How
Should We Then
Teach?
How do we teach so that
we can fulfill our purpose
and glorify God?
By Wayne S. Walker
In 1976 Christian philosopher Fran- cis A. Schaeffer wrote a book titled How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and
Culture. I highly recommend it for any
homeschool study of Western history and
civilization, especially in preparation for
college. Based upon the ideas presented
by Mr. Schaeffer, this article is intended
to provide suggestions to homeschool-
ing families in answering this question:
“How should we then teach?”
By the word how, I do not mean
“method.” There are numerous excellent
and effective forms of instruction and
learning for homeschoolers; each fam-
ily should choose the methods that work
best for them. Nor am I discussing cur-
riculum. There are also many different
kinds of curricula to suit just about ev-
eryone’s needs.
“What our children should learn” has,
for the most part, been determined by
custom, based on the needs of educated
society. In this article, I’ll discuss what
is generally considered the core of a
good education. The question for those
who believe the Bible and appreciate the
unique background of our culture is this:
How do we teach so that we can fulfill
our purpose and glorify God?
Reading/Literature
Some children begin reading naturally,
but to learn to read properly, most children need a good phonics program (as
opposed to the look/say or “whole language” method). Several are available.
We used Professor Phonics along with
the Bob Books, but there are others.
Why is learning to read important?
First, it opens the door to every other
subject and gives children a tool with
which they can then learn independent-
ly. But there’s a second, more important
reason: “How that by revelation he made
known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote
afore in few words, Whereby, when ye
read, ye may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3: 3–4).
The word Scripture means “that which
is written.” What is written is intended
to be read. God has revealed His will to
mankind in written form and He wants
us to read it. Phonics opponents have
criticized phonics proponents, saying
that the only reason we want children to
learn phonics is so they can read the Bi-
ble. However, as Phyllis Schlafly notes, if
they learn to read the Bible, they can read
anything else too, including great works
of literature!
