“Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon”.
Zechariah 2:7
I am sure I will irritate some people with this blog. Please, hear me out and read the entire blog before you post your rant. My intention is not simply to aggravate proponents of public education, but rather ignite a conversation (again) amongst Christians which many times gets sidetracked over the pragmatics of education rather than the philosophy of education. Bear with me as I try to navigate the tumultuous waters of how Christians should educate their children and view the current public educational system (from kindergarten to post-graduate). I say again, this post will make little sense to those outside of a committed biblical worldview. Those who practice compartmentalized Christianity or a “baptized secularism” will think this radical and reactionary. I simply give fair warning.
Full disclosure needs to be made that I and my wife are public school graduates. Our children attended public school, private Christian school, and were home schooled. All three eventually graduated from private Christian School and all three have since graduated from distinctly Christian Universities. I give these facts so the reader can understand that I have experienced, participated or seen the pluses and minuses of the three major categories of education and I will quickly stipulate that all three have certain strengths and weaknesses. That being said, only one category is currently designed by intention to undermine the Christian Faith and turn your children into committed secularists. Welcome to 21st century public education.
I recognize that this committed purpose of secularization within the walls of public education did not always exist. Early American history teaches us that the classrooms of this nation were blatantly and unapologetically Christian. In fact, education and Christianity were inseparable. This was the case for over two centuries. I can remember in the 1970’s when I went to public school we still celebrated most of the Christian holidays and called them, “Christmas break” and “Easter break”. The school choirs sang Christian hymns and songs of the season and the school day started with a prayer (usually by a student) over the intercom. Coaches were passionately Christian in the locker room as we prayed before and after games. And it wasn’t unusual to have a teacher who was a Baptist’s preacher’s wife who would say grace before she released the class to lunch. I remember distinctly my senior year of high school in Psychology class when news was released of a classmate who had died in an automobile accident that the teacher stopped class and together we prayed for the family. Those days are long gone. That teacher, in all likelihood, would risk lawsuit or dismissal if he tried doing that today.
Today, it is simply not uncommon to see on a social media thread the open hostility that is found towards Christianity in some form or fashion. I understand that there are exceptions at this point, just as there are exceptions to the general garbage that Hollywood pumps out and puts on the big screen. There may be an oasis of righteousness somewhere in public education be it a teacher, an administrator, a superintendent, or an entire district; but the generalization which states that public education is adverse to the Christian Faith can hardly be debated. Just ask the Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Center for Law and Justice, First Liberty, or the Thomas More Law Center as to the cases litigated in the last 40 years with regards to the expression of the Christian Faith within the boundaries of public education. It is not anecdotal, isolated incidents of adversity. It is unquestionably a systemic bigotry and a strategic tactic to undermine and remove all expressions of Christianity and it’s inherent morality. I rest my case.
This topic has come to my attention again as I recently read an article from Dr. Joel McDurmon critiquing President Trump’s affirmation of the law allowing the Bible to be taught as secular literature in the public school. You can read the article at:
https://americanvision.org/17488/three-reasons-to-oppose-bible-classes-in-public-schools/
I agree in general with Dr. McDurmon, so there is no need to recapitulate his points. I would only add that the sense of victory some Christian’s are voicing over such a law is, in my humble opinion, misguided as it represents (using a sports metaphor) a “Hail Mary” which is conceived to be the play which may miraculously turn this institution of public education around. However, as Dr. McDurmon rightly points out, how can a secularized presentation of the Scriptures taught by a teacher, even if a believer, really present the true and living Gospel when their faith and perspective is eviscerated by law? The point is, when is an institution so convoluted by its hostility towards your faith that it is no longer worthy of your participation? When has an environment and ethos become so toxic that nothing short of revolution could rewire it? I want to suggest that public education, for the Bible-believing Christian in the 21st century, has reached that point. It is no longer a neutral institution (if indeed it ever really was). Whether specifically stated or not, public education has become secular indoctrination and it is radically undermining most Christian parents in their attempt to faithfully establish their children in the Faith. As Zechariah the prophet said to the returning exiles of Israel, it is time to get out of Babylon.
Now much could be said of my proposition concerning the nature of public education and Babylon. R.J. Rushdoony wrote a lengthy (400+ pages) and important book entitled, “The Messianic Character of American Education”, elaborating this very point. Public education has become the essence of Babylonian thought and practice. Babylon, in the Scriptures is both a metaphor and illustration of the spirit of the age (secularism). The etymology of the word literally means, “the place of confusion”. Public education is confused on multiple levels including philosophically, religiously, ethically, and morally. It is a warehouse for worldliness. It is a den of deceit on some of the most foundational levels of life. I want to repeat, there are exceptions to my critique which should be applauded, but they are exceptions. The reason America is teetering on the brink of anarchy and political socialism is because of the stronghold public education has exerted over the minds and presuppositions of a vast majority of Americans. I do not see any substantial change on the horizon which leads me to the title of the blog. It is time to let public education go. It is time for Christian parents who are committed to passing to the next generation of children the Christian Faith to seriously plan to escape from Babylon.
As I conclude some thoughts on this blog I want to exhort a couple of groups of people invested in public education:
1. TEACHERS
To those of you who teach in public schools I have no doubt that you are there for all kinds of altruistic reasons. You are to be commended for your desire to help kids in various and assorted ways. To those who are specifically Bible-believing, Christian teachers who teach in public schools, I commend your missionary assignment. You are a voice in Babylon. You are indeed “salt” and “light”. But hear that commission carefully. You are not placed in Babylon to simply echo Babylonian thought and values. You are not placed in that environment to simply be an incognito Christian or practice the gift of “stealth”. Many of your brothers and sisters have already been fired for their faith stands and you too may come to that crossroad. In an increasingly hostile environment and era, ALL of us are going to face challenging moments in our career decisions. If as many Christians are involved in the public school system as I have been led to believe, then it begs the question as to why there is silence from within when adversity strikes. If this institution can be redeemed, then it will happen through the vocal and active “salt” and “light” within it’s ranks. You are on Kingdom assignment and it will undoubtedly come in conflict with any opposing kingdoms. Find and fellowship with other teachers who are believers and a local church which will mobilize when adversity materializes.
2. PARENTS
Your children are in their spiritually formative years. They are susceptible to numerous ideas and contrary values. Most (if not all) are incapable of defending their faith or missionary activity. These are the years they are learning. It is your responsibility to monitor their environment and filter their training. Personally, we decided in our household that no cost was too great or sacrifice too deep to compromise their education with Babylonian input. Honestly, there was an instance with one of our children that we removed them from so-called “Christian” education and homeschooled because the environment was Babylonian in its values. Gratefully, we found another school which had a better culture. The point is that parents must invest in their children’s spiritual well-being. This not only includes elementary and secondary education, but even into their college years. Why would you spend 18 years training your children in the precious truths of Christianity only to be reversed by a university philosophy professor who confuses your freshman student with Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, and Hitchens? There are answers to the infidels, but the infidels rarely have the integrity to share those answers.
3. CHURCHES
We must provide viable and credible options and alternatives to our parents for the education of their children. We must shift away from our entertainment model of doing church and discipling to an educational model of preparing Christians for living faithfully and successfully in an adverse environment. While we may live IN Babylon, Babylon does not have to live IN us. This might include homeschool support and sharing teaching responsibilities or, it might include a full-blown biblical worldview school. Whatever the template, there will be a creative idea revealed to each church which will fit their vision and ministry if they seek the Lord on the matter.
Evangelization and engagement with the world is certainly a part of the Gospel mandate. However, discipleship and separation is an equally important theme throughout the Scriptures as well. The Christian Faith is not exclusively disseminated through first generation conversions, but also by perpetuation through the family tree. This means we must carefully analyze and evaluate the mechanisms which are impacting our kids. The prophets said to those comfortable in Babylon…it’s time to escape and flee it’s influence. I think the time has come (and probably past) for the 21st century American Church to flee modern day Babylon. Think about it.
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