I would not normally use such an inflammatory title to an article I would like to be one of calm, rational and open-minded consideration; but knowing some of my audience and the sure-to-be lengthy nature of this article and it’s reference article, I need to show the importance of the subject matter.
I want to consider here the question of whether or not we as Christians should currently be sending our children to public schools, and if we do, whether or not we might need to pull them out in the future.
Before I begin, I feel the need to relate my credentials and experience in this area. I do not do so to claim full understanding, but to show that I have experience in this field. I would also like to state a couple of things that will hopefully verify my heartfelt consideration in this area.
Experience:
1 ) I spent one year as a student in a Montessori school.
2 ) I spent 12 years as a student in a Christian grade school.
3 ) I grew up the son of a Christian school principal.
4 ) I spent 3 years in and graduated from a public
high school.
5 ) I spent one year in a secularized private college.
6 ) I spent three and a half years in a Christian college.
7 ) I have an undergraduate degree in Middle Level education from
a Christian college.
8 ) I have a Masters degree in Middle Level education from a
secular university.
9 ) I am in my 8th year of teaching
10 ) I spent 2 years teaching in a Christian school
11 ) I spent 6 years teaching in a public school
As you can see, my life has been divided between both sides of the secular / Christian academic playing field.
For those that may be tempted to think that I am a rabid anti-public school proponent, let me state the following:
1) I am currently a public school teacher
2) I am open to allowing my children to attend our local public
school system during their early grade school years.
There are some things in life that are worthy of research. I believe this to be one of those things. If we are willing to research HD TVs, car parts and the newest cell-phones, God help us if we are too lazy to research the education of our children, for which God will one day hold us accountable.
The ultimate influence on the lives of our children is the internal influence of the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. However, I believe there is a triangle of external influences that shape whom we will become. The typical triangle is this: Home – School – Church. They are purposefully placed in that order. It is the order of influential power. I would have us notice that school is placed before church. Research clearly indicates that a person’s family, their home-life, is the most powerful influence on them. A more surprising factor may be that school is more influential than church. The fact that may blur this truth from some Christian’s view is the relationship between church and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the supreme influence, but this argument is made from the view of external teachings, worldview and peer influence.
A child spends more time at school than at church. The peers that will sway them the most are the ones at school, with whom they spend their time. The culture and teachings of school can permeate a child’s worldview. The family and church can work together to counteract the secular influence of a public school, but it is undeniable the tremendous impact the culture of a school makes upon children over the years. The point of all of this is to bring to the forefront the power of the school.
The idea for this post was inspired by a short (I promise) article written by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before you continue in this post, I invite you to read this short article. The suggestion being posed by Dr. Mohler is that Christian parents begin creating an “exit strategy” from the public school system. He is not advocating that all Christians immediately pull their children from public schools, although that could be necessary depending on the circumstances; but that all Christian parents should be aware of their particular school system and be mentally prepared to change the educational situation of their children if need be.
I will link here to the article. For those that would not be willing to read an entire short article I will at least post the following quotes:
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As a rule, schools in more rural areas, with local political control more concentrated in the hands of parents, the effects of this educational revolution are less evident. In some school systems, the majority of teachers, administrators, and students share an outlook that is at least friendly and respectful toward Christianity and conservative moral values.
In other places, the situation is markedly different. In many metropolitan school districts, the schools have truly become engines for the indoctrination of the young. This process of indoctrination pervades, not only the more recognizable aspects of radical sex education programs and so-called “health education,” but other aspects of the curriculum as well. Unless something revolutionary reverses these trends, this is the shape of the future.
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I believe that now is the time for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from the public schools. This strategy would affirm the basic and ultimate responsibility of Christian parents to take charge of the education of their own children. The strategy would also affirm the responsibility of churches to equip parents, support families, and offer alternatives. At the same time, this strategy must acknowledge that Southern Baptist churches, families, and parents do not yet see the same realities, the same threats, and the same challenges in every context. Sadly, this is almost certainly just a matter of time.
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I am not advocating that my friends or I immediately pull their children from public school. What I am imploring the reader to do is simply this: Be fully aware of the worldview culture of your child’s school. Know about their teachers. Know about their peers. Know about their curriculum. Question your children with open-ended questions to determine the influence secularism may be having on their critical worldview.
I believe that most Christian parents would affirm that there is an imaginary line that the public school system could cross, that would cause them to remove their children. The difference between some people is what they believe about how close to that line public schools systems actually are. I think Dr. Mohler said it best when he said, “…parents do not yet see the same realities, the same threats, and the same challenges in every context. Sadly, this is almost certainly just a matter of time.”
We are fortunate in the South, to have resisted the newest severe and offensive curriculum of the secular educational machine. During my graduate level work, I became more familiar with the agenda that is being imposed in the inner city schools, and in the Northeast and other liberal areas.
Some examples are the placing of pink triangles on classroom doors to indicate a safe-zone for homosexual students. The prevalent teaching of the new definition of “tolerance” in the character curriculum (required in every public school nationwide), that teaches that students are to accept everyone’s beliefs as equal and acceptable.
There are plenty of examples; some of which are not new news to us. We are already aware of the teaching of evolution as truth and fact, which works itself out with the devaluing of life. We already are familiar with the anti-God mentality of the public school system. The newest trends are those of the homosexual movement and of the postmodern tolerance movement, which logically works itself out in aggression towards Absolute Truth claims made by Christians. The gay-friendly curriculum is even reaching, with full-force, into the elementary grades. You may be familiar with the title of elementary books such as “Jennifer Has Two Daddies.”
Having “gay safe” zones with gay symbols on classroom doors is not something that just could happen, it has been happening pervasively for years. If you move to the inner-city, especially in a non-Bible belt area, you will experience it all firsthand.
I am including here a list of a few links of actual examples:
- Ms. Curran’s English Page
- Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian and Gay students: A resource guide for school staff.
- Gay / Straight Alliances: Ground Zero for School Tolerance
- It’s Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School
- Safe and Caring Schools for Lesbian and Gay Youth: A Teacher’s Guide
- Fight Hate and Promote Tolerance :: Tolerance.Org
This becomes extremely relevant for those of us living in the South, because the ideological movement is making its way south. Although the public school system is already Godless and anti-religious in nature, these further extreme liberal views will invade Southern public schools in a matter of years.
Although it is often unbeknownst to the Christian teachers and administrators themselves, there is what amounts to a last stand of Christian influence in certain local school systems. It is there that the liberal influences are resisted. But the national educational machine is fascist in nature and is slowly tightening the clamp on this resistance, of which I am a part. Eventually, it will come to a “personal convictions” climax not only for Christian teachers and administrators, but for Christian parents as well.
Perhaps you were already aware of this crisis, or perhaps this is a Paul Revere warning to you, or perhaps you do not agree. In any event, if you have read this post, you can see that ignorance can no longer be an option.
Having said all this, perhaps you wonder why it is that I say that I would consider sending my children to the public school system in my area, during their early grade school years. As I mentioned earlier, there are still a vast number of local school systems in this country that are attempting (on a personal level) to resist these liberal influences. In the upper grades, it is now impossible to stop the flow of liberal curriculum. It is mandated by the state standards to be taught. If it is not sufficiently taught, the students will then begin to score low on the standardized tests based on those standards. That will eventually result in the removal of the teacher from that classroom. Also, as we all know, peer influence has the capability to become powerful during the pre-teen and teen years. But during the earliest of grades, many classrooms, when manned by Christian personnel or at least a Christian-like environment, these liberal influences can be small to non-existent. However, for me personally, this is not a free pass to close my eyes during the early elementary years of my children. It is a year by year, teacher by teacher process of evaluating the environment of my children’s would-be teacher and curriculum. If the environment is deemed acceptable, then I would have no problem allowing my children to attend there. I am fortunate to live and work in a Georgia county that is extremely Christian-friendly, as far as public school systems go. But even in my Christian-friendlier county, I see every workday, firsthand, the unstoppable, evil corruption of the Christian worldview that can happen.
Some argue that they send their children into the public schools because their children should get used to being around non-believers and they should learn to be a Christian influence where they are. I, and this is my opinion, reject that notion out of hand. The early years of our children’s lives are when we are to train them so that when they are learned, they can defend themselves intellectually and spiritually from evil thoughts and worldviews. You do not send a civilian into combat so that they will learn to be a soldier.
God commands His people to raise their children in the way of the Lord. Whether or not we have them in public school, we are responsible for paying close attention to what they are being taught. I believe for some, the day has already come, and for the rest of us it is coming, when the evil written and living curriculum of the American public school system will necessitate the removal of our children from it. Until that day comes to your family, be aware. Just be aware.
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[Originally written January 12th, 2008; revised November, 2008]
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