College: a necessity?

Apprenticeships and trade schools have for centuries aided the skilled workers of the world by training people in specific tasks. Universities and Colleges have honed the minds and shaped men and women alike to take roles in various fields. But are these necessary? The immediate answer is "Yes, because the authoritative certifying agencies demand it for various fields." We don't mind a shade-tree mechanic working on our old van, but we don't want a "shade-tree" heart surgeon working on our Mom!
But what happened to fathers and grandfathers training sons, and mothers and grandmothers training daughters? Not to mention uncles and aunts, etc, etc. There are many fields that could be trained for right from the home.
One of the reasons this is not happening in America today the way it did in times past is that the Deuteronomy Six commands are not being practiced. Notice: Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Now clearly, what is being pressed here is the teaching of the Law to the household. It is an all day, every moment thing. Teach with the mouth, teach with the life. But this could not be accomplished if the children were not with them when they sat in the house, when they walked by the way and when they laid down and rose up.
With the present cultural mode of operation the family is placed in an environment that almost demands that the children go one way, dad goes another and mom goes yet another. Therefore there is little fellowship for learning godliness from the father and mother, much less a skill or trade.
We have opted for short family devotionals to replace the "walking by the way" and we have placed a Television set to replace the "sitting in thine house".
What a challenge we face in training our children. What a challenge we face in determining that we will break the mold and move toward a more sound center.

College with a Purpose

College with a purpose
We have a college at our church. That is no new revelation to most of the folks reading this blog, but it might be a revelation to many that the college is open to anyone who would like to know more about the Scriptures and the Christian faith.
We don’t want to limit it by age, in fact, if your child can sit still without disturbing the other students, that child is welcome. If you have a small child, sit near the door, and if need be, take the child out when the disturbance becomes evident. We don’t want to limit anyone who would like to sit and learn.
It is not a floor for open debate, but honest questions are certainly welcome. It is not a church service, it is a college class. However, we bathe each class with prayer, we open with prayer and close with prayer. The Scriptures are held up as our final standard for all discussions.
The teachers are men educated in the Scriptures, not novices. Some have been Pastors of churches, some are deacons, others, faithful members of a local assembly that holds to the Scriptures as their final authority. All are born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and profess this in both word and life.
The cost is relatively inexpensive. In fact, if a person wants to attend and honestly cannot afford to attend, we will work with them in any manner that is reasonable to insure that they can continue their studies. If you would like to sit in on the class and just listen, that is free. Come as often as you like. All semester if you would like. We want the Word to be taught to all who wish to receive it.
Yes, it is a Baptist College. We make no apology for that either. We are not an arrogant group that says, “if you are not Baptist, you cannot attend”, but rather, if you can handle a baptistic lean on certain subjects, you are welcome as well. For instance, if you sprinkle, and call it baptism, you are welcome. However, don’t come to class expecting to use that class time to indoctrinate the rest of the students on covenantal theology.
Yes, we are Sovereign grace, or doctrines of grace. Again, if you are an arminian, and pleased with your position, you are welcome to attend as well. “No, Servetus, you will not be taken out and burned. We stopped that almost two semesters ago, so relax.” However, again, you will not be allowed to take the floor and filibuster for your position on election.
We want you to enjoy the class, learn, and go away challenged to take the Word of God and see if the things that have been taught are in fact scriptural. Study to show YOURSELF approved.
If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you concerning any interest. I can mail you a catalogue and application as well, just send your address and specific request.