Home » Education & Career » Unschooling » Christian Unschooling; Not an Oxymoron

Christian Unschooling; Not an Oxymoron

© Teri Brown

To many people, Christian unschooling is an oxymoron. This can make Christian unschooling a very lonely way of life. Often times we feel shunned by our fellow Christians for our educational philosophies and ignored by our unschooling contemporaries because of our faith. This school of thought also has dangerous connotations for Christians who are unschooling their children.

I have seen Christian based websites devoted solely to pointing out to Christian unschoolers the error of our unschooling ways. Many of these people are under the impression that unschooling is a modern development put forth by non-Christians. I feel that while the term might be contemporary, the action most definitely is not. People living a normal life with their children, sharing with them their life's work, is as old as time. Apprenticeships within the community is also an ancient practice that has been recently usurped by so-called higher education. Both of these practices are a large part of the modern unschooling movement.

Neither is the practice of unschooling unbiblical. If you think about it, the apostles were in a sense unschoolers. They did not learn about Christ from a desk or a kitchen table. They worked with Him, walked with Him and learned from Him. He taught them about faith. He taught them of humanity. He taught them about His Father. These are very close to the goals of the Christian unschoolers I know.

From non-Christian unschoolers, we may get a raised eyebrow or two, as if suspicious that we have a Bob Jones curriculum secreted behind our back. Some, who have perhaps had a bad experience with a Christian may actually be downright venomous towards those who profess a Christian faith. Or perhaps they disagree with our faith on moral grounds.

No matter what side the naysayers are on it makes regular support group attendance a rather interesting ordeal. Do you go to a Christian group where at some point you will undoubtedly be asked what curriculum you use? Or do you take your chances with a secular group where you may run into someone who's really rather strong in their judgments against your faith? Try going to both... soon you won't know what to say to whom.

I have several concerns regarding this state of affairs. One is those Christians who might be interested in unschooling will be put off by the lack of support from those within their faith. I also am afraid this lack of support might translate itself to an apathy for various homeschooling causes. Another, more important, concern is the possibility of becoming scapegoats for those with a right wing political agenda. Given some of the comments I have read concerning Christian homeschoolers who are doing "nothing" with their children, this is a very real possibility.

The copyright of the article Christian Unschooling; Not an Oxymoron in Unschooling is owned by Teri Brown. Permission to republish Christian Unschooling; Not an Oxymoron in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.