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3 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 3 What is a Christian Education? A Christian education is one in which the infallible truths of Scripture reign paramount. They form the foundation upon which all academic pursuits are built, and for that reason, students are often better able to reach their full educational potential. As Solomon writes, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). God expects children to be taught the truth in every subject. That requires educators to approach their craft - and their lives - from a biblical worldview. Otherwise, teachers are wholly incapable of instilling or reinforcing that worldview in the lives of their students. Rigorous academics, no matter how thorough, will miss the mark if the reality of God is denied. Conversely, augmenting a secular academic program with a religion class - no matter how true - will fall short. Students need a challenging, comprehensive academic curriculum built on a foundation of biblical absolutes. Some institutions prepare students for a job. Others equip students for life. Only a Christian education has the potential to do both, because only a Christian education is grounded in the knowledge of our Creator, who grants wisdom and understanding to anyone who seeks Him first. We offer this Christian Education Resource Guide to you, because like you, we see your child's potential to become a great Kingdom-builder. If you are a parent striving to do your best job to raise your child in the knowledge of the Lord, we strongly recommend you educate yourself about your child's educational options and seek the Lord's guidance. Each child is unique and what may be best for one child may not be best for another. Thus, seek the Lord's wisdom and educate yourself using resources like DuPage Christian's Education Guide and DiscoverChristianSchools.com.

5 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 5 What If We Can't Afford A Christian Education? This is a very real problem, and one of the most common parental objections. Christian schools cost money. A lot of money. However, before we get too carried away with fiscal concerns, we need to ask ourselves an important question: Do we have a moral obligation to give our children a Christian education? If so, then God will do for us what He does anytime He gives us a command. He'll give us the means to obey it. Statements like God will make a way or If He's called you, He'll equip you may sound a little trite. However, they happen to be true. If you have a biblical mandate to provide your children with a Christian education - and all of us have to make that determination for ourselves - God won't let a little thing like insufficient funds stop you from obeying Him. Not if you're committed to hearing and obeying His will in the matter. He may give you a raise. He may show you how to cut a few corners. But one way or another, He will make a way - because if educating your children in a Christian setting is a genuine responsibility, the financial cost becomes a genuine need. And God has promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). There are other ways God may provide the necessary funding. In some cases, churches have been known to assist their members. Talk to your pastor and see if that's a possibility. In addition, many schools offer financial aid to needy families

6 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 6 or scholarships to academicallygifted students. Contact the admissions department at your local Christian school. At the end of the day, God may ask you to take a step of faith. Then another. Then another. Pretty soon, you'll be walking in a promise that's been repeated so often it's become the quintessential Christian cliché. When God calls us to a task, He equips us to fulfill it. The Red Sea was no match for Him. The red in your checkbook won't be, either.

7 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 7 I Went To Public School and I Turned Out Okay. Can't My Children Do The Same? The short answer is yes. Just like you did, your kids can turn out okay. Maybe even better than okay. But our arrival at a place called okay does not necessarily mean that all our choices along the way here? Might it have been a little more joyful, a little less troublesome? Is it possible that God could have used you for His glory even more than He already has? These are questions only you I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. Martin Luther were the right ones, or that our educational experience was the best one. The real questions are these: Are you the same person today that you would have been had you attended Christian school? And what about the journey that brought you can answer, and if you haven't already, why not do it right now? Give this issue an honest, thoughtful look, and then ask God what His will is regarding your children's education.

9 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 9 Many Of My Friends Say They Want Their Kids To Be Salt And Light In The Public Schools. Shouldn't We Do That? Many Christian parents share this sentiment. And it's a noble one, too. Every one of us should strive to be salt and light wherever we find ourselves. But we have to be mindful that young children (before high school) are generally not equipped to defend their faith and influence others. Even with high schoolers, it is the unusually well-grounded student who can impact others for the Kingdom. However, even with the "How much salt and light can untrained, silent Christians be? Must we not rather train our children in Christian schools that they may become salty and brilliant lights to transform a society wandering in darkness? Dr. Wayne Grodin strongest testimony, we would not recommend that "salt and light" be the primary reason for sending your child to a public school.

10 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 10 No matter how well-grounded your children are, it's highly unlikely they can be the kind of salt and light Jesus was talking about. Can fifthgraders, or even junior high students, effectively explain the Gospel? And what about high school upperclassmen? Are they, on average, capable of defending their faith to the degree to which they can be genuine salt and light to their non-christian peers? In the vast majority of cases the answer is no. Simply put, most kids are not mature enough for the job, emotionally or spiritually. They are still at a time in life when they need to receive salt and light, not provide it. And in those rare cases in which a young person might be up to the task, placing your child in public school for that reason would put him or her under tremendous pressure. Sending a child into an environment that is anti-christian in philosophy subjects the mind of your child to daily teaching that is determined to replace God in every area of life. It's a dangerous experiment, one that could have lasting repercussions.

11 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 11 Big Ideas to Consider: 1. There are basically two kingdoms: a kingdom of light and a kingdom of darkness. It seems strange to have those who walk in darkness educate children of light. It doesn't fit. 2. If Jesus Christ is Lord, then He is Lord of all. We cannot divide things into secular and sacred. 3. All truth is God's truth, and God's Word sheds light on our path. Only in His light can we see light. Education is not focused on possibilities but on certainties found in God's Word. 4. Deuteronomy 6 tells parents that, in all they do, they should provide a godly education 24/7. 5. Three key institutions that shape a child are the home, the church and the school. Children are served best when all three institutions point them in the same direction. 6. Only an education that has the liberty to address the whole child - social, intellectual, emotional, physical AND spiritual - reaches the possibility of excellence. 7. The best preparation for effective service is to be well grounded in one's mind before direct engagement of the culture.

12 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 12 DuPage Christian Schools and Beyond Preschool Bethel Early Learning Center 36 N. Grant St. Westmont, IL Celebration Preschool 60 55th St. Clarendon Hills, IL Christ Church Preschool 501 Oak Brook Rd. Oak Brook, IL Community Presbyterian Church Preschool 39 N. Prospect Ave. Clarendon Hills, IL Family Life Preschool 1047 Curtis Downers Grove, IL First Friends Christian Preschool 305 E. Boughton Rd. Bolingbrook, IL First Presbyterian Preschool 715 N. Carlton St. Wheaton, IL First United Methodist Preschool 1032 Maple Ave. Downers Grove, IL x121 Gary United Methodist Preschool 224 N. Main St. Wheaton, IL Grace Episcopal Church Preschool 120 E. 1st St. Hinsdale, IL Hinsdale Covenant Preschool 30 E. 4th St. Hinsdale, IL Hinsdale United Methodist Preschool 945 S. Garfield Hinsdale, IL

13 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 13 Immanuel Lutheran Preschool 5211 Carpenter St. Downers Grove, IL Joy Junction 264 Glen Ellyn Rd. Bloomingdale, IL Jubilee Neighborhood School 345 S. President Carol Stream, IL Little Blessings Preschool 4055 S. Book Rd. Naperville, IL Little Lambs Preschool 905 S. Kent Elmhurst, IL Little Seeds 5700 Bartels Rd. Hanover Park, IL Living Lord Lutheran Preschool 1044 Congress Dr. Bartlett, IL Master's Christian Preschool 580 N. Kuhn Rd. Carol Stream, IL Oak Brook Christian School 3100 Midwest Rd. Oak Brook, IL Our Savior Lutheran Preschool 1244 W. Army Trail Rd. Carol Stream, IL Pilgrim Preschool 535 Forest Ave. Glen Ellyn, IL Precious Lambs Early Childhood Learning Center rd Street Downers Grove, IL Small Miracles Preschool 2700 West 75th St. Woodridge, IL St. John Lutheran Preschool 7214 Cass Ave. Darien, IL St. Paul Christian Day Care 545 S. Ardmore Ave. Villa Park, IL

14 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 14 DuPage Christian Schools and Beyond Sunshine Preschool 520 E. Roosevelt Rd. Wheaton, IL, The Children's Center 919 S. Washington St. Naperville, IL Toddlers Campus Preschool 1310 N. Main St. Wheaton, IL Trinity Lutheran Childcare (Preschool - K) 331 George St. West Chicago, IL Trinity Lutheran Preschool 1101 Kimberly Way Lisle, IL Union Church Early Childhood 137 S. Garfield Ave. Hinsdale, IL x20 Westminster Preschool 500 Anthony Glen Ellyn, IL Wheatland Salem Christian Academy th Street Naperville, IL Wheaton Bible Church Preschool Main St. at Franklin Wheaton, IL Zion Lutheran Early Childhood Education Center 204 S. Grant St. Hinsdale, IL

15 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 15 Grammar Bartlett Christian Academy (K - 4th) 1500 W. Stearns Rd. Bartlett, IL Bethany Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 1550 Modaff Rd. Naperville, IL Calvary Christian School (K - 8th) 9S200 State Route 59 Naperville, IL Carol Stream Christian Academy (Preschool - 8th) 610 E. North Ave. Carol Stream, IL x112 Downers Grove Christian School (Preschool - 8th) 929 Maple Avenue Downers Grove, IL Good Shepherd Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) rd St. Downers Grove, IL Marquette Manor Baptist Academy (Preschool - 3rd) th St. Downers Grove, IL Medinah Christian School (Preschool - 8th) 900 Foster Ave. Medinah, IL St. John Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 125 E. Seminary Ave. Wheaton, IL Carol Stream

16 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 16 DuPage Christian Schools and Beyond St. John Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 215 S. Lincoln Ave. Lombard, IL x101 St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran School (Preschool - 5th) 547 N. Main St. Lombard, IL Trinity Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 405 S. Rush St. Roselle, IL Trinity Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 1165 S. Meyers Rd. Lombard, IL

17 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 17 Wheaton Christian Grammar School (K - 8th) 530 E. Harrison Ave. Wheaton, IL Zion Lutheran School (Preschool - 8th) 204 S. Grant St. Hinsdale, IL High School Christ Lutheran Academy W. 127th St. Plainfield, IL Timothy Christian Schools (Preschool - 12th) 188 W. Butterfield Rd Elmhurst, IL The Greenhouse (1st - 12th) 602 E. Geneva Rd Wheaton, IL Walther Lutheran High School 900 Chicago Ave. Melrose Park, IL Wheaton Academy 900 Prince Crossing Rd. West Chicago, IL College Benedictine University 5700 College Rd. Lisle, IL Boyce College 2825 Lexington Rd. Louisville, KY Bryan College P.O. Box 7000 Dayton, TN DePaul University 1 E. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL DEPAUL Elmhurst College 190 S. Prospect Ave. Elmhurst, IL Greenville College 315 E. College Ave. Greenville, IL

18 March_Insert2007 2/28/07 5:01 PM Page 18 DuPage Christian Schools and Beyond Indiana Wesleyan University 4201 S. Washington St. Marion, IN GO.TO.IWU Multnomah Bible College 8435 NE Glisan St. Portland, OR North Park University 3225 W. Foster Ave. Chicago, IL Trinity Christian College 6601 W. College Dr. Palos Heights, IL Trinity International University 2065 Half Day Rd. Deerfield, IL Wheaton College 501 College Ave. Wheaton, IL, Oklahoma Baptist University 500 W. University Shawnee, OK Olivet Nazarene University One University Ave. Bourbonnais, IL Taylor University Fort Wayne 1025 W. Rudisill Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN Taylor University Upland 236 W. Reade Ave. Upland, IN