A Narnian Education

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Without surprise, here at VCA, we believe that Christian parents are obligated to give their children a distinctly Christian education. The richness, complexity, and beauty of God and His work as revealed in the Scriptures and meditated upon by Christians for generations, gives form to everything in a Christian educational philosophy. Christian education is not just all normal subjects one finds in a public school with the Bible added as a cherry on top. Christian education is influencing students to embrace, love, and pass on the great tradition of faith we have received from those who have gone before. 

Given the state of public education in America, it’s virtually impossible to fulfill this obligation if a family partners with a local public school to help raise their children. There is almost no point of agreement between the central tenants that make up a Christian world and life view and the central tenants that make up the atheistic/secular worldview in the public schools. There was a time when this was not as much the case as it is now, but unfortunately, the differences have grown into a chasm at this point. So Christians parents must be committed to pass on one of the most important things they have: their faith. 

CS Lewis, that great author and apologist of the previous century, wrote much on the topic of education. His book The Abolition of Man is a devastating critique of the new way of education; the first chapter alone will show the divide quite clearly in memorable ways. Lewis was an excellent logician and scholar, but some of his most memorable and effective works come through his skill of storytelling. By turning to the Abolition of Man, I could demonstrate the necessity of Christian education for children who belong to Christian households, but I think I will turn to one of his stories to get the point across. The point is demonstrated, by way of metaphor and analogy, by the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Horse and His Boy.

If you are unfamiliar with The Horse and His Boy, the story centers around a young boy named Shasta. Shasta is adopted by a man from the region of Calormen which is to the south of Aslan’s land of Narnia; in fact, the Calormen and the Narnians are often enemies of each other. Shasta lives with his adopted, Calormen father Harsheesh, and though he’s never been told, he knows he’s adopted and that Harsheesh is not his real father. Although Shasta knows that he and his father’s physical features are different, there is something within Shasta that is not in Harshessh, namely, a longing for the North (where Narnia lies). Every time Shasta asks about what lies to the North of Calormen he is chastised by Harsheesh and exhorted to keep his mind on the task in front of him, which is generally one of a servile nature. 

While I highly encourage you to read the story yourself, the long-short of the story goes like this: Shasta escapes Calormen with a talking Narnian horse named Bree to discover for themselves what lies to the North by following the longing in their hearts. Through a series of providential circumstances and adventures, Shasta runs into a boy who is his exact twin in appearance and come to find out later this boy, Corin, and Shasta are actually brothers, fathered by the King of Archenland (a cousin region and friend of Narnia), King Lune. Shasta learns about his true heritage of royalty and he receives his birth name again, Cor, Prince of Archenland. It's a wonderful story of chance and providence, separation and reconciliation, friendship and family. You must give it a read (along with the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia series).

This story serves as a great metaphor for what we are seeking to accomplish at VCA: we are seeking to give a ‘Narnian’ education to ‘Narnian’ children. 

Christian children growing up in Christian households have a certain heritage, history, identity, and set of values that they don’t necessarily share with their neighbors. Because of the covenantal and sanctifying influence of their parents, St. Paul calls these children, born into believing homes, ‘holy’ (1 Cor. 7:14) as they are the godly seed that God desires (Malachi 2:15). This sets them apart in terms of their history and identity and they should receive an education that reinforces and explores this history and identity. In a Christian school, biblical history becomes their history; Abraham, the father of all the faithful (Romans 4:16), is their father Abraham; the Lord Jesus Christ is their awaited Messiah; all the saints from biblical times and throughout the history of the church are their family members. These realities ought to be expounded upon in the Christian school and embraced by Christian children; the same cannot be said of the government school and those outside the faith. 

Unfortunately, because of the nature of public education in America, Christian kids in public schools are receiving a ‘Calormen’ education as opposed to a ‘Narnian’ education. They are like Shasta, not able to receive the full truth of their inheritance and identity as a Narnian. For Shasta, discovering the truth of his identity, status, and heritage now sets the direction for the whole of his life; it becomes the governing reality for the rest of his days. His family history takes on a new meaning, his personal relationships are colored by his new status, his aim in life is now radically different that what they were in Calormen. Such can be said of the Christian child. By removing children from the public school (Calormen) and placing them in a Christian schooling environment (Narnia), private or home, children can be like Shasta and step into their heritage. Biblical history is their family history, God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is their Father, and their aim in life is to walk with Christ and serve Him all their days.