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In Kingdom of Children, Mitchell Stevens details the tensions between Christian and secular homeschoolers. He says problems are solvable. "Christian homeschool leaders would need to take the concerns of secular homeschoolers more seriously than they have in the past and-here's the hard part-compromise, not necessarily on spiritual convictions, but on the degree to which faith commitments are allowed to shape the organizational structure of the cause."

"On the other hand, the homeschool movement is now sufficiently mature that it can accommodate a wide array of organizations. Homeschool diversity comes at the price of unity, but many would seem to prefer it that way."

Margaret Talbot paid Christian homeschooling families a high compliment in her Atlantic Monthly article: "Christian homeschoolers embody a coherent, living critique of mainstream education and child-rearing that can be bracing, a model of carefully negotiated, mildly irritating separateness, of being in but not of modern consumer society. The tensions that creates may be the most useful thing about them."

As long as their "living critique" is expressed with an active love for their neighbors, those 8,000-plus CHAP conventioneers and their kids are making a significant contribution to our world and to the furtherance of the gospel.

Christine Scheller is a freelance writer living in Newport Beach, California.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

A ready-to-download Bible Study on this article is available at ChristianBibleStudies.com. These unique Bible studies use articles from current issues of Christianity Today to prompt thought-provoking discussions in adult Sunday school classes or small groups.

A ready-to-download Bible Study on this article is available at ChristianBibleStudies.com. These unique Bible studies use articles from current issues of Christianity Today to prompt thought-provoking discussions in adult Sunday school classes or small groups.

Also appearing on our site today:

No Dissing This LearningHomeschools do as well, if not better, than their classroom counterparts.

Recent Christianity Today articles on homeschooling include:

Homeschooling Boosts Socialization |New study finds homeschooled children friendlier and more socially developed. (Nov. 16, 2001)

Teach Your Children WellHearing 'When I was in school' helps our children no more than it helped us. (Oct. 16, 2001)

Two Schools of ThoughtMany parents wonder what's best for their children—Christian or public education. Two Dallas schools suggest an answer. (May 18, 2001)

In Focus on the Family radio broadcasts July 8 (audio) and July 9 (audio), James Dobson reiterated a call from his March 28 program for parents to pull their children out of public schools in some states. Christianity Today coverage of the story includes:

Children First, Schools NextChristian parents should not face social stigma for removing kids from public schools. (Sept. 5, 2002)

'Get Our Kids Out' |Dobson says pro-gay school curriculum has gone too far. (July 29, 2002)

For more articles on schools and homeschooling, see our Education archive.

Our parenting site's Home School Center has helpful hints on deciding what schooling option is best for your children.

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September 9 2002, Vol. 46, No. 10