In yet another indication of the growing popularity in home schooling, an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention has launched a new website that provides a constant stream of information designed to aid home-school parents who want to instill a Christian worldview in their children.
With the help of its publishing arm, Broadman and Holman, Lifeway Christian Resources is now offering home-schooling parents advice on curriculum, legal issues, and tips on how to get started. Zan Tyler is editor of the new site at LifeWay.com/homeschool. She says more Christians, in particular Southern Baptists, are choosing to home school their children.
Tyler says Christian parents are realizing that public school teachers are not free to teach children anything about God. She says it has nothing to with the intent or the ability of the teachers -- it is just against the law.
"So as [those] parents really desire to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to instruct them in ways that integrates their Christian world and life view throughout the academic spectrum, parents keep coming to the conclusion that maybe home schooling is the best way to do that," she says.
Tyler says both LifeWay and Broadman and Holman Publishers have a real heart for ministering to home-schooling families. That is reflected in the structure of the website, which she says is divided into six categories.
"It provides help for new parents with getting started [and] help with curriculum," she explains. "There's something there for people with high school students. And we have a category that discusses legal issues, home-schooling [for children] with special needs -- and a whole section on encouragement."
Tyler says the web source also provides an e-newsletter and information on state home-schooling conventions and organizations.