The Necessity of Establishing a Firm Foundation:
I stumbled into homeschooling. Around 2017 (my oldest was in 3rd grade), the political, ideological, and cultural current reached a boiling point that caused me to reassess putting my children into a public school system that was fundamentally opposed to my Christian worldview, opposed to the worldview foundation that I deemed necessary to raise my children. The brief five to six years that saw my children under the tutelage of my home was now going to be turned over to an institution—for approximately seven hours a day—that had lost my confidence and trust in educating them on the fundamental basics of life. What was I to do? How was I going to combat this reality? What would be my approach?
Similarly, upon this same journey, I began to reassess my approach in looking at colleges/universities. With the rise of cultural Marxism and the ideologies that infiltrated these secular educational institutions,[1] how would I arm my children to resist against these core values that has marred our society? I had to start reexamining my presuppositions about college education—about education altogether.[2]
An Approach Moving Forward:
It was at this point where I needed to establish a gameplan as to how I would navigate my children through their grade school academic career as well as their choice in post-secondary education. Though my conclusion is not the end-all-be-all, I hope that this article can help to assist parents in thinking through the differing options in light their children’s vocational aspirations, especially for students who may not have a definitive plan for their future vocation. In saying that, I will examine three central headings that moved me from seeing college/university as a pursuit toward solidifying vocational stability to seeing college/university as an instrument in formulating a Christian worldview. First, we will look at my own college experience—as a student and professor. Secondly, we will examine Christian institutions that focus upon worldview formation. Third and finally, we will look at the movement of trade labor.
College Experience. On a positive note, my experience as a bible college student was, for the most part, priceless and formative. In saying that, I also remember—which played a large part in my reflection in helping my children—that many of my classmates went into majors that eventually didn’t pan out into careers. How many of us have this same experience? How many of us were able to obtain careers without our degrees? How many of us achieved a career despite our emphasis of study? In addition, as a professor a decade later (in the same institution), I saw many students flip-flop majors and eventually graduated with general degrees—degrees that they didn’t even necessarily want. For example, a degree in general studies, a degree in psychology, a degree in youth social science. Not that these degrees are bad in and of themselves. But in the reality of things, they were programs that afforded them the opportunity to graduate, not degrees or career paths that were pursued in light of a greater calling.
If this was the case for most students, did I want to push my children into this scenario knowing that they—like I—would have a hard time assessing what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives? Did I want them to fumble throughout college and end up with a degree that was, dare I say, useless? Or did I want to utilize college and show them that it could be a tool to shape them as persons and, more importantly, as followers of Christ? More appropriately, is it wise to go through college/university aimlessly or to have a particular purpose?
Instead of pursuing a degree that did not statistically guarantee a viable vocational career, I reasoned, why not formulate my child’s mind and heart toward grasping a Christian worldview? Or said differently, instead of viewing college/university as a means toward vocational certainty, why not view it as an instrument to shape character, wisdom, and an outlook in understanding God’s created order in light of the world’s modern and postmodern ideologies? Why spend four to five years chasing something that would have little to no advantage? Why not utilize those four to five years and chase eternal truths that, for the long haul, would impact my child’s thinking to properly live as a redeemed citizen in God’s created world and, thus, find a purposeful vocational end.
Educational Assistance in Worldview Formation. It was at this time where I found Christian institutions moving in the same direction who, in turn, provided affordable education; that is, their educational pursuits were redirected toward worldview formation. Therefore, students who didn’t necessarily have concrete vocational pursuits, at the moment, could potentially engage in purposeful education for the development of their identity in Christ. In addition, many Christian ministries began to provide gap-year opportunities for other students who were locked-in on career paths—that is, engineers, medical students, nursing, education and secondary-education teachers, etc.—but who also wanted Christian worldview development (click here, here, and here to look at some of my top options). It was these options that reaffirmed my own journey in reevaluating college/university education for my children.
With this being said, I started to look into schools like Bethlehem Baptist College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN as well as New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, ID. Bethlehem offers degrees ranging from a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Biblical Studies to a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Letter. NSA, however, provides a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Culture which embodies rigorous studies in theology, literature, language, and more. One can be assured to have a well-rounded education with these programs. Furthermore, I am and continue to be hesitant with the broader modern evangelical institutions and the prices that are necessary to have my child attend. I would encourage parents to critically think through these variables with finances at the top of the list.
Professional Trade. Another social phenomenon that supported my move toward reevaluating college/university education was the reemergence of trade labor. Or, said differently, there are a plethora of vocations that can be entered simply by obtaining additional training, certificates, and/or experiences. Some may ask, “If your child pursues a theology degree, or liberal studies, what will they do to make a living?” My response would be: by training my child to see all of life for all of Christ, they will have the tools to think, imagine, and pursue life in accords with His created intent. That is to say, they will have the critical markers to navigate through life with the proper balance. In addition, what are you doing now to give them the experiences and training necessary for future vocation opportunities? Therefore, they can pursue careers in trade labor and/or IT while obtaining a Christian worldview to steward their lives for the glory of God. Again, this is from the vantage point of reimagining a college degree not from the standpoint of vocational certainty, but from interpersonal formation that is grounded in eternal truths. With this foundation secured (or at least set on a proper trajectory), a career path is better equipped to be achieved and maintained.
The Necessity for Family Discipleship:
Though there are a myriad of variables when assessing your child’s future, my ultimate consideration came at wanting to be purposeful in developing and protecting my child’s mind (and heart) amid the competing ideological worldviews that surround our society. If I trained them to think and love properly, I reasoned, then an ability to pursue a career would sprout forward as a result. However, if I focus upon vocational progress, I may lose their true hunger and thirst for God Himself (Matt. 16:26). I trust that if I put my children in a position to think with the covenantal wisdom of Scripture, they will be equipped to navigate through life abiding in God’s Word and not the world’s own aimless, selfish pursuits.
Regardless, this is not a waterproof approach to post-secondary education. However, in light of my Scriptural meditation and experiences in academia, I want to help my children navigate through life in such a way as to maximize their abilities and opportunities to make much of Christ. In a world where social media is fixated upon the self, can I disciple children who have a kingdom focus (cf. Ps. 127:3-4)? That kingdom focus is, to put it bluntly, the ultimate goal; everything else is, well, gravy. Soli Deo Gloria!
Footnotes
[1] See Baucham Jr., Voddie T. Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe. Washington, D. C.: Salem Books, 2021. Strachan, Owen. Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement is Hijacking the Gospel—and the Way to Stop It. Washington, D. C.: Salem Books, 2021. Trueman, Carl R. Trueman. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.
[2] See Wilson, Douglas. The Case for Classical Christian Education. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003.
McYoung Y. Yang (MDiv, SBTS; ThM, MBTS) is the husband to Debbie and a father to their four children. He is a Pastor of Preaching/Teaching at Covenant City Church in St. Paul, MN and the Executive Editor of Covenant City Church Content Team. Along with his ministerial duties, he is a homeschool dad. McYoung is continuing his doctoral studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, and his ambition is to use his training as a means to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.
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