First Page
57
Last Page
83
Abstract
“I spent most of my days while homeschooling trying to figure out how to be a better person, how to be more perfect, how to be a better homeschooler, a better dishwasher, a better everything,” Janine, a mother, reflected on her homeschooling years. In the United States, homeschooled children made up three percent of the population in the 2011-2012 school year. In addition, two-thirds of all homeschooling families were concerned about the integration of religion in their children’s education as a core reason for choosing homeschool over public school. Some Evangelical Christian homeschoolers (ECHS) responded to such concerns by tailoring their homeschool curriculum. One movement within Evangelicalism that has gained tremendous momentum and influence among Christian homeschoolers is the Biblical Patriarchy Movement (BPM), a Christian organization that advocates for a hierarchical system where the man is understood to be dominant in both familial and institutional settings. Doug Phillips, one of the leaders of this movement, perceives patriarchy as the key tenet of the BPM. He believes that because God is male the father is the physical representation of God’s divine authority, while the wife’s role is submission.
