Ten Reasons for Christian Schools
Why is it necessary to defend the right to something that is good for all? This is where these ten reasons as to why Sweden should have Christian schools began take shape. These reasons are not given merely from a Christian point of view or from that held by Christian parents, but from a social perspective: In what ways is it good for society to have Christian schools?
Over the past year, political opinion in Sweden over so-called confessional schools has rapidly become increasingly condemnatory and aggressively so, at that.
After having authored articles for debate and participated in a seminar arranged by the Swedish Christian School Council in cooperation with the Clapham Institute and Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers at the Parliament Building in Stockholm in November 2016, I have experienced a certain measure of frustration over the need to be constantly defending the right to Christian schools. Why is it necessary to defend the right to something that is good for all? This is where these ten reasons as to why Sweden should have Christian schools began take shape. These reasons are not given merely from a Christian point of view or from that held by Christian parents, but from a social perspective: In what ways is it good for society to have Christian schools?
During the course of working with these questions, I was astonished at how poor the level of knowledge among Swedish politicians is concerning: Christian schools, the international conventions on human rights and political and religious ideological tradition. Nonetheless, politicians and other debaters freely spread inaccurate and insecure statements about such things around about themselves.
Hopefully this manuscript can provide the debate with more factual information. It is obviously not a wholly impartial submission, but I have been very careful about being factual and fair in my writing.
I would contest that each one of the ten points is on its own enough reason for us to have Christian schools. And so, if one were to amass all the points made herein, it would appear completely insane from a social point of view, to attempt to prohibit the existence of Christian schools.
Strengthening Critical Thinking
Christian schools are often intentional about teaching worldview and preparing students to engage with competing ideas. Yet the way we structure this engagement can either nurture deep critical thinking or unintentionally foster shallow habits of argument. Here are some practical tools to support critial thinking in the classroom.
Education as a Restoration of Hope
Today we turn to the good news: God’s plan of restoration through Christ. This is not only a personal hope but also a framework for how we think about education, leadership, and the shaping of society. How can we build meaningful outcomes into the process of teaching and learning which truly reflect the hope we have in Christ?
Recognizing the Problem of Sin
The foundational, yet often overlooked, reality is the way sin impacts both teaching and learning. As school leaders, we cannot view education merely as the transfer of knowledge or the development of skills. Education is always moral and spiritual, shaped either by truth that comes from God or by distortions introduced by sin.
ACSI Europe Online Prayer
Join Christian school leaders from across the Europe region for a time of prayer, fellowship and encouragement. This group meets on Zoom the 2nd Thursday each month at 13:00 CET to focus our attention on God's presence and provision for His work through global Christian education.
