Why Christian Music Education?

 

 

                                              Why Christian Music Education?

         

          Is the Christian school a conviction or a preference?  If a Christian education (CE) is a mere preference then it is not a necessity, and Christian music education (CME) is most certainly not a necessity.  Every parent, Christian school teacher and administrator must know why they and the students are involved in a Christian school.  Although I do not want to be overly simplistic, I can see no reason for Christians to deny their children a Christian education.  As I have pointed out so many times in my writings, the statement in1Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” extends to the education of one’s household.  I furthermore contend that it also pertains to the music education of our own.  Every Christian parent must remember that when Lot chose the well-watered plains of Jordan near Sodom and Gomorrah, he made an excellent choice for his cattle and a poor choice for his children.

Perhaps I should define the terms “educational preference” and “educational conviction”.  Educational preference, as it will be used in this discussion, is defined as a greater liking for one type of school over another.  The term educational conviction is the strong belief that it is the responsibility of Christians to train their own and that this can only be done properly through a Christ centered education in the context of a Christian school. With these definitions the reader can see clearly why many Christians feel convicted that the Christian school is a must.

It is puzzling to me that a number of Christians feel strongly that we must have Bible colleges and Christian universities, but that our children should attend public schools.  Certainly, if our college age young people need a CE, our children who are in the process of making life-long decisions need the shelter and philosophical support of a Christian school.  For these reasons I contend that a CE is a necessity and not merely a preference if our children and young people are going to develop a Christocentric whole-life philosophy.  Anyone who denies the power of a Christian teacher’s long term influence on their students does not understand the philosophical power of teacher/student relationships.