In today's world, parents have "options" when it comes to the education of their children. However, the debate rages as to what are the biblical options for Christian parents. Is home school the answer? Are Christian schools the way to go and if so, are they doing an adequate job of equipping young people with a biblical worldview? Should Christian parents send their children to a public school?

These are great questions and they need biblical answers. At Life Way, we believe that education is not neutral and, therefore, must be based on the truths of God's Word in order to assure students know Christ and view the world through the lends of Scripture. Our mission, as a ministry of First Baptist Church Centerton, is to:

ENTER into a partnership with Christian families in order to

EQUIP young people with a biblical worldview so that they can

ENGAGE the culture in a way that will

EXALT the name of Christ.

This mission is important because of the moral decline we currently see in our nation. Our homes, churches, and many Christian schools need to refocus and take a look at what God's Word says about the training up of the next generation. One passage of scripture in particular informs us that what is done at Life Way and Christian homes and schools across the globe will have eternal implications. The first few chapters in the book of Judges paint a rather sad and frightening picture as to what the future could hold for us. Judges 2:10 says, "There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." How did Israel get into this predicament of losing an entire generation for the Lord? If we look to the chapters before in the book of Joshua, the Israelites experienced great victory and even echoed Joshua's commitment of "as for me and my house, we ill serve the Lord." The question is, were the people sincere or was this an empty pledge? Do we give a similar honoring of the Lord with our lips but do our hearts and actions (divorce rates, broken homes, church attendance on the decline) show that we are far from Him?

So where did the breakdown occur? How did they lose a generation? It is a consequence of several key decisions that many seem to be currently mirroring today. First, it was a lack of true commitment to God and more of an interest in His blessing apart from their commitment to Him. The people were clinging to the gods of the past and idols in their lives. Second, we see that they did not drive out the sinful influences; they did not drive out the Canaanites and all that they represented. Similarly, many have allowed the secular influences of the culture (through TV, social media, and relationships) to impact their lives and the lives of their children. Many have lived a life of compromise instead of conviction. As the Israelites went from "not driving out" to actually adopting their customs and lifestyles (Psalm 106:35), so many have allowed the secular influences of our time to influence their decisions and the training up of their children. Finally, in the last chapter and last verse of Judges, we find that the people of Israel had totally rejected the leadership of the judges and had decided to do whatever they felt was right in their own eyes. They no longer longed for the knowledge of the Lord or lived a life of commitment to Him. They had made themselves a god, similar to what we find in our culture today.