Even though Christian fundamentalist schools educate less than 2% of the K–12 students in the United States, their educational philosophies and practices raise basic issues concerning their role in U.S. life and in the lives of the students they educate. Several fundamentalist beliefs reject key tenets associated with liberal democratic citizenship, including toleration for differing points of view concerning what constitutes a well-functioning democracy.

Although fundamentalist Christian schools are not homogenous in all aspects, the basic principles that guide their curricula generally rest on the following beliefs: the inerrancy of the Bible, creationism rather than evolution, salvation by faith alone, [Page 935]the sinfulness of homosexual behavior, and that women should submit willingly to their husbands. Dissent on these issues is strongly discouraged; however, the evidence that ...