Christian education conference
On 24 March Ashford Congregational Church in Middlesex hosted a one-day conference on Christian education. Many young parents were present, concerned about the devastating effects of peer pressure in schools and the increasingly aggressive secularism that is impacting UK education.
In the opening address, Ali McLachlan, pastor of Belvidere Road Church in Liverpool, spoke about the need to impart a consistently Christian world view to children. Referring to the psalmist’s prayer to ‘unite my heart to fear your name’ (Psalm 86:11), he stressed that we must bring every compartment of our lives under the authority of the Word of God.
We are mistaken if we think of education solely in terms of academic qualifications. Many commented that this was the clearest presentation of the case for Christian education they had ever heard.
Keith Wilson, pastor of Ashford Congregational Church, reflected on the UK’s sobering statistics for family fragmentation. He traced them to society’s rejection of God. Since the problem is, at root, spiritual, so must be the solution.
In a child-focused world, husbands and wives must not neglect their marriages, since it is a God-glorifying marriage that lies at the heart of a God-glorifying family. Christian families must avoid the errors of being either so immersed in the culture that they are indistinguishable from it or so withdrawn from the culture that they become invisible.
There were two seminars, with practical help for parents providing a home-based education based on biblical principles, and parents persevering through the secondary years and beyond.
David Field of Oak Hill College spoke on ‘God’s glory in discipling our children’. He encouraged parents to see their children’s instruction as part of the Great Commission.
Norman Wells
Details of recordings from njwells@hotmail.co.uk or 020 8894 4768
