At Kairos Academy Pathfinders, we believe that the best context for the education of children is a loving family supported by a strong church (congregational) community. Most people over the past century and a half, whether they were Christian or not, have seen education in government-funded schools as the ideal. Why do we disagree?
What is Education?
In an earlier post (What is Education?), we spoke of how true education imparts wisdom, not merely knowledge. We saw through reference to Christ's life, that wisdom is imparted to others through relationship, that is, through the sharing of life together. Just as Jesus shared his life with the apostles and showed them how to live so we, as followers of Christ, are called to such sharing with our children.
Parent-led education is the most effective way for Christian parents to impart their worldview and their faith to their children -- such education is discipleship. Fundamentally, then we see the highest goals of education to be essentially rooted in family rather than in the state.
The Mind of Christ
When all is said and done, following the ways of God is wise. Following the ways of the world is folly. By default, public schools, which exist to make citizens of the state, teach the ways of the world. By design, Christian discipleship forms citizens of God's kingdom, teaching the ways of the Lord.
"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.“ -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 (NASB 1995)
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." -- 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NASB 1995)
It is an integral part of our mission to help every family who is willing to enter more fully into the reality that every Christian has been given the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). That entering in looks like something. We are setting aside the wisdom of the world and receiving the wisdom of Christ, which is the word of the cross.
The Church is the natural ally of parents in raising up their children in the ways of God. Kairos is called to equip and empower parents and the congregations they are a part of to educate their children.
The nuclear family is the fundamental social unit in God's church. We are called to strengthen that unit in congregations everywhere by making it possible for parents to equip their children for life in the church and in the world.
What is Best in Life?
Parents want what is best for their children. In today's world, what is best is often perceived to involve an excellent education that enables each child to master the skills of reading and writing, and of performing in the STEM fields. Many parents have concerns about whether their children are best served by existing institutions, including public schools. Despite these concerns, most parents remain convinced that private education, whether in a school, at home, or both, would be prohibitively expensive in terms of their time, money, or both and would not improve their children's prospects for the future. Kairos seeks to provide and encourage the development of resources that demonstrate that the parent-led education can be far less costly in time and treasure than they have thought. KAP strives to improve the means of communicating the power and accessibility of resources that empower, equip, and encourage them to teach their own children such that parents will feel free to choose their child's educational path based on what is best for their family rather than out of a worry about such costs.
We envision a time when every family will choose their child's educational path based on objective knowledge of the costs and benefits of each possible path. In such a time, we believe most Christian parents will choose to educate their own children with the support of their church. We aim to bring that time to pass sooner rather than later.