Be a World Leader!

By Joanna Griffith

Who rules the world? How do we get the worldviews, trends, and controversies that shape our culture? To a great extent, the answer is one word – leaders. Leaders are the ones who present ideas, who propose solutions to problems, who persuade minds that their view of the world is correct.

As we look at the world today, we would likely say that many of our leaders fail to lead well. But what can we do about it? How can we change the leaders of the world? Simply put, we can change the leaders of the world by being those leaders. To a great extent, leadership is a silent opportunity sitting in front of nearly every individual in this country. Though not all will achieve fame and their name on the top news headlines, everyone can lead in some way. And someone will lead. We will not reach a time where no one has any ideas or beliefs and no one wants to shape the world. Every generation brings men and women who want to lead. So the question is not “will someone lead?”, it is “who will lead and how will they lead?”.

How can you lead? Leadership venues will vary based on our position in life. Whatever career one may choose, leadership opportunities accompany it. Every field needs to be shaped by quality leaders. The business world needs honest workers with integrity. The entertainment industry lacks vision for quality work. Our manufacturing sector needs intelligent minds who will lead a competitive market. Whatever the industry, leadership is essential.

But what about a woman who doesn't plan for a 30-40 year career and instead wants to have a family? For women, much of the leadership they show may be in raising the next generation of leaders. No matter what advances this generation makes, they will not last without another generation to carry them on. Thus, it is vital that women lead through shaping the next generation. The saying is true that “the hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world”. Napoleon I said, “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.” H.W. Beecher noted, “The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom.” Mothers can shape the beliefs of their children, thus shaping the beliefs of the leaders of the next generation.

Whether you anticipate a long career in engineering or being the mother and teacher of children, leadership opportunities lie open. Some will seize these opportunities. Will you?

Opposition to E-schools

By Joanna Griffith

On-line charter schools, a new educational method, are sweeping the nation. With many parents calling for school choice and hundreds of thousands of families teaching their children at home, public schools find themselves losing a grip on their stronghold. Organizations such Colorado's K-12 and COVA programs provide a new option for the public education system to maintain some control of students who might otherwise be removed from their oversight. K-12, COVA, and other similar programs may on the surface appear to be a great boon to homeschooling parents. While keeping their children at home under their watch, parents receive free curriculum through this on-line education option, support from the public school system, even a free computer. It sounds good. So why are some in the homeschool community opposed to this idea?

First, on-line charter schools provide just one more opportunity for the government education system to hold unjustified control over the education of children. By enrolling in a public, charter school program, parents participate in what many view as an illegitimate role of government, the public schools receive additional funds, and families must report to the government on their own children's education. Simply put, these on-line public schools strengthen the government's stronghold on education – a field not rightly theirs.

Secondly, these schools fail to provide a distinctly Christian education. Just like a typical education in the public schools, this on-line curriculum is conspicuously devoid of a Christian world view. For many parents desiring to give their children a fully Christian education, e-schools introduce the humanistic values of the public education system.

Thirdly, these programs, along with allowing the government to maintain some oversight of these student's education, also provides a means to coax families back to the public schools.

Many good, Christian families enroll their children in on-line, public, charter programs. In doing so, they have not instantly denied their children a good, Christian education. However, all homeschooling families must carefully consider the effects of using such programs. While they may provide nice financial benefits, parents must carefully consider the goals truly important in the education of their children and seek how God would have them best meet these goals and honor Him.

Deprivation for the Wrong Reasons

By Joanna Griffith

“You say I should deprive myself by not eating and sleeping? Hey, I already do that! I never have time to eat or sleep with my schedule!”

For many of us, hearing the suggestion that we deprive ourselves of food or sleep doesn't sound too convicting. We're already doing that. But here we see a misconception. Fasting, or other forms of deprivation should be undertaken to focus on prayer, Bible reading, seeking God's will in a certain decision, etc. When we deprive ourselves simply because our busy lifestyle doesn't allow us time to eat or sleep, we are not engaging in the true, beneficial forms of deprivation, and cannot reap the real benefits from it. Just as going to church doesn't make someone a Christian, so fasting doesn't mean that we draw near to God.

And not only that, but the very fact that our lifestyle deprives us of necessary food and sleep may be a sign that we need to take a real fast and consider our ways. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage.” Yes, we are depriving ourselves, but why are we doing it? And what benefits are we receiving from this deprivation? At times our lives may require to us to forsake food or sleep. A mother of a newborn baby, for example, likely won't get in eight hours of sleep a night. But often, our deprivation may be due merely to the fact that our priorities are wrong. We are filling our lives with unnecessary activities, depriving ourselves of what is really important. So if we find ourselves depriving ourselves simply because we are too busy, perhaps it is time to step back, engage in a season of real fasting, and seek God's will for our lives.

Warehousing Girls, Part 3: Home Sweet Home

By Joanna Griffith

Last week we looked at some reasons for a girl to attend college. It is the usual thing in our culture, it allows a girl to further her education, and she can pursue a career from home or as a single woman. So why wouldn't a young lady attend college? Let's briefly consider some arguments in favor of a young woman staying home after graduation.

First, as many Christian young ladies would agree that their primary goal for much of life is to raise a family, they ought to focus on preparing for this calling. In justifying a college education, some parents argue that this will allow a girl to "fall back" on a career if she needs to make money or remains single. To do this, though, is to focus on the exception. Most women will marry and will mother children. Most women, if they are careful who they marry, will have reliable, supportive husbands, and will not need to work full-time jobs outside the home. Women are called to be "keepers at home". The passage in Titus 2 makes no qualification that this only applies to married women. A woman's place is in the home.

So many hear this and think, "What does a woman do when she's not taking care of a work-intensive family?" Once a girl graduates from high school, is she supposed to just sit around and wait for her father to bring "Mr. Right" through the front door?

While the idea of not going off to college may seem to yield a dreary, hopeless post-graduation life, there are many things a young woman can do. First, many ladies graduate high school while their siblings are quite young. Girls can stay home and help their mother with caring for the home and homeschooling the younger children. If her mother does not need extensive help at home, the young lady will likely have much time to devote to other pursuits. She can tutor students, help in a family business, babysit, care for the elderly, serve those in her church and community, run her own home or on-line business . . . the list goes on.

Perhaps a young woman has interest in pursuing higher education in a particular subject. Maybe she's always wanted to learn more about ancient history. Our modern age provides many opportunities for an individual to take college classes from home. A young lady can take a couple of classes on-line and still have time to work with her family. Generally, those who voice opposition to a young woman leaving home to attend college, still agree that women should be highly educated. But obtaining a good education need not include leaving home.

Additionally, young women are needed in families, and fail to fill those roles. One dear mother has told me of the great need for young women to serve as mother's helpers. This mother has six young children, and would be thrilled to have the frequent help of a young lady. Girls who are still in school, often cannot provide frequent, extended help. Sadly, she says, those girls who have graduated are typically focused on careers. They head off to college to pursue a career, forgetting those needs in the home.

So by staying at home, a young lady remains under the protection and authority of her father, prepares for marriage and motherhood, can pursue hobbies and interests, and can serve those around her.

For more on this issue, check out the following resources. Please note that I have not extensively reviewed all of these resources.

So Much More by Elizabeth and Anna Sofia Botkin (available from CHEC), Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald, In My Father's House by Tamara and Naomi Valine, and Ladies Against Feminism.

As we have briefly looked at these issues in the past few weeks, it is my prayer that you will consider these issues in light of what Scripture says. This is a divisive issue, but we must carefully follow God's calling. May He bless you as you seek to follow His will for your life in this area.

Warehousing Girls, Part 2: Off to College

By Joanna Griffith

What is a young Christian woman to do after high school graduation? As I mentioned last week, this question stirs much controversy in Christian and homeschooling circles today. This week we will look at some of the arguments made that it is fine for a girl to pursue college and a career after high school. Next week I plan to examine the arguments made against these points and the alternatives proposed by individuals who believe a girl should remain at home.

In the last 20 years or so, we have witnessed a slight reversal of the feminist movement through the homeschool movement. Thousands of mothers are choosing to stay home and educate their children. Now the homeschooled children are beginning to graduate and make decisions after post-graduation life. Many homeschool families still feel a college education and career is right for their daughter. However, if a girl will follow in her mother's footsteps and homeschool her own children, she likely will not have a long career. So why should these girls go to college?

First, even though many homeschool families agree that Scripture primarily calls women to be “keepers at home” some feel that a women need not be limited to the home. Yes, it is good for children to have a mother in the home, but a woman will not always have children at home. During these seasons of life a woman needs something to occupy her time. No where does Scripture say that a woman can do nothing but keep house. Certainly, there is nothing to keep her from getting a job.

Secondly, all girls should be highly educated. Homemaking is not an inferior, unintelligent calling, and a homeschool mother must be a knowledgeable teacher. So it is important for a girl to receive a thorough quality education. Thus she should go to college and earn a degree. And, it is said, she can use this degree to get a job and earn money if her husband dies, is injured, leaves her, or for some other reason is not providing for the family. Additionally, if a woman never marries, she will need to be able to provide for herself.

Thirdly, a single woman need not use all her time between high school and marriage in learning homemaking skills. Many women graduate high school already capable of running a household. Skills a young woman does not already have can be easily and quickly mastered. She need not spend years focused only on this when a myriad of opportunities await her in the world.

Finally, in response to the patriarchal argument that a girl should remain under her father's authority until she is married, some believe that a father can still retain adequate authority over his daughter while she is away at college. Mollie, a writer at Got Me A College Girl notes, “Does it [the idea that a woman must stay home] boil down to the parents wanting to control every decision of the child, even the grown child? If so, at what point does a grown woman have any control over the specifics of her life? Ever? Does the issue center around the patriarchal idea that a daughter is controlled by her father until she is passed on to an approved husband who will also control her? Does submission mean that the woman never makes choices without first having approval from a man, that she cannot educate herself and learn and believe things that may be contrary to the beliefs of her father or her husband? Is not submission something a person decides to do because they want to do it?”

This is just a brief introduction to the many arguments made in favor of a young woman leaving home after high school to pursue college and a career. For more on this subject, consider the following the Got Me a College Girl Blog and The Young Ladies Christian Fellowship Journal. Next week I will consider the argument made against this view, and some alternatives for a single young woman in the 21^st century.

Warehousing Girls, Part 1

By Joanna Griffith

“High school graduation is coming! The “real world” lies ahead! Hurray! But wait, what do we do next?”

This common question often perplexes and worries students, but it also produces much controversy, particularly when discussing young women. What should a young woman do after high school graduation? In the next several issues we will look at the various arguments made on this issue.

In this series I hope to consider a Christian woman's purpose, a father's role in a graduated daughter's life, the place of higher education, a daughter's preparation for courtship and marriage, and more.

This week, let's take a brief, introductory look at some of the arguments surrounding this issue. First of all, most Christian, homeschooling families agree that primarily, a woman's place is in the home. “Your wife will be life a fruitful vine within your house.” (Psalm 128:3a) “They [the older women] are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2: 3b – 5). I will be writing much of this with the presupposition that a woman's main focus should be on her family and home once she has children. I think the primary argument among Christians is over the role of woman who are unmarried, do not have children, or whose children are grown. In this series I will focus on the issue of single young women, though I may also touch on the issue of an older woman's role.

In today's culture, it is almost given that a young person (male or female) will attend college if they have the means to do so. Christian families want to their sons to obtain and good education and get a good job so that they can provide for their families. It seems obvious that a daughter will head off to college just like her brothers, but college isn't really training her for a career that will fill the next few decades of her life. Most likely she will spend much of the next 20 to 30 years raising children. However, some argue, she should still get that college education so that she will be a well-educated, intelligent, useful adult. After college she can pursue a career in the field she has chosen, obtaining experience in the work world and impacting culture. Her education will also help her to be a better mother and teacher to her own children. Plus, her career provides something for her to fall back on if her husband dies, leaves her, cannot support the family, or if for some other reason she must bring in income.

Seems to make sense, right? Some would disagree. Girls should be well-educated, they argue, but since a woman's calling is to be a wife and mother, she should focus her training on preparing for this. Plus, fathers are to protect their daughters until her wedding day when authority and protection of this woman is handed over to her husband. When a girl leaves home to attend college, she is not under her father's authority and protection as she would be at home, and turns her focus away from home. So many argue that rather than go to college, a girl should stay at home with her family, preparing for marriage and family by taking care of the home, helping to educate any younger siblings, assisting other families in her church and community, etc. She may take college courses on-line, pursue hobbies, or run a home business. But the main focus is preparing for marriage and nurturing a family.

This is just a brief introduction into some of the many arguments relating to this topic. As we begin to evaluate this issue, it is crucial that we all maintain a gracious and loving spirit. Many godly Christian families fall on different sides of this argument. It is my goal not to condemn, but to bring to our attention important issues, and to evaluate them in light of what God would call us to do. Young ladies, this is an important and foundational time in our lives. May we use it well to the glory of God! We would love to hear your thoughts on this issue, so please comment!

A Question of Values
By Joanna Griffith

In the context of this week's discussion of abortion the issue arises, “What is the underlying value (or lack thereof) that has brought our society to this point?”
Clearly, selfishness is exalted in our culture, as children and life in general are devalued. Our society and those of other Western nations often view children as a drain and a burden. Families with more than a few children are seen as strange, while many couples have 1-2 children as almost an item on the checklist of life goals. Get a Master's degree, get married, have a couple kids, travel to Europe . . . We create at least a mental list of experiences that would seem to define a successful life and then try to have each of those experiences and be able to say we have “been there, done that”.
But what is happening here? When we group having children with other “life goals”, we are creating a world of self-centeredness. Having a child is a benefit because it makes us feel good about ourselves, it helps us feel fulfilled and accomplished. When a child is seen as simply a tool to complete our life goals, aborting unwanted babies seems like the obvious path.
Secondly, we are devaluing life. The controversy over the value of life is clearly seen as the debate unfolds on multiple fields. The dramatic story of the fight for Terri Schiavo's life and death was played out on national news last year as Americans watched a woman starve to death amidst a family duel over the value of her life. This issue continues to be debated in regards to Euthanasia, assisted suicide, and abortion. In all of these issues, the foundation of the debate is a clash over the value and definition of life.
The need in our society is a change in value. We must come to value children, not as a tool to further ourselves, but as a gift from God. We must come to recognize that all men and women are valuable human beings made in the image of God. If our culture adopts these values, abortion, Euthanasia and other similar procedures will be seen in their proper light as the murder of valuable human beings.