Teach High School From A Biblical Worldview

"History is cyclical. It is doomed to repeat itself."

"History is linear, with a beginning and an end."

 Which statement is true? One statement represents a secular humanist worldview and the other a biblical worldview.

Do you know why?

In the Bible we read that this world's history has a beginning in the Garden of Eden when God spoke the world and everything in it into existence. In the last book of Scripture, there is an ending, after a great battle, Satan is destroyed and there is a new heaven and a new earth.

History has a starting point and an ending point. At the center of history is Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, who was born in Bethlehem, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death on the cross, rose again from the dead, and ascended bodily into Heaven. Though there are similarities in historical events, we realize that history is marching on to its final destination in a linear fashion.

​Does everyone believe that?

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Cosmic humanists want us to think that history is just one purposeless cycle after another. They believe that the major forces that motivate human behavior occur in cycles, or patterns. This is based on their worldview.

A worldview is a perspective or way of looking at life based on a philosophy. A Marxist-Leninist will see everything boiling down to the "continuous battle between the bourgeois and proletariat. A Secular Humanist sees mankind evolving to a better, more advanced condition.

My father had a pair of sunglasses with yellow lenses that I borrowed occasionally when I drove his car. Everything looked different when I was wearing those glasses. Blue cars looked green. Red cars looked orange. Sometimes I forgot that I was wearing the glasses and I would say something to someone else in the car, "Look at the green truck..."  "Mom," they would reply, "I see a blue truck, but no green truck."

Holding on to non-Biblical worldviews is like wearing glasses with tinted lenses. They color everything thing you see and make it look different. You don't even realize that a worldview can distort reality. The Biblical Worldview gives light and clarity to our path. Scripture is true, whether college professors or Hollywood movie producers agree or disagree. Even though we love Jesus and believe the Bible is true, we can have un-biblical worldviews, picked up through the media, our public school education, or books we have read.  

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The Bible applies to all of life.

If we really love our children, we will want to teach them the truth as it applies to all of life. God's Word is unchanging and addresses areas such as law, government, economics, philosophy, psychology, science, history, or sociology. Sometimes textbooks or workbooks will teach secular humanism and throw a Bible verse in the writing so they can label it 'Christian.' This is sad and does not help our children to apply Scripture to all of life. We want to see the world through God's eyes...that is a Biblical worldview!

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also...What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who now lives in us" (II Timothy 1:5 & 13 NIV ©1979).

As we pass on wisdom and understanding to the next generation through our homeschooling, there is hope that a generation will rise up who will usher in revival like we have not yet seen in history. It is worth every bit of time and energy you invest teaching your children. In the area of worldviews, I have found five tools that have been successful in instructing my children in this area.

Scripture memorization is the most important thing your child can do to understand and remember a Biblical worldview. Carefully choose Bible verses and passages that relate to topics such as relationships, law, government, economics, money, Creation, and the Gospel.
Understanding the Times by David Noebel is a huge book that each of my children read before starting college. This book introduces the six major worldviews that we encounter in our culture:  Marxist-Leninist, Secular Humanist, Cosmic-Humanist, Post-Modernist, Islamic, and Biblical-Christian. It addresses topics such as history, science, psychology, sociology, law, government, and economics.
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Worldviews in Focus: Thinking Like a Christian is a worldview curriculum that is shorter than Understanding the Times, but written by the same author. There is a student journal, textbook, and DVD. This twelve week course covers the same topics found in Understanding the Times, but does not include the Islamic or Post-Modern worldviews.

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Francis Schaeffer and his son, Franky Schaeffer createda video series, How Then Shall We Live?, looking at the rise and decline of Western thought and culture in light of Biblical truth. It examines art, music, and architecture, showing how they reflect the pervading philosophy of the times. God's truth is set forth as the only reliable answer to the fallen state of man and mankind's culture. I love this series!
 
Using textbooks written from a Biblical-Christian perspective, especially for science and history.  Apologia textbooks honor the Lord as Creator while instructing children in all fields of science.

If you want more help with homeschooling high school, Unlocking the Mysteries of Homeschooling High School is the answer. Written by two homeschool moms who graduated nine homeschool grads between them, this book covers all the basics of homeschooling from credits, transcripts, and applying to college to designing your own curriculum and planning a festive graduation. Unlocking the Mysteries of Homeschooling High School is available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip or Currclick.

Continue to seek the Lord with your high school children and may His Word live in your lives! Homeschool for the glory of God!
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Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
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