Daniel at School
January 26, 2009 by Rick Osborne
Daniel’s life and the details surrounding it fascinate me. This man of God, full of deep integrity and wisdom, wrote some of the most detailed and much-studied prophecies in the Bible.
As a teenager, Daniel was uprooted from his home and taken as a captive to Babylon. He ended up in the royal court after the king ordered several young Israelite captives of noble birth to be brought to the palace (Daniel 1:3). Until the time Daniel was taken captive, he evidently grew up in either the royal family or in a very influential home.
Daniel was a young boy when the very godly Josiah ruled Judah. So since Daniel probably grew up in an influential family during Josiah’s reign, he likely was raised with spiritual training and with a godly world view.
Daniel and three other teenage Israelites were taken to the king’s court to get a Babylonian education. All four of the boys received Babylonian names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar; the name hints at the purpose of his education. “El” at the end of Daniel’s name refers to God. “Bel” at the beginning of his new name referred to a Babylonian god. Daniel and his friends were to be educated not only in regular school topics like literature, but they were to be trained to think and view the world, in every way, as the Babylonians did.
In other words, they attended a school similar to those where many Christians send their children to get educated today. Our public schools don’t only strive to give children a God-neutral education; very often they contradict what Christians believe.
Some contend that it’s our job to stand up, be counted, and change all of this. I wouldn’t disagree, but I’d like to point out something even more fundamental: it’s not the governments job to ensure that our children get the right intellectual or spiritual education – that’s our job. Government schooling should aid us in getting the job done, of course, but when we recognize the task as ours, we no longer resign ourselves to the status quo, but instead do what we can to fill in the gaps and right the wrongs in our own child’s education.
If your child is gifted in music, for example, you many conclude that the music program at her school is just not enough. So what do you do? You take control and get her involved in community or private lessons outside of school. Or if you or another family member has musical abilities then some training at home.
In the same way, if your children attend public school and are being taught things contrary to the truth, then it’s your responsibility to fix the problem. You may consider it a civic responsibility to help change things on a political level, but while you’re doing that, it’s also your parental responsibility to change it for your child, whether it changes for everyone else or not.
Fortunately, Daniel and his three friends had been well educated in Judah before their exile to Babylon. Not only had they learned what was right, but they also learned (at the very least from what Josiah did) about the dangers of the pagan religions that Josiah worked so hard to eradicate. This would have prepared the four young men to learn, discern, and understand everything they were taught in light of God’s truth.
In Babylon they learned about practices God had forbidden, such as astrology and divination. They didn’t refuse to learn about these subjects, but they did recognize them for what they were and refused to practice them. When it came to interpreting dreams or predicting the future, Daniel didn’t follow the ways of the Babylonian magicians; he went to God.
We need to prepare our children by educating them in the truth so that when their instructors teach something wrong, they know it and know what the real truth is.
Does this sound like a ton of work that you don’t feel equipped to take on? Don’t worry; you can do some pretty simple things to make sure you’re fulfilling the crucial task of educating your child to view the world from a Christian perspective.
Before diving in to what you can do if your children attend public school, let me briefly speak of the alternatives. Some speak about the alternatives in terms of right and wrong. They believe that everyone should home-school or send their kids to Christian school. Let me say that I disagree. There is no one perfect educational answer for everyone. It depends on the family, the child, the circumstances and much more. Jesus attended the equivalent of a Christian school. Moses was raised and schooled in Pharaoh’s courts, definitely the equivalent of secular school. Daniel and his friends attended Religious school in their youth and then secular school in Babylon.
The key is not where your children are schooled, but how they are taught at home. Moses’ mother evidently taught him and prepared him when he was young so that when the time came he chose God not Egypt. Daniel and friends were also prepared and ready for the temptations they would face and the incorrect teaching they would receive. Jesus may have learned the Torah at school, but practical life application was taught at home according to Deuteronomy six.
Many Christian families are opting to home-school their children, especially in the early years. This is a great idea, but not for everyone, or even possible for everyone. If you go this direction, you’ll still need to make sure you get curriculum that features a Christian world view, and also spend time teaching them about what the world around them believes and how to separate truth from error so that they are well prepared to live and believe in the real world. I home-schooled my oldest daughter for several years and it was a wonderful experience. I also made sure that I taught her from God’s Word everyday.
The other alternative is a Christian school. Again, this is not the right choice for every family, nor is it possible or even available to all. If it is possible and a good Christian school is available to you, it can be a great option.
Just because it’s a Christian school, however, doesn’t mean that you’ll like everything it teaches. If you choose this option, view it as a great assist; but just as you can’t delegate spiritual training to the church, so you can’t delegate education carte blanche to your child’s school – whether public or private. All of my children attended a wonderful Christian school and I can tell you from experience, the Christian school option does not get you off the hook. Christian schools are full of kids who are not living their lives as Christians, and although Bible class is part of the curriculum, our children still need to be taught the practical application of their Faith at home 24/7 in the midst of life.
Your child’s education is very important and one of your primary responsibilities as a parent is to pray about, plan, and oversea it. No matter which option or combination of options that you choose, you are still a key part of your child’s education. Stay on top of it, know what they’re learning, correct it if it needs correcting, add to it what needs adding and always remember, the most important things in life aren’t taught in school. It’s our job to teach our children the practical application of their Faith, matters of character, relationship skills, love, manners, morality and much more.
Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon ready to serve God and to learn in a secular, pagan world. Perhaps their parents believed what Jeremiah (who began his ministry right around the time Daniel was born) prophesied about the exile, and prepared their children for the inevitable. Perhaps they were just protecting them from being led astray by the pagan Canaanite religions. Either way, it’s a good thing they did. Daniel changed the world – and all because he was able to chew on what he was taught, compare it with God’s truth, and spit out the bones.
Chapter 1 of Daniel records one of the most fascinating details of his story. It describes what happened when Daniel and his friends were tested by the king himself, and also shows what can happen when students trust God and learn through God-colored glasses:
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. (Daniel 1:20)
ParentingTwits 
This is a great post. Our Children have been homeschooled early years (prek and Kind) and then to Christian School, one Baptist and now non denominational through our church, but not yet to a public school. We have often considered it, however, the world is so different today with the things that are allowed in the school system that we are just very cautious as to whether or not we want to send our kids there. On the other hand, we’ve raised them up in the WORD and it would be great to see them go out and make an impact in this world. Children can be annointed to change the WORLD and be an influencer in their surroundings…but I as a parent just haven’t been comfortable with that option yet. If we go this route (public) in the future, we have to believe for the same Daniel experience—that is the greatest story! Thank you for the great post!
@DuongSheahan (twitter)
Okay-here it is…you are completely responsible for bringing that little mind up…and keeping it growing in it’s faith. My parents absolutely taught us zero…therefore i looked for zero at a public school. And where I grew up, in a party town-wasn’t presented with anything. I was presented something at 20, yes 20…and I ran from that. So…not being brought up, and surrounded by it in my family hurt. Didn’t give me strength then.
Over the years…I have watched my child grow in her faith with me-on fire from 2!! And she is just amazing at praying! We openly talk about Jesus, pray, and study. She is in LOVE with out church…what they learn…and feeds off of it. She openly talks to anyone about it. Therefore, her being at public is awesome….because she is soooo open about Jesus. And we talk about when kids aren’t happy about it, and why, and we talk about other faiths. As so do the schools….but she knows the right one-which rocks on! You don’t make them mean about it…you make them have a heart….and excited for what they learn…and they share that….that excitement grabs the heart of a lot of kids. Would have mine had I heard about it when I was her age!!!!!
Private is great if you are looking at it for the smaller amount….and how some offer certain programs you might be searching for…but those are all out in the public-and honestly better. And sizing of public has gone down in most places, at lease in Chandler, AZ….no more than 23 per class for a big city. Search and find….better to share His Word more than to get them bored with it….my husband went to a Christian school-didn’t listen well, cause I accepted Christ at 26-beginning of our relationship….and was talking to Him about how amazing it was Christ never sinned..and he didn”t know that…..just show it can kind of be a bit boring….
One last thing here in the city is, many place their kids in Christian schools to straighten them out…..therefore drugs get there to if that is what many are trying to avoid. Sad, but so true. You can’t hide your child from the real world. They will enter it soon….at home…that is where you mold them well. And they learn to present themselves well, hopefully at school.
God bless you in your choice….mine is public….the world won’t be around long….we are spreading His word!
In His Love,
Hetty4Christ
“The key is not where your children are schooled, but how they are taught at home.”
As a minister I have been asked many times why I send my children to public school, and I have stated the same line as above almost verbatum. I do not try to sway moms and dads in any direction when it comes to choosing an educational pathway. What I talk to them about is being parents. I talk to them about being good stewards with the blessings God has placed in their lives. My children have already begun to leave home but I have full confidence that home will never leave them.
THANK YOU! What an encouraging post! I wholeheartedly agree – it isn’t a right or wrong but a matter of listening to the Lord about what is right for YOUR family….
No because right or wrong would be a criminal act….but just think back to who Jesus hung out….poor, deaf, blind, dumb, prostitutes-these listen….can be grabbed more in His faith and need His love. Being locked up in a private school, of same faith, or same wealth, doesn’t give as much to spread in the name of our Lord-except outside…..and they may not have the confidence and or desire to do that. If they went to a public where you can spread that news to more in need-they can use what has been and is being taught to them at home and in church-and I have seen kids just be absolutely amazed! Prepping them for rejection and explaining why….but this sure sets them up and gets them ready for early adulthood-on….and to strengthen their faith! I have seen so much happening around me with mothers of kids in Jr and Sr from my church that do public…and they are all amazing kids-I never saw as I child. God bless them and their faith in them thru Christ to spread His word early! I know mine has, from 2 til now 8.
In His Love,
Hetty4Christ
My husband and I decided to homeschool our children. At first, we decided to do that in order to give them the best education. Tons of research has been completed that attests to the fact that public school just isn’t getting the job done. Now we are two years into our homeschool adventure, and our views have changed so much. Most importantly, we want to raise disciples for Christ. We feel the best place to do that is in the home. The following statistics have been submitted by Barna Research as well as the SBC: 85% of Christian youth leave the church within their first year of college. Lots of reasons have been given for this anomoly. We believe it is due to the fact that public schools are so anti-Christian and instead teach secular humanism (love of self, no absolute truth, anti-theism, etc.) We also believe that Christian kids are not being taught biblical truth in the home…they only get it at church (which is not enough.)
So all of this said, prayerfully consider your options. If you are doing your job as parents by discipling your kids at home (and not leaving it to the Sunday School teachers and youth ministers) you can have much more confidence in sending your child into a public or private school. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NKJV) “And these words which I commnd you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
However, it is very unfortunate that so many Christian families are not following “talk of them when you sit in your house….” I worked in youth ministry for many years and could easily see which kids were grounded in the Word at home and which weren’t. It is wonderful to see kids that are on fire for Christ in a school setting, to see the impact that they are having on others around them.
If you haven’t read it already, an amazing book about bringing the Word of God into the home is “Family Driven Faith” by Dr. Voddie Baucham. It is all about family discipleship—and it is very insightful. You can also read the author’s blog at: http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Archive.html
God’s blessings to you as you consider your family’s options. Like the previous posts, it is very personal and must be deeply and prayerfully thought out.
Hi Parents,
I have five children – two are in christian school (Grade 12), two are in public school (Grade 10 and grade 4) and I homeschool one child (grade 3).
As you can see, I have views on all three types of schooling. My two oldest have had totally different experiences in the Christian School. One is totally turned off of God and has almost abandoned his faith, due to many contradictions in his friends lives and things that have happened in his personal life. The other child is so turned on for God and she attributes much of it to the influence of her friends at school and our home life. Two kids, same home, different views on life.
The public schools my next two children go to are excellent schools. If they had been around for my older two, I may have preferred them over the christian schools. They are fundamental schools, so they have many of the same moral standards of the Christian School, without the feeling of hypocrisy, as it is still a public school.
My last child, could not adapt to school at all and is doing much better in homeschooling.
So my answer to the parent who is considering homeschooling would be, it sure doesn’t hurt to give it a try. You can always go back to school if you don’t find it works for your family, which I did with my Grade 4 son. Homeschooling did not go well with him, but it sure works with my daughter. It has been a wonderful experience for me.
Patti
My brother began with his children in public schools, then Christian schools, then home school for 2 of his 3 kids. I know they agonized over each decision, but in the end did what they felt was best for each child. Their choice was not based so much on philosophy or religious perspectives or fear of secular influence on their children, it was based on where the best environment was for their children to learn and thrive. Bullying, sleep disorders, and having parents with teaching degrees all played a part in the decision. My 3 kids have done really well in the public school system in 2 countries.But should the situation change, it is nice to know there are options out there. We have done our best to be involved in each of the public schools of our kids (coaching, substitute teaching, reading time, driving to field trips, etc.) and are involved in every aspect of our children’s lives. We also PRAY a lot and challenge them to grow in their faith regularly. So far so good.
This is a great discussion about the pluses and minuses of Public versus Private Schooling versus Home Schooling. I realized that they missed one more option; Disciple Schooling.
This was the method that Jesus used when He made disciples. There are at least four aspects to disciple schooling.
1. Jesus told His disciples to follow Him, rather than other teachers of questionable beliefs.
2. Jesus was with His disciples for the majority of most days, and He took them out into the world.
3. Jesus frequently taught His disciples scripture each day and showed them how to minister to others.
4. Jesus sent His disciples out in twos(with trusted Christian adults), to protect them from wolves.
Jesus commanded us to make disciples. Are you making disciples in the same way that Jesus did? Below are the pluses and minuses of parents making disciples like Jesus did.
+is obedience to the Great Commission.
+will make you and your children more like Jesus.
+will grow you in the faith more than anything you have ever done.
+will do something for your children that will otherwise never happen in their lives.
+will leave you with no regrets, because you will have spent much time with your children.
+will create deep, lifetime relationships with your children.
+will enable parents to guide their children in God’s call on their lives.
+will unite your family.
+will bring scripture to life in your family.
+will equip you and your children to live for Christ.
+will bring godly fruit early in life for your children.
+will teach you and your children to glorify the Lord, and prepare you to do this in heaven.
+will lead your family into the abundant life that Jesus promised.
+will help you avoid the “wolves” that threaten your family; virtually all threats will be reduced or eliminated.
+will make the teen years of your children more blessed for you and for them.
+will prepare your child’s heart in way that you will be an influence in their life in the future.
+will produce an eternal impact for the Kingdom of God.
What are the costs related to Disciple Schooling?
-will cause you to personally assume the task of making disciples; this is hard work.
-will cause you to repent often for failing to “walk the talk.”
-will show you how inadequate you are without God’s help.
-will cause you to ask for forgiveness of your family often as your actions are not biblical.
-will cause you discomfort as you reject some choices that most other parents are making.
-may cause you to critically evaluate and give up some activities that you now enjoy.
-will cost you a great amount of personal time.
-may cause you to give up some hobbies that take time away from your family.
-may cause you to quit your job or change it so that you can be with your children.
-may cause you to lose your status in the community as you quit or change your job.
-may cause you to sell cars, homes, boats, etc. so that you can make disciples.
-may leave you with less in the bank.
-may place you at odds with extended family who will encourage you to keep status quo.
-will cause you to stand out since you will be together as a family.
-will place your family under scrutiny since you will be doing things differently.
-will cause you to be vigilant in protecting your family, and that will lead to inconvenience.
Blessings, Alan
Great article! I do home school my kids and have all the way through, but that does not mean it is for everyone. Each family should carefully pray about each step their children take including how they should get their education. God called me to home school long before we had kids, which is why we chose to go this route. Parenting means being involved with the kids, training them in the way that they should go, so that they will not depart from it. Teaching them about the ways of the Lord, not just on Sundays and “devotional” time but whenever the opportunity arises. Teaching them by example, how to serve others, how to love on others, how to care and the importance of not just having head knowledge of the Word of God but also being able to apply it into their own relationship with God and in their own lives. Thanks for the great article!
A few things. First of all, Jesus was schooled at home. He spent a few days in the temple asking questions. That is totally different from the thousands of hours children spend in school classrooms today.
Secondly, Daniel’s parents didn’t CHOOSE to send him to Babylon. He was taken there as a result of the disobedience of God’s people. Don’t forget that those Hebrew young men were castrated to ensure that they would never be physically fruitful. In a spiritual sense, that is happening today where anywhere from 65-90% of evangelical youth are not only not winning their classmates to Jesus, they are completely rejecting the Christian faith! 91% of evangelical youth (90% of whom are in government schools) do not even believe that moral absolutes exist!
Statistically, if you have ten children and you send them to a government school, you will only have 1-3 who will remain in the faith by they time they graduate high school. Which 7-9 children do you want to lose?
The scripture strictly forbids parents from sending their children to be educated in an anti-Christian philosophy. You can see SOME of the Biblical texts that reveal this here: http://www.americanvision.org/article/if-you-really-want-to-rescue-america/
When my eldest son was three years old, we ran across the concept of homeschooling from the book written by Dr. James Dobson entitled Bringing Up Boys. That book was not about homeschooling per se but it mentioned homeschooling as an option, in much the same way reference to it was made in this post.
Two years later, we homeschooled our son. My wife resigned from her job, partly because of her desire to get into real estate investing, and partly because of her desire to homeschool our son in the mornings. You may check out my blog post about it at familyforkids.com.
One thing I wish to emphasize here is that, when we attended the orientation for the homeschool program, the speaker has warned us in no uncertain terms: homeschooling is fulfilling, BUT it is not easy. You better be committed to it, much more than simply having one spouse full time at home.
What was stressed in the orientation, which I also see in this blog post, is that parents, most especially Christian parents, MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for the education of children. Whether that can be accomplished by homeschooling the kids, or sending them to Christian schools, or public schools, or other alternative types of schools such as Waldorf School…is up to the parent. Circumstances are different, the people involved are different.
In our case, we chose to homeschool our child primarily because at three years old, I already saw the temperament of my son, and he was like me when I was his age. I excelled in school, yes, but something was terribly missing and I became rebellious, to the great disappointment of my parents and teachers. At 40, now I understand what was really happening back then: I was a kinesthetic child and classrooms bored me to death. Even today, long meetings bore me to death.
Friends were concerned about the “social” life of my son. I told them that was the least of my son’s problems. My son is a highly extrovert young person. Befriending neighbors and kids of community members or church goers is the least of his problem. But effectively directing his energy IS the issue with him. Classrooms will choke him. Its why I didn’t send him there.
But that was our circumstance. Others may have other circumstances, which require a unique approach.
It’s why I’d rather go for the principle of TAKING RESPONSIBILITY for the education and formation of our kids.
That’s the WHAT. I leave the HOW to the parent’s discretion.
A bigger concern I have is the divisiveness of this issue in the church today. I have already seen the social segregation, bitterness and anger that the topic of education can evoke. Education is important to discuss if it is handled with much love, patience and understanding. But more than anything, Christian families needs to be free to follow God with full conviction, without condemnation or judgement from each other.
I appreciate your article. It clearly states that the responsibility of teaching children rests in the hands of their parents. How each family chooses to delegate aspects of that responsibility is ultimately between them and God, and they will one day have to give account to Him for their decisions!
I think homeschooling would be better because all they seem to teach in public schools now is how to pass the TAKS test. There is little learned about our great history and it seems the focus is more leaned toward technology instead of the real basics that children NEED to learn.
When I was in highschool we weren’t allowed to use calculators and now kids are using them in Jr. High and up because they cannot do the basic math that we (40 somethings) learned in elementary school.
The schools that are here (Cedar Hill [Dallas area]) don’t seem to impress me a whole lot and I’m not financially able to afford private school after Kindergarten. I have a 529 college account for my son (he’s 5 now) but with the way the economy is going, there won’t be left in there soon. I might use some of that money for private or have to get a job.
I do not have the patience to teach at home. I get too frustrated teaching anybody much less my son. If you are like me, you could find some homeschooling parents in your neighborhood and join homeschool classes with them or just let them homeschool your kid(s). I heard on talk radio a while back that homeschooling parents will need to be licensed teachers in order to homeschool, but I’m not sure if that is just here or nationwide, or when this law is supposed to pass.
I admire all those parents who actually do homeschool, in fact all teachers, I am thankful to as well. I think if you pray lots on this decision you will find your answer. You could try it and if it doesn’t work out, then you have other choices. One other thought I have about my son going to school outside of home is he can develop some great friendships and that is also beneficial for our children’s development. I still keep in touch with some of my elementary school friends and that means a lot to me.
I know you will find your answer. God bless you.
p.s. Sorry this is so long.