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Who is going to give your children their worldview?

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Undoubtedly, what Christian parents want most for their kids is that they will also follow Christ in faith. To give children the best foundation from which to trust Jesus, it is important that parents be able to make educational and lifestyle decisions in line with their beliefs.

However, a case in Germany shows how easily that fundamental right and responsibility can be threatened. The Wunderlich family decided to homeschool their children. In Germany, however, parents do not enjoy the freedom parents in most Western nations have to make this educational decision for their children.1 In 2013, the children were removed from their care. While the family has since been reunited, the parents only have partial custody of their children and are being compelled to send them to a government-approved school.2

They appealed their case to the European Court of Human Rights, who ruled that Germany did not violate their human rights. There is one further appeal available, to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, but this case is instructive for Christian parents internationally.1

Whose responsibility is it?

Fundamentally, parents have a responsibility to raise their children. This includes caring for their physical needs, but also educating them and indoctrinating them with a worldview. State education is never neutral, and today it is usually evolutionary and secular (i.e. atheistic). At best, the truth claims of Christianity are relegated to subjective opinion, and at worst they are contradicted entirely.

So this isn’t about whether parents should make one choice or another, but rather an affirmation that it is the parents’ choice to make.

The importance of a biblical worldview

Surveys of various US Christian denominations and groups all show alarming rates of children leaving the church when they leave for college. But is it any wonder when many children fail to gain a coherent Christian worldview that makes sense of the world around them?

Our Fallout! documentary shows an anecdotal but convincing connection between kids being taught creation and remaining in the church as adults. While it may seem simplistic, it’s really not. Creation is actually at the foundation of the Christian worldview. Without an understanding of the first chapters of Genesis, we have no way to understand the problem of death and suffering, or to explain what we really need to be saved from—judgment for sin.

What’s the take-away message?

Christian parents, don’t take your liberty to educate your children for granted! No matter what educational decisions you make for your family, be conscious of the importance of building a biblical worldview. CMI has a wealth of resources to help, including over 10,000 articles on creation.com, and hundreds of resources available in our webstore. Our Creation magazine is perhaps our most important resource with faith-building articles across a range of topics.

This story out of Germany should serve as a reminder to parents about the importance of teaching a biblical worldview—while that freedom is still affirmed by most Western governments!

Published: 29 January 2019

References and notes

  1. German parents cannot opt out of state education and educate solely at home. This goes back to a law passed in 1938 under Hitler; see: Home-school Germans flee to UK, theguardian.com, 24 February 2008; accessed 16 January 2018. Return to text.
  2. adfinternational.org/news/german-homeschoolers-consider-appeal-after-human-rights-court-decision. Return to text.

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