Five Reasons It's Okay for a Christian Family to Use a Secular Homeschool Curriculum

We are a Christian homeschooling family, but you won’t find our bookshelves lined with books from Christian publishers. The majority of our home library is made up of curriculum choices which are neutral on things of faith. Here are reasons why I lean towards secular materials for my homeschool.

1. There are too many great books out there.

I love books, and I’m sure many of you do too. If I were to exclude everything that wasn’t published by a Christian publisher or didn't have a “Christian stamp of approval,” we would be missing out on so many amazing books. I wouldn’t want that for my kids or for myself! Being open to secular curriculum means we have more options.

2. I want to be the one to teach tricky topics.

Some books or curricula might have topics in them that are uncomfortable to talk about with my kids: slavery, racism, immorality, swear words, etc. This is hard stuff! But it is real stuff, and I would much rather my kids learn about it with me than at a friend’s house or on a TV show where they have to process it alone without any guidance from me.They will inevitably learn swear words and other not-so-desirable ideas. But I want to be around when they are learning those things.

A Christian curriculum may unnecessarily shield my kids from these ideas. I don't need a curriculum to provide that filter. I can do it myself and deal with the consequences when my kids are exposed to tough topics.

3. Teaching discernment is important to us.

There’s a certain amount of content in many books that requires our discernment. Just because it’s printed online or in a book doesn’t mean we have to consider it absolute truth. In fact, in this day of fake news, we had better be very cautious with what we read and believe!

As we walk through this homeschooling journey together, I want to show my kids how to be discerning. If their curricula doesn’t express all sides to a story, it’s harder to teach discernment. 

4. I don’t expect our math books to shape my children.

Just because I’m a Christian, that doesn’t mean I expect there to be Bible verses on every page of every subject. I don’t expect our math books to shape my child’s faith life, so I wouldn’t choose a curriculum that aligns with my beliefs in that area, because, to put it bluntly, I don’t think it matters.

5. Secular curriculum is not against my moral beliefs.

There is nothing in my moral compass that is urging me to use an all-Christian curricula. Choosing what I have for our homeschool days does not make me feel that I’ve compromised my kids’ faith for one second. What we’ve collected over the years to line our bookshelves has lead to a well-rounded, interesting, diverse library that has lead to many discussions on many topics and I love that so much.

We live in this big, beautiful world where we have freedoms and choices—so very many great choices! I want to use that freedom to its utmost in my teaching style and for my kids’ learning styles. We are a Christian family that uses all kinds of curricula, some Christian, but mostly secular. How lucky we are to have so many choices!

Homeschoolers by nature are trailblazers—rebellious trailblazers doing their own thing their own way regardless of what society is doing. Let’s be thankful for that privilege and not box ourselves in with self-imposed rules. Go forth and be rebellious, homeschool parents!