Monthly Archives

May 2020

What Language Will Future Generations Speak?

By | Public Blog

 

When you read the title of this week’s blog, you might have thought that this is a very easy question to answer.  You probably thought that your children will speak the language of the country in which they live.

Someone who was born and raised in Germany would most likely speak German as this would be his/her native tongue.  People living in France would speak French and those of us living in the United States would speak English.

It is also true that many young people learn to, not only, speak their native language, but also, another foreign language.  Here in the United States, Spanish seems to be the most common foreign language taught in most schools.

However, I am talking about something entirely different when I ask the question, What language will future generations speak?  I was reading through Nehemiah in my quiet time recently when I came across an interesting couple of verses.  In chapter 13 of this book, we find these words,

In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. Nehemiah 13:23-24 (NKJV)

Nehemiah was grieved to learn that some of the Jews had intermarried with the people of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.  This is something that God had forbidden His people to do.  Nehemiah also saw that the result of this practice was that their children could not speak the language of Judah.

It must be noted that the reason why God warned against this is because it was a picture of God’s people intermarrying with the culture and not remaining pure in their worship of Him.  Whenever the Israelites intermarried with the culture, one finds that they eventually worshipped the false gods of the culture into which they married.

This resulted in their children speaking an entirely different language.  They no longer understood the language of Judah.  The “language” that these children understood was the language of the culture and not the language of Israel.

As I read this, I realized that every belief system or worldview has its own language.  I have written in other posts that there are really only two possible worldviews that one can adopt — a God-centered worldview or a man-centered one.

The beliefs, values and assumptions of one’s worldview make up the language that an individual speaks.  That language is most clearly seen and understood by the lifestyle one takes on.  This is what had happened in Nehemiah’s day.

The children of these Jews who had intermarried with the culture around them had developed a completely different belief system from that of Judah.  They didn’t even understand the worldview of Judah.

So the real question we must ask ourselves today is this.  Will our children and grandchildren speak a biblical worldview language or a secular one?  

This question is answered by looking at the type of education we are giving them.  The reason why this is so important is that all education is taught within the context of a worldview.  Therefore, the education our children and grandchildren receive will determine what worldview language they will speak or live.

We find an example of this in the book of Daniel.  The Israelites had been taken into captivity by the pagan king of Babylon.  King Nebuchadnezzar chose the brightest of the Israelite young men and put them through a 3-year educational program.

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz…to bring some of the children of Israel…young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand…whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them…three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king Daniel 1:3-5 (NKJV)

The king changed their names to Babylonian ones, taught them the language of the Chaldeans and educated them so that they would serve Babylon, not Israel.  One commentator notes that this was an intensive educational effort to erase any remembrance of their Israelite heritage from their minds.

Fortunately, Daniel and his friends had been given a strong biblical education prior to being taken into captivity.  We find that they did not forget the language of Judah.

This same motive is behind every educational system in existence today.  Each system desires to teach its students the language of its worldview or belief system.  The goal is to make sure that the young people are fit to serve their “god” or “gods”.

The answer to the question asked in the title will be determined by what worldview system of education will teach them.  If the next generation is to speak or live a biblical lifestyle, they must be given a biblical worldview education at home, church and school.

If they receive a secular education, they most likely will speak or live a secular lifestyle.  If this happens, we will find ourselves grieved like Nehemiah was because our children will not be able to speak the language of Christianity!

What Will Change?

By | Uncategorized

 

 

It seems like everywhere I turn, I am finding another article, blog or podcast on how education has and will remain changed forever because of COVID-19.  There is little doubt that schooling will be done differently than it has been done for years.  It appears that schooling will include some element of virtual learning and more parents may fully turn to homeschooling their children.  The use of technology will also play a bigger role in the future of schooling young people.

Last week I was invited to participate in a webinar that Dr. Greg Jones of Forward Solutions was conducting.  In this webinar I was asked how school leaders can make a successful comeback from COVID-19.  I was also asked to share what I had experienced over the past couple of months due to this pandemic.  You can watch the full webinar here.

In responding to Dr. Jones questions, I shared my belief that it is important to not merely focus on what might change.  I believe it is even more important to focus on things that will never change and on some critical things that we cannot allow to change.

I hope that I have gained a small amount of wisdom from the 65+ years that I have been involved in schooling, both as a student and an educator.  I have witnessed a lot of changes that people said would revolutionize schooling.  If I would have focused the majority of my time and energy on those things that changed and not on the things that wouldn’t or shouldn’t change, I don’t think I would have survived.

There is no doubt about it.  Schooling will be different in the days ahead.  But that isn’t anything new.  I have shared before how privileged I was to spend the first 4 years of my schooling in a one-room school with one teacher and 8 grade levels of students.

The black slate chalk board can no longer be found in a school today.  The desks with the inkwell holes in the top are also gone.  Just about everything about the one-room schooling experience I had is completely gone!  But there are some things that are still the same and will remain no matter what other changes will take place in the future.

Allow me to make an analogy at this point.  Because of my responsibilities, I have done a lot of traveling over the years.  The total number of miles that I have flown in airplanes boggles my mind.  I well-remember how air travel changed forever after 911.  There are those long security screening lines, the rifling through one’s baggage and the all too common patting down of my body.  Air travel has definitely changed.

However, with all these changes there are some things that haven’t changed and I am thankful that they are still in place.  Air travel still needs and relies upon good pilots being at the controls.  Every airplane still needs to be designed to lift off the ground, cruise at various altitudes and safely land at the end of every flight.

The “how” of air travel is different but the “why” of flight is still constant.  The same is true of education, especially schooling.  In fact, my challenge in writing this blog is to make sure that we don’t allow certain things to change when it comes to educating our children and youth.

No matter what different methods of instruction etc. that may result from COVID-19, the need for and purpose of education must not change.  All children and youth come into life and will continue to do so in a fallen state.  They will always need to be guided into truth so that they might come to know the God of creation and to know themselves as image bearers of God.

Education must always prepare students for the future.  But not just for the temporal future of life here on earth but also for the eternal future that begins when this life ends.

So, what are the keys to success in the future?  Here are two realities that we must embrace.

  1. We must accept the fact that some things about education will be different in the future.
  2. As we prepare for the changes that will be taking place on what and how we educate future generations, we must be committed to making certain that some foundational principles will never be allowed to change.

Dr. Albert Mohler in his book, Conviction to Lead, talks about the importance of convictional leadership needed for a school to survive and thrive.  What Mohler says about leaders is also true for schools.  Just as new leaders will bring their own ideas, passions and vision for the future to the school, Christian schools of tomorrow may have a different look and/or feel when it comes to how they operate due to this pandemic.

No matter what idiosyncrasies a new leader might bring to an organization, it is critically important that the organization’s foundational beliefs never change.  As school boards and administrators adjust budgets, develop new strategic plans and prepare for what the new “normal” will look like, they must never allow the biblical foundation on which Christian schooling was long ago established to change.

My fear for what Christian school leaders might face in the future is that the changes that are being talked about will consume their time, energy and resources.  As their attention is focused on face-to-face teaching, virtual instruction or some hybrid of the two, will they give equal or greater attention to God’s purpose for their existence?

Change has taken place and it will continue to do so in the days, months and years to come.  However, God’s Word is eternal and never changes.  We must make sure that we know, understand and remain committed to a biblical philosophy of education.  We must also give priority to making sure our teachers and parents do the same.

You and I can’t stop change from happening.  However, we can make sure that the convictions on which kingdom education is built never change.

I close with some thoughts from Mohler’s book and from his May 12th The Briefing.

The loss of a secular institution is a shame.  The loss of an institution founded on biblical truth is a tragedy.

If your Christian ministry does not state clearly what your beliefs are and make those obligatory throughout the institution, then you can basically just watch your institution collapse to the left.

I invite you to consider participating in this summer’s Kingdom School Institute.  This year’s institute will be presented online.  Find out more information and register here.

Also, I want to encourage your school to become a part of a fast-growing group of schools who are intentionally helping their board and staff members develop a biblical worldview by becoming a KEM Prime Member.  Learn more about the wide variety of kingdom resources available to Prime Members here. To become a member, click KEM School Membership and receive a special school discount.

Finally, follow, like and share the information that is posted regularly on KEM’s ministry FaceBook page by clicking here.

Remember, God and His Word doesn’t change.  There is not even the slightest turning of shadow with Him.  This must also be true for Christian schools as they strive to fulfill God’s plan for educating future generations.

Examination Day

By | Public Blog

 

Are You Ready?

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5 these words.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

It is important to take some time every now and then and examine and test ourselves as to what we believe and how we live our lives.  With the end of another school year upon us, this is a good time to do just that.

I want to ask you to respond to the 10 ideas that are presented below.  As you read each one, simply determine if you would teach it to your children at home and/or would want your child to be taught this at your church.  Let’s get started.

  1. He/she is a good child but has made some bad decisions.
  2. Morality is relative and is determined by community consensus.
  3. Math is relative and right answers are arrived at by experts coming to consensus.
  4. Man is a product of evolution and is, therefore, a result of time and chance.
  5. You can be anything that you want to if you set your mind to it and try hard enough.
  6. It is important that you determine your own identity by how you feel including your gender.
  7. There is a body of knowledge that is spiritually neutral and is made up of neutral, observable facts.
  8. There is no such thing as absolute truth or a universal meaning to life.  You are to create your own meaning to everything.  If someone claims that their truth is absolute, they are trying to control other people.
  9. One must make decisions in life based on science which is the only means to know truth.
  10. It is important to follow your heart and just be you.

How did you do?  Were there some things that you believe should be taught to your children either at home or in church or at both places?  The truth is that all 10 of these items are derived from a secular worldview.  Some of them are more obvious than others but they all reflect a secular belief system that ignores or denies God and the spiritual realm.

I have found that most Christian parents and church leaders would reject the idea that these values and beliefs should be taught in their homes and/or churches.  However, the vast majority of these same Christians have no problem with these and other similar beliefs being taught to their children at school.

Why would believers take a stand against such anti-biblical concepts being taught at home and church but are silent when they are taught in secular schools.  In fact, they will go so far as to fully support these schools and enroll their children in them.

This reality is evidence of what I presented in my last two blog posts,  Today’s Real Danger and The Disastrous Consequences of Dualism.  It is one thing to know what dualism is and the dangers of it.  It is something else to be able to identify it in our own lives.

Unfortunately, most of us have been tainted by a secular worldview and we don’t even know it has happened.  This is because we live our religious life by some biblical principles and feel comfortable knowing that this area of our lives is based on truth.  At the same time, a biblical worldview does not have any influence on all other areas of our lives.

The more I talk with Christian school leaders, the more I have come to understand that this is a common reality with today’s Christian school board members, administrators and teachers.  The result is Christian schools are not having the impact that they could have on students’ hearts and minds if dualism were defeated in their own lives.

It is time that we do something about this dangerous condition that is so prevalent in the western church today.  The first step in reversing this dilemma is to identify one’s own worldview.

Renewanation has created a tool to help schools, churches, and families measure biblical worldview development.  The ViewFinder is a discovery and development tool designed to help teenagers and adults understand what they believe about six areas of biblical worldview: God, the Bible, moral order, purpose, creation, and humanity.

This tool is a must for parents, church leaders and Christian educators to really understand what worldview they have adopted.  Christian school leaders should use this tool as part of their teacher interview process and ongoing professional development plan for staff members.

I am excited to announce that Renewanation is providing a special discount to all individuals and schools who are KEM Prime Members.  Over the next couple of days I will be sending a special discount code to all Prime Members that can be used when taking the ViewFinder.

I also want to encourage every school and/or individual to consider becoming a KEM Prime Member.  All of the resources available to members have been designed to help Christians develop a biblical worldview and a biblical philosophy of education.  I am offering deep discounts for both an individual and a school annual membership.

To find out how to become an individual KEM Prime Member at the discounted rate click here KEM Individual Membership

To find out how a school can become a KEM Prime Member at the discounted rate click here KEM School Membership

Let’s defeat dualism by renewing our minds and thinking and acting from a biblical worldview.

The Disastrous Consequences of Dualism

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

 

 

The Decay of Christianity

We are living in a world that is spinning out of control.  There seems to be no absolute guidelines that determine right and wrong.  Even Christians seem to be floundering in a sea of uncertainty.  Last week I shared how many Christians have developed a dualistic belief system where life is divided into two compartments — the secular and the sacred.

Unfortunately, the consequences of trying to live a dualistic life go unnoticed but they are disastrous in a couple of ways.  One of these consequences has to do with our personal lives.

In his book, The Rest of Your Life, Patrick Morley tells the story of a man who had succumbed to dualism.  In this account, the man knew that,

…he had stopped growing spiritually long ago. He had completely separated his faith from his work and social life. All in all, Christianity was still privately engaging to him but an irrelevant factor in his day-to-day world.

Whenever one attempts to live his/her life by two different worldview, he/she finds that life cannot have any overarching purpose.  Life is fragmented with no cohesive belief system to bring meaning and purpose to one’s existence.  Without God and truth, there is no one or thing that one can turn to for meaning and purpose.

The reason why this disastrous consequence will always be a result of dualism is simple.  The beliefs of a secular worldview and those of a biblical one are in total opposition to one another.  As Morley points out,

They are radically different and opposite systems of how to approach life, meaning, reality, values, ethics, justice, relationships, eternity, God, and man.  As systems, they have no points in common and a wall of ideology separates them.

James understood this when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote,

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  James 1:5-8 (NKJV)

When a person does not believe that God’s Word should control all of one’s life, that person is double-minded.  Consequently, a double-minded person is unstable in ALL his ways, not just in some ways.  This is because when one’s interests are divided, one’s heart also becomes divided.

The second consequence that results when a Christian tries to live a dualistic life is even more disastrous.  This is because dualism in one’s life will be reflected in one’s religion.  When a majority of Christians divide their lives up into the secular and sacred compartments, Christianity loses its power.

Morley, once again, brings this to light when he writes,

The choices we make brand us; we are the sum of our decisions…Everyone’s life makes a statement about what is important to him…for many Christians the statement is this:  My Christianity doesn’t work.

Why is this true?  It is because, no matter how hard one tries, one cannot completely separate two opposing worldviews.  Unfortunately, the secular worldview will always influence a biblical worldview.  It has been long understood that a major problem in western Christianity is symbolized by the word “syncretism.”

The dictionary defines syncretism as the attempt or tendency to combine or reconcile differing philosophical or religious beliefs.  It is trying to have the best of two worlds – the secular and the sacred.  In reality, many Christians today have tried to develop a form of Christianity by blending in beliefs and values from other religions.

Again, God’s Word warns us about the danger of this type of worship.  He constantly warned the Israelites not to “intermarry” with the people around them.  The reason for this was because He knew that it would lead to dualism and pollute their worship.

The Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.  1 Kings 11:2 (NKJV)

Intermarrying is syncretism and the result is always the same.  It will turn one’s heart away from God and towards other gods.  The result is we merely become cultural Christians.  How does God look at cultural Christians?  The Psalmist puts it this way.

But they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them.  Psalm 106:35-36 (NKJV)

We are reaping the consequences that are a result of decades of sowing a dualistic worldview into generations of young people.  A growing number of Christians are frustrated by dysfunctional lives that lack significant meaning and purpose.  Young people are walking away from Christianity because when they look at adults they see their lives telling them, My Christianity Doesn’t Work!


We must destroy dualism in our lives before it is too late.  Every remnant of cultural Christianity must be eradicated completely by the complete renewing of one’s mind where every thought is brought into captivity of Christ or the Word.

Stay tuned there is more to come next week when I will ask some questions to see whether or not we are infected with the virus of dualism.

Today’s Real Danger

By | Public Blog

 

The Great Divide

If I have been asked this question once, I have been asked it hundreds of times.  It is asked most often after I have presented information about how dangerous secular education is to our children’s and grandchildren’s future.

Why are Christian parents, pastors and church leaders unwilling to address the issue of education biblically?

Having been asked this so many times and trying to prayerfully answer it, I have come to the conclusion that the main reason this isn’t happening is DUALISM!  This is a term that I first read about in the late Dr. Albert Greene’s book, Recapturing the Future of Christian Education.

This same concept is also referred to as the secular/sacred divide and compartmentalization. Those who tie this practice back to ancient Greek philosophers might refer to it as a two-story approach to life.

Simply put, dualism is the practice of dividing one’s life up into two separate compartments — the secular and the sacred and then living each compartment from a different worldview perspective.  The result is a fragmented life that has no ultimate meaning.  Life simply cannot make sense when dualism is present.

Last week I read a challenging article by Dr. Jim Denison.  In the article Denison makes this statement.

Our problem is not atheism, the claim that God does not exist and is therefore irrelevant to every dimension of our lives and world.  Our problem is pluralism, the claim that there are many gods and that each should be trusted and served where appropriate(emphasis mine)

He went on to state,

We have inherited it (from ancient Greece and Rome) in a much more subtle fashion with our gods of Sunday religion and Monday secularism.

Do you see the dualism in his statements?  We live life by our Sunday worldview and our Monday through Saturday worldview.  I have thought that this dangerous way of trying to live life by two different belief systems was somewhat new.  However, it has caused man problems ever since the Fall.

I am currently reading through 1 and 2 Kings during my quiet time.  As I was studying 2 Kings 17, it hit me.  Dualism was a problem during the time of the kings of Israel.

Israel had fallen to the Assyrians and were taken captive.  The king of Assyria sent some of his people to inhabit the cities of Samaria.  When these pagan worshippers arrived in Samaria, the Lord sent lions that attacked and killed some of them.

The Assyrians sent word back to the king and told them that some of their companions had been killed by lions because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.  So, they wanted the king to send some of the Israelites back to teach them the custom of the god of the land.

Some priests who had been taken into captivity were sent back to Samaria and they taught them (Assyrians) how they should fear the Lord.  When I first read this, I found it fascinating that these pagan worshippers recognized that they needed to know the customs of the “god” of Israel.  However, they didn’t want to leave their way of life all together in order to follow God.  Here is what happened.

However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made.  2 Kings 17:29 (NKJV)

The Scriptures go on to describe what became the way of life for these Assyrians after the priests taught them how to fear the Lord.

So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.  They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. 2 Kings 17:32-33 (NKJV)

Here dualism is clearly described in Scripture.  They tried to both fear the Lord YET serve their own gods. They attempted to live according to two worldviews or religions.  When I saw this, I realized that even the kings of Judah who did right in the sight of the Lord were guilty of adopting a secular/sacred divide in their lives.  One example of how a “good” king tried to live with a dualistic belief system is Jehoash.

Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places2 Kings 12:2-3 (NKJV)

This dangerous lifestyle was repeated by other kings such as Jotham (see 2 Kings 15:34-35).  I was amazed at how, time and time again, kings would tear down the altars and statues of Baal and Asherah but they allowed the “high places” to remain.  Of course, in every one of these cases God was not pleased and eventually brought judgement on the nation.

Unfortunately, we have not learned from the poor examples like I just mentioned.  I agree with Denison that Christians no longer are “setting up a figured stone in our land.”  However, we are too often guilty of worshipping God on Sunday and then trusting and serving our secular gods where appropriate during the rest of the week.

I am as guilty of this as the next person.  There are those areas of my life that I find that I have yet not surrendered to a biblical worldview.  As long as they remain, I am like the Assyrians in 2 Kings 17.  I want to “fear God” so I am protected from lions.  But I also want to fit into the culture by continuing to live my “secular” life just like everyone else.

In fact, I realize that when I come under conviction for the dualism in my life, instead of tearing down the high places and surrendering them to a biblical worldview, I do something very subtle but still sinful.  I will try to intensify my “Sunday life” so that I can still live out the secular side of my life with less guilt.

God will never work the work that He wants to do in, through and around us as long as we are not fully following Him in every area of our lives.  The question we must ask ourselves today is this.

Am I guilty of fashioning gods of Sunday religion and Monday secularism?

It is imperative that we develop a biblical worldview and allow it to direct our thinking and acting in every area of life throughout every day of life.

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