Laszlo Demeter in podcast: Child at public school is listening to an atheist preacher
Laszlo Demeter. Photo CNE.news
European Union
Would it not be more practical to do Bible teaching at home and send our children to the local public school? No, certainly not, says Laszlo Demeter from an international organisation that helps Christian schools.
As director of ACSI Europe (Association of Christian Schools International), Demeter often gets the question of whether Christian schools are necessary.
As an answer, Demeter asks a counter-question: “What would you think if the pastor went home and an atheist came and preached for those Sundays? Does that make a difference? Well, we do the same thing with bringing our children to the state schools.”
By sending your child to public school, you are allowing the influence of people with “very different beliefs.”
Demeter agrees that many teachers in public schools are excellent. “But I also believe in preparing students for eternity. Not just for life.”
Christian mathematics
Demeter says that a Christian school works from another worldview. That influences all subjects. On whether there is such a thing as Christian mathematics, he says: “Yes, there is. Most mathematics books say, if you set aside 500 euros every month, how much money will you have for a holiday in five years? But you could also say, what if you give 5 per cent to a charity, what an impact can you make as a result?”
The Biblical worldview leads to another application of the subject. “The numbers do not change, but the results will be different,” says Demeter in the CNE podcast.
ACSI originally comes from the United States and mainly reaches out to Protestant schools worldwide. In Europe, they serve schools in 24 countries. ACSI does not have schools itself but helps schools and equips personnel to apply the Christian faith in education. Their work in Europe started after the anti-communist revolution in Eastern Europe. Demeter has been with the organisation since 1995.
His main concerns for education are media use, anxiety among youngsters, and family breakdown. “The biggest dilemma is how do we guide young people in their thinking? You want to teach them to make good choices on their own. We should never force students to choose the good things, but we should allow them to choose the right thing. And also, mandatory things, like the common worship, should be exercised in love.”
In the end, all the concerns around education are spiritual. “We really need to come to Christ. We need to be on our knees in prayer to find the best answers.”
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