Growing Healthy Trees – Part 3

By February 17, 2018Public Blog, Uncategorized

We have seen in previous posts that the soil in which we plant our children is very important if we are going to raise strong, healthy trees.  I explained how the soil is representative of the prevailing worldview of an individual, home, church, or school.  It was also pointed out that the prevailing worldview of a teacher, school or other institution will be either secular or biblical in nature.  A secular education is built on a secular or man-centered worldview.  On the other hand, a biblical education is built on a biblical or God-centered worldview.

It is important to remember that a secular worldview is predicated on lies while a biblical worldview is grounded in truth.  It is not enough to simply know that a secular worldview’s soil is filled with lies that will feed the children who are planted in it.  We must also be able to identify these lies.  These lies or Satan’s truth claims will shape the beliefs of the children who are planted in this type of soil.  As this happens it forms the culture of society that will be held in captivity by these lies.

When we enroll our children in a school, we are, in essence, “planting” them in some type of soil.  Since the majority of Christian parents enroll their children in secular schools, the majority of our children are being planted in a secular worldview soil.  As soon as that young child is planted his/her tender, fibrous roots start drinking in the nutrients that are in the soil.  Yes, they will take in some truth.  However, the main nutrients that they will absorb will be lies or Satan’s “truth claims”.  The question that I must raise is this.

Are Christian parents even aware of the lies that their children may be drinking in on a daily basis from their secular education?

If you were asked what are the fundamental lies in today’s secular culture that has enslaved its people, what would you say?  Many times we see the symptoms of our diseased culture and we know that it isn’t good.  However, we don’t get down to the root of the problems we face in everyday life.

I want to begin identifying some of the basic lies that are currently enslaving us, our families and our communities.  These lies, I believe, have even taken some captives in our churches.  It is important to try and discern the lies that affect the entire culture, not only in the United States but also around the globe.  Here a few that come to my mind.

  • Man’s happiness is the most important goal in life.
  • The government is to provide for all of its citizen’s needs.
  • Gender is a personal choice.
  • Tolerance is the ultimate value that humans are to exhibit.
  • Man is a mere mechanistic creature of nature of equal value to all other forms of life.
  • Making money is the primary goal of work and one works to be able to consume.
  • Popularity is important in determining one’s identity.

I hope the readers can see that I am trying to identify some fundamental false ideas that impact everyone in our society and determine what we believe and how we act.  There are many more that can be added to this list.  Since it is so important for us to know what the lies of a secular worldview are, I am asking each of you to give me some more lies from today’s postmodern culture that are enslaving us.  You can do this on  your own or sit down with a group of people and discuss this together.  Then simply write down your ideas in the comment box below.  I will gather them together and make a final list that I will share in next week’s post.  Once we identify Satan’s truth claims that keep us in bondage, we need to see how this impacts all areas of one’s life.  I look forward to reading your comments.

 

Glen Schultz

Author Glen Schultz

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Join the discussion 8 Comments

  • Bob Segave says:

    Thanks for this series Glen. Even at Roberts we talk about being “transnational cultivators” of the soil of the students here. That has been out theme this year in Student Life.

  • Matt says:

    I’m excited for the launch of the membership! Keep up the good work!

  • Becka says:

    But my child’s teachers are mostly Christian, so it’s ok…

    The Christian school down the road is so small it doesn’t even have sports teams

    I can’t afford Christian school

    Kids will be fine, I didn’t have Christian education when I was going to school and I turned out ok

    My kids go to AWANA at church so at least that’s something during the week

    The list goes on and on

  • Mark Kennedy says:

    Isn’t it interesting that as Christians back away from teaching their children the essential issues of life like the ones you’ve listed, Satan steps forward to claim that vacated ground.

  • Laurie Beard says:

    Premarital sex is okay and natural as long as you are “committed” to each other.

  • Eddu Del Villar says:

    Other false idea: we cant call some things evil it’s just your way to see the world. It’s different but we can’t tell you what is evil or not.

    (I hope you can understand my English I am from Dominican Republic)

  • Mark K. says:

    Excellent article!
    The purpose of an education is to prepare you to be a good global citizen.
    The purpose of education is to prepare you for your career.
    The world is millions or billions of years old.
    You should keep your faith to yourself.
    The less children you have the better.
    Guns are the problem.
    It is ok to help take their own life, so they can die with dignity.
    A woman’s right to choose is more important than the embryo in a womb.
    Religious liberty must not allow for prejudice against sexual liberty.

  • Mark K. says:

    Healthcare is a right.
    Daycare is a right.
    A college education is a right.
    A k-12 education is a right.