What should civil government’s role be in protecting our homeschooled children? What should our response be to government intervention or to legislation creating pre-emptive dragnets to try to catch parents before they do evil things to their children? Dr. Ray will lay out core scriptural principles to answer these questions. He will also explain the findings of his brand-new study showing that the degree of state regulation (control) of homeschooling is not related to the frequency of abuse of homeschool children. Further, evidence suggests that public school children are at greater risk of abuse and other harm than are the home educated. Inform yourself with statistics and biblical philosophy!

You want your children to be the best in academics, spirituality, and physical health – well, everything. You also want to have tender relationship with and godly compassion for your children. In striving to lead his wife and eight children to "greatness," however, Brian has found that he can fall into the sin of provoking them. He'll use scripture, experience, and findings from the new “Generation 2” (Gen2) Study to talk about how to combine high expectations with faithfulness, grace, justice, mercy, and kindness. Especially for fathers (but all are welcome).

Is that word “freedom” for just ol’ graying hippies and revolutionary wannabes? No. It is a biblical concept and at the core of what it means to be an American and, especially, a homeschooler. Dr. Ray will answer: How’d we get our homeschool freedoms? Why should you care? Are we really free? How might we lose this liberty? What are the enemies? Risks? Is Common Core related? What about compulsory attendance laws? Parental rights? Whether your youngest child is pre-born, 7, or 18, you need to know the core principles of educational freedom and why we must strive to keep or expand that liberty. Dr. Ray has been in this practical and theoretical battle for over 30 years.

Common Core, No Child Left Behind, Goals 2000, and, by the way, have you forgotten about the Seven Cardinal Principles? Presumptuous planners, nationalists, and philosopher-kings have another plan for “all our children.” Dr. Brian Ray addresses the most fundamental reason why every parent should care about Common Core State Standards that has hit hard the educational scene. What should homeschoolers, scripturalists (i.e., Christians) and liberty lovers do about this, if anything? If you do not want your children to be a part of this educational bandwagon and you do not want to waste your time jumping into bandwagon reactionism, come hear Dr. Ray.

You diligently home educate your children, but many voices (including some within the homeschool community) tell you why and how you should be doing it. Many of these voices are disconcerting, not building unity with the King of your home-based discipleship efforts. This session will explore the interrelationships between the basic reasons for homeschooling, the freedom we have in Christ, our attitudes, our choices, and our practices as we teach our children. It will tackle the expectations and messages of the world that may still have deep roots in our and others’ home-education paradigms. May the Spirit free us at last, and help us spread the message of liberty in Christ.

You want your children to be the best academically, spiritually, and physically. You also want to have godly compassion for your children. In striving to lead his wife and eight children to "greatness," however, Brian has found that he can fall into the sin of provoking them. He'll use scripture and experience to address the way to combine high expectations with justice, mercy, and love.

Dr. Ray explores scripture, the state of government-run education, the origins of public schools, research on homeschooling, and personal experience to answer the question, “Who Should Be Educating Your Children?” He boldly challenges every Christian parent to face the idea that perhaps home-based education is the “default setting” that God has designed for the education of children. Dr. Ray, one of the world’s leading homeschool researchers and homeschooling father of eight children, calls and warns parents to not be a stumbling block in their children’s lives (Matthew 18:6).

You want your children to be the best in academics, spirituality, and physical health. You also want to have godly compassion for your children. In striving to lead his wife and eight children to "greatness," however, Brian has found that he can fall into the sin of provoking them. He'll use scripture and experience to address the way to combine high expectations with justice, mercy, and love. Especially for fathers.

Dr. Ray confronts both the critics of home education and home educators who may need to revise their reasons for home educating their children. He deals with myths about home education, traces some historical events in American education, considers biblical guidelines for raising children, and sprinkles in research findings about homeschooling. In the end, novice and veteran home educators should be challenged, encouraged, and refreshed.

Fathers and husbands, it is time to love and lead - now. Love your wife like Christ loves the church. Nurture and admonish your children but do not provoke them. Lead your family in God’s exciting will. Is all of this possible? Yes. But what can you do? Mothers and wives, it is time to love your husband as God has declared and to lead your children. Brian and Betsy will help and encourage you with scripture, their experiences, and what they have learned during 20 years of marriage and the ongoing raising of eight children.

Dr. Ray explores scripture, the state of government-run education, the origins of public schools, research on homeschooling, and personal experience to answer the question, “Who Should Be Educating Your Children?” He boldly challenges every Christian parent to face the idea that perhaps home-based education is the “default setting” that God has designed for the education of children. Dr. Ray, one of the world’s leading homeschool researchers and homeschooling father of eight children, calls and warns parents to not be a stumbling block in their children’s lives (Matthew 18:6).

Many parents finally fall prey to their own insecurities and critics’ darts when their children reach age 14 (and sometimes much earlier). They consider abandoning home-based and home-guided education. The cacophonous voices of professionals, generations of institutional schooling, “public” school giveaways and enticements, personal misperceptions of reality, and the world’s opinion about what is important muddy the waters. Getting closer to the source — the headwaters — brings refreshment and clarity to vision and action. Dr. Ray focuses on key educational goals and philosophy (biblical), research findings, the importance of separating the state from education, and homeschooling for the long term in order to reap the harvest of its excellent fruits.

Dr. Ray's major new study examines the lives of 7,306 adults from across the United States who were homeschooled. This research, a long time in the making, focuses on these adults' general demographics, attitudes toward their own home-school experience, and success in life. Success was evaluated with respect to civic, social, educational, employment, and worldview traits. In many ways, they are very "normal". On the other hand, they are remarkably different than the general U.S. population. Generally speaking, the findings defuse many of the long-held negative criticisms of those who doubted homeschooling's benefits, whether practiced in the U.S. or other nations. And the findings will likely be a great encouragement to those parents and advocates of home-based education over the past two decades.

Dr. Ray will first ask "Should you teach your own children?" then proceed to help his audience answer the question which is the title of this message. Brian will use Christian thought, his experience as a long-time home education father of eight children, ideas from the education profession, and research to stimulate, challenge, and encourage both veteran and novice educators.

Lures abound to sidetrack homeschooling parents. One is the fast-growing nationwide promise of “free,” state-run, “home” school programs to “help” you educate your children. Dr. Ray will challenge you to consider the paramount importance of who should be in authority over what is taught to the minds and hearts of children. Related to tax-funded programs, there are (1) subtle and negative practical consequences of enrolling your children in them, (2) serious problems from the perspective of a liberty-loving republic such as the United States, and (3) contradictions to a biblical worldview that demands parents and private associations be the main educators of children. Dr. Ray is convinced this is one of the most urgent issues with which homeschoolers should grapple during the next several years.

Fathers and husbands, it is time to love and lead - now. Love your wife like Christ loves the church. Nurture and admonish your children but do not provoke them. Lead your family in God’s exciting will. Is all of this possible? Yes. But what can you do? Mothers and wives, it is time to love your husband as God has declared and to lead your children. Brian and Betsy will help and encourage you with scripture, their experiences, and what they have learned during 20 years of marriage and the ongoing raising of eight children.

"I'm from the government schools and I have some 'free' curriculum, computers, and programs for you." Does this make you jump for glee, or does it make your hair on the back of your neck start to twinge? Every Christian needs to consider the principles of scripture and what makes a liberty-loving nation succeed before accepting such "free" services of handouts. The spreading practice of charter schools, virtual schools, and other permutations of state-run schooling-at-home that is marketed to current and perspective homeschoolers is one of the most serious issues facing the parent-lead home-based education movement in America. Dr. Ray will challenge you to go deeper and face the realities of what and why you believe and do what you do as you model courageous living for your children and adult peers.