No education is neutral. Secular curriculum and Christian curriculum both have a worldview. Curriculum that claims to be neutral is not. There is no such thing.
“Neutrality is a secular, anti-biblical concept” (Jason Lisle)
And that brings me to one of the most controversial topics I’ve ever encountered in homeschooling (and I’ve been in the homeschool movement since 1983): The Good and the Beautiful homeschool curriculum.
I’ve avoided talking about this for years (unless someone specifically asked me about it), but the more I speak to people about choosing a decidedly Christian curriculum, the more I realize the need to address The Good and the Beautiful (TGATB) too.
Elizabeth Urbanowicz (Foundation Worldview) has done the most thorough job of explaining why this curriculum is not for Christian families. (See her YouTube video below.)
Why?
The Good and The Beautiful is not neutral, though thousands think that it is. Christianity and Mormonism are not the same, and are not compatible. In Elizabeth’s video, she illustrates several reasons from the curriculum:
- Misleading claim of being a non-denominational curriculum
- Faulty view of Jesus
- Faulty view of humans
- Faulty view of salvation
- Faulty focus on feelings
Dr. Jason Lisle states, “Perhaps the most significant text pertaining to a child’s education is Proverbs 22:6 which states, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.’ The Hebrew word translated “train” is (ḥᵃnōḵ). It is in the imperative form, indicating a command. That is, God commands us to train up children in the way they should go.”
Knowing that, should our children go the way of Mormonism? Should they even go the way of a faux neutrality? Should they be trained in a curriculum that strives to appeal to the masses?
Or should we be deliberate in teaching our children a biblical worldview?
I believe strongly that the second is true. I have written extensively about this over the years:
- Homeschool Curriculum and the Sovereignty of God
- Answers in Genesis Homeschool Curriculum
- Christian Education
“If you were told that education is neutral, I’m afraid I have some bad news: you were lied to. Sadly, this is actually one of the greatest lies that continues to be perpetuated by evangelicals. Don’t buy it for a minute. Do everything in your power to give your children an education that is Christ-centered, “so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18).” (Josh Niemi, Expository Parenting)
I sincerely believe that many well-meaning moms choose TGATB curriculum because it’s pretty and it’s easy to use. But along with that, they choose it because they do not know what the Mormon church teaches, or they do not know what the Bible teaches.
If you don’t understand the vast differences between historic, biblical Christianity and Mormonism, I highly recommend videos by Melissa Dougherty, as well as the video recommended in the video above by Mike Winger.
While you may feel that it is safe enough to present a generic curriculum, wisdom tells us that there is no such thing. And even if you personally believe that the beliefs taught in TGATB curriculum will not affect your faith or your child’s faith, I hope you will consider it this way: biblical apologetics is vital, and you could be providing it on a daily basis with strong, Christian curriculum choices. Or, you can just present a vague Mormon doctrine.
Why would any Christian parent not choose a strong biblical worldview?
I suppose that Moms who choose TGATB have not actually spent time in a curriculum that presents a strong biblical worldview.
Dear parents, please understand how important this is. Public schools claim to be neutral. We know that they are not. But removing your children from public schools and trying to choose a “neutral” curriculum again is madness. We in the Christian homeschool community have an outstanding opportunity to disciple a small percentage of the population in a way that no other school can.
Go all in. Embrace the biblical worldview. Equip your kids with a strong foundation in the apologetics of the Christian (not Mormon) faith. You will open up their world, andy quite possibly yours, too!
Curriculum Recommendations
Because you may be wondering what curriculum to use instead, let me just say that there are many! I’ll share a list that spans many budgets and homeschooling styles.
- Master Books
- Generations
- My Father’s World
- Mystery of History
- Institute for Excellence in Writing
- Demme Learning (math and language arts)
- Berean Builders science
- The 101 Series science
- Apologia Science
- Answers in Genesis
- Classical Historian
- A Beka
- Bob Jones University
- Notgrass History
- Simply Charlotte Mason
- F.O.R.M. healthy and fitness
You can see a long list at the Teach Them Diligently convention website (and go to one of the conventions if you can!).
I welcome your feedback, but I only ask that you take the time to watch the video I posted first. Understand what the Mormon church teaches, and that there cannot be a “neutral” form of Christianity.
**UPDATE**
As expected, defenders of TGATB were quite vocal! Based on hundreds of social media comments, I decided to post a couple more thoughts:
1. The majority of objections to my post were pragmatic. “It’s so pretty/it’s free/it’s the ONLY curriculum that worked for us.”
Pragmatism stresses experience over fixed principles, or in this case, convenience over principle. While this is quite common in Christian circles (hello, public school?), it is a dangerous place for Christians to be. Christianity is the narrow way. It is the inconvenient way. Just look at Christians down through the centuries. It is narrow, and it is worth it.
2. The 2nd most common objection to my post was that “we don’t use TGATB to teach theology.” Boy, I hope not! But why would you use any material in your home from a brand that contradicts your theology? Would you defend an Islamic curriculum so staunchly? A Buddhist curriculum? A queer curriculum? (Yes, that’s a thing.)
With the massive availability of distinctly Christian curriculum, homeschoolers have the opportunity to uphold and even defend the biblical worldview. Why would you settle for a whitewashed “neutral” version instead? Homeschool mom, you have been given the gift of time and quality materials! Why settle?
3. Israel Wayne made a good point: “I think Evangelical Christians need to consider how much they are normalizing Mormonism in the eyes of their children by giving them so many Mormon created resources and raving about how wonderful they are.” We should be discerning. The Mormon church is on a mission to convince the world that their beliefs are just like Christianity, and they’re doing an excellent job. They are always on the leading edge of mom-centered culture, like scrapbooking, MLM companies, homeschooling and homesteading, and their carefully crafted social media platforms entice more moms into what they believe is a nice, neutral world.
Red flags should be raised knowing that they use deceptive language to whitewash their own beliefs and entice the masses. Jesus said, ““Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13)
This is not bashing, or hate, or bigotry. It is a call for truth and discernment. “Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3)
I recommend a couple of resources for your homeschool (for teens and for parents who have never studied doctrine or logic):
* Foundations in Faith by Israel Wayne (Master Books):
Foundations in Faith is a homeschool curriculum designed to teach Bible doctrine to teens and preteens. Your students will learn the basics of what Christians have held true as they study Scripture along with the creeds, confessions, and catechisms used over time to instill biblical truths. These helpful tools have been written to help Christ followers cling to the authority of God’s Word and avoid the pitfalls of believing heresies promoted within the culture and possibly even the church.
* Introduction to Logic by Jason Lisle (Master Books):
This Introduction to Logic homeschool curriculum will both challenge and inspire 8th to 10th grade students to defend their faith against atheists and skeptics alike. This biblical worldview course teaches methods that are reliable and effective in defending the truth of the Bible. Your students will grow in their ability to refute the untruths that evolutionists claim as fact.
A reader asked me to comment on this video by The Good and The Beautiful:
It’s quite concerning that among the group of curriculum developers are also Seventh Day Adventists, whose beliefs are just as troubling as Mormons. The span of denominations listed just enforces the truth that TGATB is trying to be everything to everyone. The goal of unity sounds nice, but unity usually means compromise.
“Tolerance and respect for other people’s faith” is not biblical. We are commanded to love our neighbor and to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, not to tolerate and respect the other beliefs.
Jenny states in the video that TGATB curriculum does not mention salvation. Well, okay. But for Christians, why not? The Mystery of History teaches about the historical Jesus as well as the biblical Jesus, followed by the message of the cross and salvation. I cannot think of a better way to educate my children than to tie their history lessons with the truths of scripture and point them to Jesus, the author of our salvation!
Additionally, they have prepared a document listing all of the quotes by LDS leaders in their curriculum. This is addressing a shallow need for documentation. The real question that a bible-believing Christian should be asking is, “Why would there be LDS quotes in any curriculum I use with my children?” The rest of what she addresses has already been written about above.
Leave a Reply