| dc.description.abstract | Christian homeschool cooperatives provide a rich environment for biblical counseling. These cooperatives are rooted in biblical truth and therefore have a ready foundation for addressing problems faced by teachers, parents, and students. Homeschool cooperatives provide a context for Christian families to counsel one another. They also have the needed content, that is the Bible, including the gospel message. Born-again Christians in a homeschool cooperative are competent to counsel one another, and they enjoy the benefit of Christian community.Chapter 1 presents literature that (1) introduces biblical counseling, (2) Christian education, and (3) homeschool education. The literature shows there is a close relationship between the foundational principles of biblical counseling and homeschool education. However, there is little or no intentional writing on how to do biblical counseling in a homeschool cooperative.
Chapter 2 uses four Scripture passages to demonstrate that Christians are helped by God and equipped by him to help each other with life’s common problems. Exegesis of the passages demonstrates that (1) the Lordship of Christ should impact the way Christians live, (2) Scripture provides the necessary and authoritative instruction for dealing with life’s problems, (3) the Holy Spirit empowers believers to help each other, and (4) the heart is central in life transformation.
Chapter 3 demonstrates that a homeschool cooperative is an effective context for biblical counseling. The chapter points to (1) the reality that all education is religious in nature, (2) that Christian homeschool cooperatives are founded on biblical principles, (3) that these cooperatives can provide support for local church ministry, and (4) minister to the whole family.
Chapter 4 explores ways biblical counseling can be applied in the homeschool cooperative context. The chapter points to (1) the importance of going to the Bible, the right source for counseling content, (2) competence for counseling in a homeschool cooperative with suggestions for programs of informal and formal counseling, and (3) the resulting transformed community within the homeschool cooperative.
Chapter 5 demonstrates the implications biblical counseling in a homeschool cooperative has for the church. The chapter shows (1) the opportunities homeschool cooperatives provide for local churches, (2) the opportunities local churches provide for homeschool cooperatives, (3) suggestions for taking advantage of these opportunities, and (4) examples of biblical counseling in partnership between a church and a homeschool cooperative. | en_US |
