Right now, I have chicks in my house. They are only a couple of weeks old and live in a huge box with a heat lamp, feeder, and water station. They are living their best life—sleeping and eating without a care in the world.
These chicks will not always be in my house. Right now, they are too small and vulnerable to be outside where a feral cat or a hawk could attack them. But when they are big enough, they will move outside and join the rest of our chickens.
My children will not always be in my house either. Right now, they are growing in stature, wisdom, and understanding. By using BJU Press’s homeschool curriculum, they are receiving the best Christian homeschool education that I can give them. Part of that curriculum and instruction involves teaching them how to deal with the objectionable content that they will inevitably encounter out in the world.
BJU Press’s Approach to Secular/Objectionable Content
Education with a Biblical Worldview
BJU Press believes in the necessity of teaching children a biblical worldview through its curriculum and instruction. A biblical worldview is a framework for viewing the world as God does. God created all things, and all things exist for Him—even algebra, sentence structures, and the periodic table. Nothing is exempt. Thus, all academic subjects should be taught from a biblical worldview.
BJU Press teaches a biblical worldview by helping students think through the big story of the Bible. Its materials focus on the themes of Creation, Fall, and Redemption. These materials show students how God created everything good and gave His image-bearers dominion over the earth. Because of man’s sin, we see brokenness all around us. The curriculum also shares with students the hope of redemption. Someday God will make all things new!
BJU Press teaches students how to apply this framework to all areas of life. In Literature 6, BJU Press uses literary selections as a springboard to help students think biblically about issues. These include “Was it right for Dutch citizens to lie about the whereabouts of their Jewish neighbors and friends?” and “How should we treat animals? Is it right to keep them in captivity?”
Careful Review against Criteria
When deciding whether to include content with objectionable elements in its literature curriculum and instruction, BJU Press considers three criteria: gratuitousness, explicitness, and moral tone.
Gratuitousness
Something is gratuitous if it is unnecessary. This criterion determines whether the objectionable content is necessary to the message or whether it merely exists for its own sake. The Bible itself contains many depictions of violence, but these are purposeful. They help us understand the depths of man’s depravity and the extent of God’s righteous wrath.
Explicitness
Explicit content is detailed in an inappropriate way. In the GEM model, this refers to how detailed the depiction of sin is. Could someone reading or viewing the material be tempted to commit the same sin?
Moral tone
The author’s stance on matters of morality is the moral tone of a work. This criterion involves the attitude of the author toward objectionable content. Scripture warns us not to call evil good or good evil (Is. 5:20). Literary works should always have a negative attitude toward sin.
Handling of Specific Objectionable Content in Curriculum and Instruction
Profanity and Minced Oaths
BJU Press does not include profanity in its materials (the only exception being Macbeth). A minced oath might appear in a novel study or in the larger work of literature that a literature selection comes from.
Violence
BJU Press evaluates descriptions of violence based on gratuitousness, explicitness, and moral tone. In Perspectives in Literature, the selection Fire Road contains descriptions of violence related to the bombing of Trảng Bàng, Vietnam, in 1972. The selection is a powerful story of a victim’s journey to faith in Christ and how the Lord helped her to finally forgive those who hurt her. The story wouldn’t have the same impact without those descriptions of violence.
Gender Identity, Gender Roles, and Marriage
BJU Press materials teach that God created male and female humans. One’s biological sex at birth determines one’s gender identity. On gender roles, BJU Press materials reflect a complementarian viewpoint. Both men and women are created equally in God’s image but have distinctive God-given roles.
Likewise, BJU Press materials teach that God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman forever. However, BJU Press also recognizes that many students grow up in homes where this is not the case. Sometimes BJU Press includes literature selections that tackle this very issue. Perspectives in Literature includes a selection from the book Pay Attention, Carter Jones. In this section of the book, Carter, the main character, learns that his father is leaving the family. The selection depicts all the raw emotions that would be expected at such a discovery.
Racism
BJU Press believes that all humans were created in the image of God. Thus, all its curriculum and instruction materials oppose racism and racist ideologies. BJU Press has also worked hard to ensure that its materials are racially diverse. For example, Reading 4 Voyages includes literature selections from a variety of cultures, including Ethiopia, Mexico, the Far East, and Jewish culture.
How You Can Protect Your Children from Objectionable Content in Education
Invest in a Christian curriculum.
Christian curriculum publishers like BJU Press exist to support you in your quest to teach your children Truth. Their curriculum and instruction will help you to build up your students in the Christian faith. BJU Press doesn’t shy away from teaching what the Bible says about issues such as gender identity, sexuality, racism, the sanctity of life, and more.
Nurture discernment through engagement.
BJU Press believes that the hard controversial issues shouldn’t be ignored. Students need to be taught how to discern between good and evil. They need to know how to think biblically about the critical issues facing their generation.
A powerful tool for teaching discernment is engagement. BJU Press materials help to develop critical-thinking skills in students by asking questions throughout its curriculum and instruction. For example, the selection Hidden Among the Stars in Perspectives in Literature is a story about a Dutch family that lies about the whereabouts of their Jewish neighbors when they find out that the Nazis are targeting them for arrest. The Teacher Edition asks the question “Is it ever right to lie?” and then points students to Scripture passages to help them come up with a biblical answer.
Expose your children to the virtuous.
We should also be intentional about exposing our children to literature with high moral standards. Literature curriculum and instruction like this gives them a taste for what is good and lovely. Our children need to read about characters who choose to do the right thing, even when doing so comes at a great cost. In my blog post “Tips for Choosing Great Read-Alouds,” you can find some recommendations. Also, all BJU Press reading and literature books contain selections like this.
The Balancing Act of Education and Censorship
Although it is good and right for us to be careful about the media our children consume, we can’t censor everything. There are some things that we should censor. Some content is so objectionable that we must reject it outright. But if the objectionable content is not gratuitous, not overly explicit, and is presented within a proper moral tone, we can use it as a teaching tool. We can talk to our children about the objectionable content they encounter and help them think biblically about it. Then, when our children are grown and out of the home (and forming their own reading and viewing habits), they will have the discernment they need.
While my children are still in my home, I want to protect them from the ugly. I want to saturate their minds with God’s words. I want to share books and media filled with good and excellent things. But I also want my children to develop discernment and critical-thinking skills so they can recognize and deal with objectionable content. BJU Press is helping me meet all those goals, and I am thankful.
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