When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling

Any Christian who is considering homeschooling their children or who has already made that decision should read this book. It is liberating to have God's truth put forth so succinctly, without equivocation. I believe reading this book can make Christian homeschooling parents more discriminating, including that it can help them to be more wise consumers of homeschooling curricula. In this somewhat slim volume (142 pages), R. C. Sproul, Jr. distills from the Bible why Christian parents not only should, but must, homeschool their children. Moreover, drawing primarily from Deuteronomy 6, he draws attention to how God says this is to be done (the methodology); namely, teaching our children continuously through conversation and living. The covenant of Christian parents -- Christian families -- is to raise godly seed, warriors in the spiritual battle between God's seed and Satan, with some key differences between raising boys to be godly men and raising girls to be godly women. The core Christian homeschool curriculum must cover the "three Gs": Who is God? What has God done? What does God require? Part way through the book, I had a concern about a strong statement the author had made, so I stopped then and there and sent him an e-mail about it and within a few days received an open and gracious response from him that satisfied my concern. This book contains what some may consider strong spiritual meat. As a homeschooling grandma, this book has helped me; I will probably cite it when I write my own book or books on homeschooling; and moreover, I plan to read most, if not all, of the author's other works and expect to consider the time spent doing so as a wise investment in the ongoing growth in wisdom of my family members, young and old, four generations now living.

This book sat on my shelf for a few months before I finally decided to read it last night. I had heard great things from people in my church and from friends abroad; further, I had met Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. last November at an event in San Antonio. This was the time, I reckoned, to explore his views on the growing practice of home education. I was impressed with Dr. Sproul's humble, cogent manner of argumentation. It is very apparent, not only from the illustrations he uses but also from what I have heard about him, that he LIVES what he teaches. If you desire to learn about the Scriptural commands of parental training, read this book. Agree or disagree with him, this is an excellent summary. Furthermore, Dr. Sproul is not content to make a simple, half-hearted statement about the value of home education. He rejects pragmatism and all forms of unbiblical reasoning by forcing the issue: "By what standard?" His answer: Scripture alone. Dr. Sproul successfully shows the importance of teaching children with a lifestyle-based methodology geared to instill multigenerational, covenantal faithfulness. His views are decidedly reformed, even -- dare I say -- Van Tillian, which adds to the appeal in my mind. In short: This book does not merely summarize the growing "home schooling movement." It seeks to praise the good, critique the questionable, redirect the wayward, motivate the weary, and instill vision within the faithful. For his efforts, I highly commend Dr. Sproul.

For anyone wanting a "why" to homeschool this is the book for you. An argument is made connecting the Paideia of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 to the commands in the New Testament (as per) to "train our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Not stopping there, a beautiful picture is painted of The Great Conversation. That is, parents are to explain God to their children on an ongoing daily basis. Finally, we are encouraged to pass these values along transgenerationally. A must read for the "why" of homeschooling.

What a breath of fresh air this book was. Addressing the foundational reasons for homeschooling your child, it cuts right to the quick of the matter and dispatches the foolish and ungodly with Biblical accuracy. 'Why education?' is a question that many, unfortunately, do not ask themselves before sending their malleable children into the hands of the enemies of the Cross for 40 hours per week. This book answers that critical question. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to homeschool their children.

R.C. Sproul, Jr. reminded me of WHY I am homeschooling. I want children who are a little more like their Heavenly Father every day. The great lightbulb for me as I read the book was that this can be achieved by talking to my children (Deut. 6). It's so simple, but so urgent! I know I have read a great book when, with every turn of the page, I am convinced that I need to put down that book to read my Bible...alone or with my children.