Bible Courses for High School Homeschoolers

In my experience with the homeschool world I’ve noticed a few things.

• Many homeschool families are Christian and they want their children to learn from a Christian perspective.
• While Bible courses seem to be emphasized at the elementary level, emphasis on the Bible at the secondary level seems to be lacking.
• If anything fills the Bible gap for high school homeschool students, it seems to be worldview type classes—learning about Secularism, Marxism, Buddhism, and the like. Learning about different worldviews is important for high school students, but I’m not sure why many high school homeschool students from Christian families don’t take in-depth Bible courses. Here are a few of my guesses.

5 Reasons Why Bible Courses Get Neglected by Homeschool Parents

1. Parents couldn’t find a quality Bible curriculum at the appropriate level.
2. Parents feel their children have already studied the Bible enough at the elementary level.
3. Parents think their children are getting enough Bible content from church and youth group.
4. Parents think that Bible courses are not a priority, especially because the high school schedule is so full of other required courses.
5. A combination of the items listed above.

7 Reasons Why Homeschool High School Students Need Bible Courses

Now here’s my take. Bible courses should not be dropped from the homeschool curriculum at the high school level because:

1. Christians believe the Bible is the most important book in the world.
2. The Bible cannot be mastered at the primary or middle school level.
3. High school is a crucial time in one’s faith development.
4. Many students will be exposed to a diversity of views at the college level so it’s important for these students to think deeply about their own views during high school. In particular, Christian students should enter college with an informed view about the Bible and that can only be attained through a study of the Bible.
5. A biblical worldview is derived primarily from a study of the Bible and not the study of world religions.
6. While students can learn much from church, family, and youth group, they will most likely not study the Bible as deeply in these settings as they would in an academic setting.
7. Most likely, as a parent this is your last opportunity to influence your child to study the Bible in a structured way. They will be going to college where you will no longer be able to tell them what they should study.

Bible Courses for High School Homeschool Students

So what is the solution?

We need to build a bridge—a bridge between Sunday School and college with appropriate age-based Bible courses for high school students. What does that look like?

• Courses that take readers through the Bible book by book and chapter by chapter. Topical studies have value, but to really understand the Bible, the text of Scripture must be the primary focus.
• Courses that emphasize the essentials of the Christian faith while acknowledging where sincere Christians disagree. Our high school students will be in college soon. It’s time they understand the foundation of the Christian faith and the variety that exists within the worldwide church.
• Courses that challenge readers both intellectually and spiritually by asking thought-provoking questions. Bible study should not be merely a mental exercise. It should affect us on an emotional/spiritual level because the greatest commandment is to love God and that involves a passionate desire for God.

I currently have five courses available, which seek to accomplish the goals stated above. Each course is available in PDF and paperback.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.