Educated for Liberty: Review - Principled Academy

We aren’t just raising children—we’re raising the future of America. Liberty isn’t self-sustaining. It doesn’t survive on sentiment, love, slogans, chocolate (although some readers may disagree with me on that one), or good intentions. It endures when each generation understands the principles of liberty, treasures them, and is prepared to defend them. America—the land that we love—is worth preserving. But our Constitutional Representative Republic can only be preserved if Americans are educated for liberty.

Get the free Companion Discussion Guide for Educated for Liberty below.

Educated for Liberty Film Review, Stephen McDowell, Providence Foundation, Principle Approach, Christian Education, Biblical Classical

Take a listen . . .

In his timely and much-needed 2025 film Educated for Liberty, produced by the Providence Foundation, Stephen McDowell joins other voices in calling pastors, parents, and future generations to recover a distinctly and thoroughly Christian education.

Our family echoes the convictions expressed in the Educated for Liberty film.

If we truly love God’s design for liberty—the freedom to live, worship, speak, and govern ourselves under God and His moral law—then we need to be active about how the next generation is educated. And if we genuinely love our neighbor, we will care deeply about the equipping and character of our children. Educated for Liberty addresses these ideas.

Thoughts on Educated for Liberty

This engaging film contains:

Well-articulated voices from several leaders promoting Christian education with compelling evidence for it.
Historical quotes establishing the link between the Bible, Christian education, and liberty.
The history and reality of state controlled education.
Genuine and moving testimonials of Christians impacted by Christian education.
A major strength of this cinematographer-driven docufilm is the way it visually carries the audience through its ideas. The film uses intentional camera work, composition, and visual storytelling to immerse viewers in the message, which guides them through themes with clarity, beauty, and emotional impact.
Background instrumental music helps engage the viewer through the pacing of the film, adding to its interest.

This film is top quality and demonstrates excellence. We highly recommend it and encourage others to embrace a thoroughly Christian education.

Host a Viewing of the Film

This film is excellent for viewing as a family, with a group of friends, or individuals in your congregation who care about liberty and education. What a great reason to host some light lunches or dinner parties. The film can be viewed in its entirety. However, if it works best for you to meet over the course of six meetings, it’s available in six shorter segments for viewing:

Introduction – Run Time 7:12
Education Is Discipleship Segment 1 – Run Time 16:52
Bad Seeds Produce Bad Fruit Segment 2 – Run Time 20:14
The Fruit Of Good Seeds Segment 3 – Run Time 19:02
Parent Governed Education Segment 4 – Run Time 18:39
Restoring Biblical Education Segment 5 – Run Time 20:58

Testimonies

In addition to the thought-provoking information in the film, there are five genuine moving testimonial videos:

Northside Baptist Academy
The Rattray Family (Homeschool Family)
The Little Red Schoolhouse
The Voiles Family (Homeschool Family)
Buffalo Presbyterian Academy

You’re more than welcome to download and print our free Companion Discussion Guide to Educated for Liberty. You’ll find it at the end of this review article. In exchange, please “pay it forward” by following Providence Foundation at any of the links provided toward the end of this review article.

Final Thoughts

Liberty requires self-government, vigilance, and a character that sustains and promotes liberty. Virtue and biblical reasoning are necessary for a free society, as Educated for Liberty addresses. A Constitutional Representative Republic rests on people who understand both their rights and their responsibilities. Part of that responsibility is giving our children an education for liberty.

Education, as mentioned many times at Principled Academy, is not neutral. It’s nation-shaping. When we educate our children for liberty—teaching them with a thoroughly Christian education in all areas of life and learning—we are not merely preparing them for tests or careers. We are preparing them to preserve liberty itself.