I promised book reviews, so here is my first! Safely Home by Tom Eldredge is a must read for all Christian families with any interest in discipling their children in the ways of the Lord. I previously published this review under my maiden name at Amazon.com, and I can’t seem to delete that side of my account after changing my last name, sigh, oh well!

One of my favourite homeschooling books, I thought I’d start off with sharing this review :).

Safely Home By Tom Eldredge / The Vision Forum, Inc Offering practical and scriptural insights, Eldredge demonstrates how most modern institutions—even the family and church—have chosen educational attitudes based on the ancient Greeks’ empahsis on knowledge rather than that of the biblical Hebrews, who focused on relationship. Discover the reasons behind the confusion—and how you can help correct it in your homeschooling! 110 pages, softcover from Vision Forum.

*Start of Review*

I wasn’t entirely certain what this book was about based upon the blurb on the back cover, which is actually a quote from the foreword by Doug Phillips, nor was I certain after reading the synopsis and reviews here on Amazon. However, I did procure a title of it after reading an excerpt from the book on the internet regarding the differences between a Greek and a Hebrew, biblical education model based upon discipleship.

And, am I ever glad I did! Our family has planned on homeschooling since before our first daughter was born, but we are new Christians, only saved last year, which has led to our completely re-evaluating our goals for homeschooling, priorities for our family etc. As a result, we have been researching, reading, and learning about different approaches to Christian homeschooling. There are so many different approaches, philosophies, curriculums etc. available that it is easy to feel adrift amongst all of the options. This book sets our feet back on solid ground, examining the model for education that God has set out for families in his Word, while covering so much more. Not choosing an approach, or a philosophy of education, but focusing on teaching through relationships (rather than curriculums), the way that God shows us.

The author’s heart is set firstly and foremostly training our children in the way they should go, to know God, love Him and serve Him are our ultimate goals in homeschooling, and we cannot lose sight of that goal. ALL things are for His glory, and we must seek first the kingdom of God, then all other things will be added unto us.

This title also examines issues that are certain to be controversial amongst many Christian families, but that critically need to be examined if our families are to be led to honour Christ in ALL that we do; covering topics as diverse as: the suitability of competitive sports for Christian families, the servant leader role of husbands in the home, self-employment as it relates to the discipling of chilren, the role of grandparents in homeschooling families, the role of the local church in supporting and discipling homeschooling families, and so much more!

Ladies - I know that we often do much more reading and homeschooling research than our husbands do, as they are often busy outside of the home. However, this would be a key title to pull out of the stack for him to read, as it is very encouraging and strong in it’s message of calling father’s to turn their hearts to their children, placing the responsibility firmly on their shoulders.

I just can’t say enough about this book. If you are alone in your homeschooling convictions within your local church body, this would be an excellent title to share with others. A passionate call home, to re-establish the biblical model for families, just beautiful!