James Stobaugh and his wife, Karen, have homeschooled their four children for the last 15 years. A Mennonite pastor and certified secondary teacher, he has also been an SAT coach for more than two decades.

He holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Seminary,and Gordon-Conwell Seminary, and has published articles in numerous periodicals, including Leadership, Ministries Today, and Pulpit Digest.

CBD: What is your educational background, and what motivated you to write The SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student?

JS: I am the father of four homeschooled Christian students, and I wanted my experience of coaching students for over 30 years to benefit them and their Christian peers.

CBD: How does your approach differ from similar books on the subject like Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT or the Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT?

JS: I would reword the question this way: How do Christian students prepare for the SAT I? Don't they take the same college entrance exams as nonbelievers?

If one sees all endeavors in which Christians involve themselves as led by the Holy Spirit, and if one accepts that a high SAT score is desirable, and if one believes that one may have to spend a great deal of time preparing for the SAT, then it seems to me we should contextualize this event in Christian terms.

How To and Cracking are well and good, but they certainly do not contextualize the SAT preparation process in a Christian context. Also, I am not seeking to "crack" anything—my students improve their scores by improving their thinking skills, and they work as if they are working for God. Finally, the stress reduction component of my book is scriptural in origin and application. This is not the case in secular courses.

In summary, if one is called to college, I see SAT preparation as a preparation for life, not merely for college. However, if Christians truly want to change their world for Christ, if they want to be world changers—and not merely successful students—they may need to do more than make a high score. That is easy—what is more difficult is to prepare in the spiritual area.

Next, many of the secular courses have attitude problems. They show us how to "crack" the SAT. My children already have enough attitude! Avoid these strategies.

SAT preparation should be a long project. This would never work for most Americans—but it should and does for Christians (especially of the homeschooled variety!). Preparation best occurs over one, two, or, even better, three years.

Finally, when the Educational Testing Service changed the SAT in March 1994, it did the Christian community—especially the Christian homeschool community—a great favor. The Christian homeschool community is scoring almost 150 points above the national average. Within a few years, homeschoolers will move to the head of graduating classes of the most prestigious Christian and secular universities in America. I believe that they will become leaders in government and industry. The Christian community has not had such an opportunity to influence civil society since the time of Constantine. This is a great opportunity and challenge … The SAT I is the first challenge homeschoolers must overcome.

CBD: Controversy has swirled around the SAT concerning its viability as an indicator of the student's future academic performance in college. In fact, many colleges and universities no longer require SATs. Critics say that the SATs only measures how well somebody can use tricks to pass the test. Can you offer any insights into this controversy?

JS: Not really true … 78% of American colleges require the SAT I and almost all of them accept it. In fact, I believe that it fairly accurately measures the potential of an incoming college freshman to do well in college. The SAT I is an aptitude test—not an achievement test (like the Iowa Basics or Stanford Tests). It is taken during the second semester junior year or first semester senior year. It measures your potential success in college; it does not necessarily measure your information acquisition and assimilation skills. And it most certainly is not an intelligence test! It has absolutely nothing at all to do with your worth or esteem in God's eyes. Our worth as a person is not measured by a high or low SAT score. On the contrary, we are of priceless value to Him (see Psalm 139). But that does not lessen its importance. For homeschoolers in particular—who do not have diplomas from an accredited school—the SAT is extremely important.

CBD: Every institution has different admissions criteria. But generally speaking, what do colleges look for in homeschooled students? What types of information or documentation do college admissions departments require from home educators?

JS: Clearly, for homeschoolers, the objective, standardized test is most critical to college admission. This makes sense, doesn't it: it is the only objective measurement of our children's potential.

CBD: As the father of homeschooled children, what personal advice or encouragement can you share with parents whose young people are college bound?

JS: I think that this is the most strategic generation in the history of the world. Within their lifetime—those from age 10 to 20—will occur the greatest revival in human history. I tell you, I am excited! That is the reason that my SAT prep course is so important—not that it increases scores, but it is helping this generation grow in the Lord. Os Guinness, Christian scholar and author, in his book Beyond the Culture Wars, argues that America is in trouble. America's problem is much deeper than obvious problems, such as family breakdown, the deficit, drugs, AIDS, discipline in the schools, or crime … there is a crisis of cultural authority which means that once inspired, disciplined, and restrained Americans have lost their binding addresses, their inner compelling power to shape culture. In short, Guinness argues that America is in danger of losing its soul. It has begun to lose its ability to affect culture in a productive way. The good news is, I believe, that the Church of Jesus Christ will rise up and bring revival to our nation.

It is my prayer that The SAT Preparation Course For the Christian Student, in a modest way, will be used by the Lord to bring this great revival. If even one of you is encouraged toward that goal, then my prayers are answered. Work hard for such a time as this! My prayer for American Christian young people is (Ephesians 3:14-21)

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end." Amen.