A school is basically a business that trades in education, or at least that’s how it should work. Grace Community High School is a private christian school in Tyler that will educate your child in a very conservative christian atmosphere for a large price every year. Grace requires a substantial tuition to cover it’s expenses.
Putting your child through high school there will cost about eight thousand a year if you meet the requirements. Grace claims on their website that they have students from all socio-economic backgrounds “Because the mission of Grace is one of discipleship, rather than outreach” this is an interesting statement, ostensibly outreach and discipleship are the same thing, but what does Grace imply by “discipleship”.
Well, let’s take a look at the requirements for enrollment in this pious institution shall we. In order to even be considered for enrollment a high school student as well as the parents of the student must be a “Christian” according to Graces definition and both parents and student must be active participants in a local church that supports the same doctrine as Grace.
You have to wonder, if Grace is so concerned with discipleship why would they exclude people of differing beliefs? The foremost goal of Jesus was to spread his gospel and to show no discrimination, even to the destitute and sinful.
I believe this is the hypocrisy of a private Christian school. When Christians put there own comfort and exclusivity ahead of the very maxims of their religion it shows a selfish and deluded sense of priority.
This priority can also penetrate the system of education allowing a greater possibility for compromise when, inevitably, the prejudice of self righteous people for a certain idiosyncratic system of belief comes between equality regarding the rights of parents and students as well as an honest and scientifically educational curriculum.
If a Christian school meant to teach the tenants of Christianity as well as arts and sciences fails to abide it’s own mission statement or even recognize the meaning of discipleship how could it be capable of anything less than indoctrination.
For education to even work it must objectively pursue truth rather than letting personal intent drive the direction of learning. So logically, the very idea of an expensive private christian school such as grace would only be worthwhile if the standard of teaching was extraordinary.
However, it is most certainly nothing above average, speaking from personal experience the educational system at Grace neglects essential scientific information as well as presenting a distorted and untrue opinion of history. This misleading approach to education will prepare nobody for the reality of modern life. In fact Christian Texas school books have a notorious reputation for misinformation.
The private christian life is a dream for some, but it can stand in the way of truly adequate preparation for life acting as a bubble from any outside influence. Isolating a child can only do harm, during such formative years as high school segregation based on religion will only serve to destroy a students psychological immune system, leaving them extremely vulnerable to the dangers of reality with nothing to defend themselves.
Graces reputation is what attracts new parents to enroll their kids, but this reputation is largely inflated for this very purpose. And when it comes time to send it’s students to college, they are dramatically unprepared in the advising area. Being unable to properly advise students for college is a massive weakness and very dangerous for the graduating students future.
In conclusion Grace is not the reputable polished organization they might appear to be on the surface, they simply have a self perpetuated reputation for excellence but lack the staff, material and philosphy to provide truly exceptional education.
Our society has become more and more transient. Fewer people today actually live or stay in the town in which they were born or grew up. In my parent’s generation, men worked for a single company their entire lives in the hopes of retiring and “getting the gold watch.” Today no one seems to work for the same company for much more than five to ten years before deciding it’s time to advance their career elsewhere. The internet, smart phones, lap top computers, ipads and innumerable other technologies have added to our increased mobility. We are a society more on the go than ever before. This mobility (which is both good and bad I think) has even impacted our religious life. It used to be that parishioners were generally life- long members of a particular church. Members were baptized, married and had their children baptized in the same communities. Historically church records have recorded the stories of families for generations. Unfortunately this too is changing. Today people change churches like they do jobs. The effect is often that newer younger churches offer a watered down message in favor of increased music or greater media content. Unfortunately, age old traditions, and important doctrines are often lost to younger Christians. Overall the church (meaning the church universal encompassing all denominations) has done a poor job teaching younger Christians the faith.