categories of culture that have been
labeled by sociologists and cultural critics which help in understanding the
different expressions of culture and worldviews; High Culture, Folk Culture,
and Popular Culture (2000). High Culture
comes from the Renaissance era leading into the Victorian era, summarized by a
culture of wealthy elitists who dictated their policies on the lower cultures
or classes (Wayne, 2000). However, it
would appear now that high culture gets their cues from popular culture through
the ever changing fads, fashions and current trends (Wayne, 2000). Folk culture is known for passing down values
from one generation to another, primarily expressed through the lower
middle-class families who preferred family togetherness as a form of relaxation
and entertainment (Wayne, 2000). Within
American folk culture, Biblical principles influenced the manner in which
families conducted their daily lives, seeing God, country and family as the
most valuable aspects of life (Wayne, 2000).
Popular culture seems to have elevated to the top in the 1950s when
materialism became the prominent drive of the cultural consciousness (Wayne,
2000). From this point on a breakdown of
family and traditional values began to disintegrate, making way for new
standards of living that were motivated by trends in Hollywood. By taking a more counter cultural position in
regards to the method for which I choose to teach social studies, I hope to
impart to my children the need for absolute truths, specifically moral
absolutes, and that merely seeking after new methods of entertainment cannot
and will not ultimately bring gratification to their lives. The “law of non-contradiction” will be taught
in order to convey this message.
Wayne, I. (2000).
Homeschooling from a biblical worldview. Wisdom’s Gate, MI: Covert.
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