Doctrine

[Blessedhomeworker]

I am new to homeschooling and am currently doing research on various curriculum. So far, Heart of Dakota looks wonderful! I was wondering if this curriculum has a particular doctrinal bent. Biblical doctrine is very important to our family, so this question is important to us. I haven't seen this aspect of HOD described yet and maybe I've simply missed it, but I was hoping you could fill me in. Thank you so much!

[psreit]

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."

These are just a few verses that come to mind that I think sum up the testimony of Heart of Dakota. Leading children to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ and teaching them to live a life pleasing to God is their focus. If you agree with this, you will love HOD. HOD is loaded with character lessons that are supported by the Bible. Many mom's have given testimony on this board about their child(ren) trusting Christ as their Saviour due to the help in teaching them from HOD. Not all evangelicals agree on everything, but hopefully this is the doctrine ALL users of HOD agree with. HTH

[Heidi in AK]

Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Psalm 78:4-7 "We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands."

And the one that Carrie cites in the core focus of HOD on the website:

1 Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

As for any particular theological bent, I think Carrie does a great job of just making it all about the Lordship of Christ. We have Catholics and Protestants, Lutherans and Presbyterians, non-denominationals as well as those new to faith in Christ.

[MelInKansas]

I would agree with the other posters on the foundations, I have only been through the first two guides and half of the 3rd (Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory) so I can't speak for the higher levels. Everything I have seen lines up perfectly with my own doctrine and beliefs and to me, focusses on essentials and not necessarily on peripheral issues. I am sure there may be some doctrines that come out that I disagree with. I remember one of the devotional readings in LHFHG made me a little nervous as it seemed to perhaps communicate works being more important than I would like to make them out to be. But I do think those things need to and can be addressed, and it's not that this wasn't Biblically based either, so there was definitely room for me to discuss it with my child in the way that the Lord has led me to understand it.

What I like about it, in contrast to other programs I have seen, is really the fact that the Bible is the foundation and is held up as the basis for truth. Each of the areas (with the possible exception of math) points back to the Bible, or you are looking up Bible verses with your child to discuss things found in the literature, history, etc. You see the view that God is the focus, the foundation, and the desire is for the children to learn skills they need, for sure, but to learn them in a way that they are also filling their minds with thoughts about God and Christ.

Bible shouldn't be one subject you do along with others, and therefore seen as one part of life and one thing that you learn among many. It should be THE thing, and I think HOD does a great job of emphasizing this in the right way.

[Carrie]

The ladies have done a terrific job of answering your questions. This past thread will also be of help to you too in understanding how we approach Bible teaching in our guides. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8249

Blessings,
Carrie