Evangelical homeschoolers embrace evolution

More Christian parents are asking for mainstream science in their children’s curricula. Will religious textbook companies deliver?

“We get a lot of flak from others for not using Christian textbooks,”…

Discussion

As someone who got into homeschool at a fairly early stage (1990 is when we began teaching our daughter), I have seen the movement change from mostly courageous parents who were willing to suffer reproach from their fellow Christians to a movement that is a combination of the above plus a swelling number or more compromised Christians and non-Christians. I am not saying that this is bad, but I am saying this is different.

Now that homeschooling no longer carries a stigma, we will see EVERYTHING presented in homeschooling, because all kinds of people are doing it — now. So this isn’t surprising at all.

What troubles me more is seeing the once committed compromising on this issue. With the popularity of the Reformed movement (at least those who revere Piper and Keller), it is no surprise to see a movement away from young earth Creationism. It’s not that there have been some major scientific discoveries over the past 20 or 25 years. It’s now becoming “cool” to hold to some kind of theistic evolution.

"The Midrash Detective"

[Ed Vasicek]

As someone who got into homeschool at a fairly early stage (1990 is when we began teaching our daughter), I have seen the movement change from mostly courageous parents who were willing to suffer reproach from their fellow Christians to a movement that is a combination of the above plus a swelling number or more compromised Christians and non-Christians. I am not saying that this is bad, but I am saying this is different.

Now that homeschooling no longer carries a stigma, we will see EVERYTHING presented in homeschooling, because all kinds of people are doing it — now. So this isn’t surprising at all.

What troubles me more is seeing the once committed compromising on this issue. With the popularity of the Reformed movement (at least those who revere Piper and Keller), it is no surprise to see a movement away from young earth Creationism. It’s not that there have been some major scientific discoveries over the past 20 or 25 years. It’s now becoming “cool” to hold to some kind of theistic evolution.

Jim, what does theistic evolution have to do with the Reformed movement?

Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?

Some Christian textbooks are severely lacking in quality and accuracy. People want to do right by their kids and save money, but what ends up happening is a bunch of feel good blather gets published and purchased… but it’s all good because it’s “Christian”. Yuck.

I don’t use textbooks much, but for science, I often use AiG resources to balance the take-evolution-for-granted bias of most science websites, and books we borrow from the library.

At the moment we are reviewing Supercharged Science for the Schoolhouse Review Crew, and so far the teacher has managed to not reveal her own personal beliefs on the origins of the universe. She is teaching scientific principles without getting into evolutionary theory or creationism, which is fine with me.