Hoeksema: 1916 Sermon, Part 3

In the last post, we looked at the objective of Rev. Hoeksema’s sermon.  It was showing from scripture (Deut. 6:7) that parents have the sole responsibility in the education of their children.  In this sermon, however, Hoeksema draws attention to the day-school.  He does this because there is a certain relationship between the parents responsibility to educate their children and their use of the school.

The obvious question, but one we often don’t ask is, if parents have the sole responsibility to educate their children in all spheres of life, how can parents then use the school, where Hoeksema says children receive the “lion-share” of their education?  Isn’t this a shirking of responsibility?  As someone recently said to me sarcastically: “I have a responsibility from God to tell the truth; however, since I am a serial liar, I will pass off this responsibility to someone else and they can speak for me.”

The answer most Reformed men and women give is “the school is an extension of the home.”  Rev. Hoeksema concurs.  Read what he says, “…we have now the school, the catechism, the Sunday-school, where one person systematically instructs many of our children at the same time.  …All these institutions are merely extensions of the home, the teacher is merely the servant of the parent, and even as the boss always remains responsible for the job his servants perform, so the parent is absolutely responsible for the education of his children by the teacher.”

In my opinion, a seemingly impossible junction has been made lawful by the philosophical concept “extension of the home.”  I hope, D.V., to spend more time on this concept in future postings.  I believe it is worthy of a thorough examination.  But I digress.

In summary, Hoeksema maintains the teacher is the servant of the parent and the school is the extension of the home.  But as a servant of the parent, the teacher’s “responsibility is entirely different” from the parents.  Regrettably, Hoeksema doesn’t elucidate any further on this.  I believe what he means is that a teacher is responsible to the school institution.  The teacher is responsible for teaching the established curriculum, for abiding by the policies and dictates of the board and administration, for developing their teaching craft, etc.  They are not responsible for carrying the command of Deut. 6:7.  In other words, they are not the pack horse that carries the parent’s burden.  That burden, as Hoeksema stresses over and over again, is always with the father and mother.

Although more must be said on this topic, it will have to wait for future posts.  Maybe the home/school/church relationship will be a theme all by itself.

Next time we will take a closer look at Hoeksema’s conception of “spheres of life.”  He uses this phrase repeatedly in this sermon.  It’s a phrase that is no longer in our vernacular, but it packs a punch!  …so let’s investigate this next time!

Hoeksema: 1916 Sermon, Part 2

In the last post, I remarked that Hoeksema’s sermon was a command to parents to give their children a christian education.  This command, according to Hoeksema, is given in Deut. 6:7.  This portion of scripture was the text of his sermon.

What I find so very interesting is that this is not a sermon which has the Christian school in focus.  In 1916, when Hoeksema’s parishioners left the church building that Sunday, they left with a command to ensure that they as parents instruct and educate their children in all spheres of life.  Hoeksema, they realized, was speaking directly to them.  He makes this clear when he says the following:

“Notice, in the second place that all this time, the parent is held responsible for the training of his children.  Moses does not at all address the congregation of the people of God in general, but emphatically he speaks in the singular.  He addresses the individual parent.  Thou shalt teach them unto thy children.  Thou shalt talk of them, etc.  Education is therefore, the duty of the parent and of no one else.”

If Deut. 6:7 is a command to parents, can it also be a command to the school?  If so, by what right?  If not, can we rightfully speak of Christian schools in the context of Deut. 6:7?

Hoeksema makes his point clear.  Deut. 6 is a profound motivation for parents to use the Christian schools.  The parents have children of God’s covenant.  As such, they must educate them so that these children know the precepts of the Lord in every sphere of life.  Read what Hoeksema has to say:  

“In the first place, we find that this command (of Deut. 6:7- RM) is based upon and brought into direct connection with the covenant-relationship of the people of God.  …In that covenant God had promised to bless them and to give them Canaan for an everlasting possession.  But He also had His demands.  The people had received blessings from their covenant-God.  He had delivered them from the house of bondage, and He would give them the land of the promise, but there was also another side.  The people were in duty bound to walk in the way of the covenant and to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their mind, and with all their strength.  And from this same covenant obligation follows also their duty to educate their children, always, in the fear of the Lord, so that also they may know His precepts, understand their covenant-relation, and learn to walk in the way of that covenant that God has established with them.”

But, even still, does this motivate parents to send their children to the Christian school?  Isn’t church, Sunday-school, catechism, and family instruction enough?

To the later question, Hoeksema says “NO.”

This is where Hoeksema turns to a different passage of Deut. 6.  He looks at Deut. 6:4,“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”  God is the Lord over every sphere of life!  He is the Lord of trees.  He is the Lord of insects.  He is the Lord of history.  He is the Lord of language.  He is the Lord of numbers, shapes, and colors.  Because of this, His precepts cannot be excluded from any sphere!

And because of that, the parents have the strongest motivation to send their children to the Christian school where these spheres are taught!

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Next time I hope to look at the relationship between parent and teacher, home and school.  Hoeksema doesn’t leave this relationship untouched either.

… until next time!