kingdomeducationministries

Last week I wrote about the devastating consequences that we are facing due to the “me first” ideology that has permeated all areas of today’s society. I am reminded of what Puritan preacher and author, Thomas Watson, wrote in his treatise The Duty of Self Denial.

Self denial is the first principle of Christianity. It is the life blood which must run through the whole body of religion. Self denial is learned not out of topics of philosophy but the oracles of scripture.

This focus on “love yourself first” is simply part of Satan’s strategy to destroy the family. It also plays into his desire to control the state. All of this is Satan’s ongoing desire to be “like God.” In order to destroy the family and control the state, Satan continues to set his sights on capturing the next generation of young people. He has done this primarily through secular educational programs.

Christian parents and church leaders must wake up to these strategies and gird themselves to wage war against the enemy. We cannot delay or it will result in total defeat. This effort to capture the hearts and minds of our children and youth through the world’s educational system has never been made clearer than what was posted this past week by the Michigan Democratic Party. Please read this very carefully.

Not sure where this “parents-should-control-what-is-taught-in-schools-because-they-are-our-kids” is originating, but parents do have the option to choose to send their kids to a hand-selected private school at their own expense if this is what they want.

The purpose of a public education in a public school is not to teach kids only what parents want them to be taught. It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client of the public school is not the parent, but the entire community, the public. (emphasis mine)

This belief that children do not belong to parents but to the state is not new. It can be seen throughout human history. Hitler declared that the youth of today belong to the Reich. Parents were responsible for what their children ate but the state was responsible for what every child believed.

This was also the mentality throughout the former Soviet Union and continues in Russia today. I saw this first hand in the early 1990s when I took part in several 4-day convocations where we trained teachers throughout the Soviet Union on biblical morality as a foundation for society.

Recently, I read an editorial that both alarmed me and broke my heart. Joe Mathews wrote a column on January 13th that began with these words.

If California is ever going to achieve true equity, the state must require parents to give away their children.

A few people commented that they believed this column was meant to be satire. However, there are some very dangerous ideas being presented whether or not this is satirical. The writer went on to explain how some parents give their children an unfair advantage over other children.

Fathers and mothers with greater wealth and education are more likely to transfer these advantages to their children, compounding privilege over generations.

What does Mathews suggest as a remedy to this problem? Here are his own words.

My solution — making raising your own children illegal — is simple, and while we wait for the legislation to pass, we can act now: the rich and poor should trade kids, and homeowners might swap children with their homeless neighbors…Today, a policy of universal orphanhood aligns with powerful social trends that point to less interest in the family. (emphasis mine)

Joel Abbott did a good job in breaking this column down to the key beliefs that are behind this type of thinking. He states that Mathews’ logic is:

1. The State is the ultimate authority.
2. The State is trying to teach kids to be better (AKA conforming to the things I believe is true and define reality).
3. Parents are standing in the way of what the State and I want kids to be.
4. Therefore, children must be removed from their parents.

Throughout my 54 years in education, there has been a hesitancy and even a militant resistance by Christian parents, pastors, church leaders and educators to admit that secular education is a threat to the family. This is proven by the simple fact that 90+% of Christian parents have and continue to enroll their children in secular public and private schools.

I am finding more and more Christian school leaders telling me that the majority of parents sending their children to their schools don’t understand what authentic biblical education is. What is more alarming is that it appears the majority of these parents don’t care or want to know how God wants them to educate their children and youth.

I remember the time when parents were required to attend all school meetings where a biblical philosophy of education was taught to them. I have spoken at many such meetings. However, these types of events are rare today and, if they do take place, attendance is merely optional.

Some school leaders have shared that they are fearful that they may lose families if they required such involvement by the parents. Since many families may be unchurched, they would not agree to required meetings where their biblical responsibilities are presented. As a result, there is a tendency for Christian schools to play down the emphasis on a biblical worldview and a biblical philosophy of education. In its place, the emphasis has shifted to highlighting the schools academic (or athletics, fine arts, etc.) accomplishments as the major benefits of a “Christian” education.

We are at a crossroads and we must choose the right path. There cannot be any hesitation when it comes to the church equipping parents with the truth about what the Bible says about educating future generations. Knowing, understanding and being committed to a biblical philosophy of education must be the hallmark of every Christian school.

Parents must be empowered, churches engaged and schools transformed by a thorough understanding of Kingdom Education™! We cannot delay another day! We must begin taking back our children TODAY!

The title for this week’s blog is taken from Psalm 136. The New King James version translates this phrase, His mercy endures forever. Today is Sunday, January 16, 2022 and I find myself sitting in a small country motel room in Northwest Georgia in the middle of a winter storm warning. It also happens to be my 75th birthday.

When I think back over my life, I have to echo the Psalmist when he writes that God’s lovingkindness is everlasting. His mercy endures forever is found at the end of every one of the 25 verses in this beautiful Psalm. As I sit here and reflect back on 3/4 of a century, I am absolutely amazed at God’s wonderful mercy and lovingkindness.

As I started my day in His Word, I read about God’s lovingkindness and mercy as He led His people safely through the Red Sea and, then, destroyed their enemy that was in hot pursuit. Exodus 15 is Moses’ song of praise to the Lord after seeing God’s lovingkindness. Moses began his song by declaring the awesome power of God.

The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2 (NKJV)

When I think about how God has led me throughout my teen years and my adult life, I must declare the same thing that Moses did when He realized who God really was.

Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:11-13 (NKJV)

I can say this about my life when I think of how God redeemed me from sin and brought me into His holy family. He has shown His wisdom and power as He has led me over the years. There have been so many wonderful examples of how He has blessed me beyond measure that I cannot count them.

When I continued reading about God’s lovingkindness for Israel, I was struck by how He provided for every one of their daily needs. He made bitter water sweet (Exodus 15), gave them manna for bread, meat when they complained and rest after six days of labor (Exodus 16), and gave them fresh water from the rock (Exodus 17). Once again, I have been blessed to experience every one of these blessings in my life.

After God did all these amazing things on behalf of Israel, one finds a wake up call to what it is like living in a fallen world.

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel… Exodus 17:8 (NKJV)

Of course, the record shows that God strengthened Joshua and he defeated the Amalekites. At the end of the battle, God made a very strong prophecy concerning Amalek.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Exodus 17:14 (NKJV)

Even though Amalek’s days are numbered, God told Moses that He would have to battle Amalek throughout the rest of human history.

…the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exodus 17:16 (NKJV)

One finds the Amalekites being a thorn in the side of God’s people throughout the Scriptures. Saul lost his kingdom because he spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites. In fact, it was an Amalekite that killed Saul and took the crown off of his head and gave it to David (see 2 Samuel 1:1-16).

Amalek represents the flesh, our fallen human nature. In reflecting on my years, I have seen that I have had to battle the flesh each and every day since becoming a Christian. This has been especially true after experiencing many of God’s blessings. My flesh is constantly waring with my spirit for control. I am thankful that God’s indwelling Spirit strengthens me to win the battle with my flesh as long as I daily surrender to Him. I look forward to the day when Amalek, my flesh, is completely blotted out.

One final blessing came to my mind today as I thanked God for giving me these 75 years to know and serve Him. That blessing is in the form of the people God has brought into my life and continually uses to conform me into the image of His Son. Fifty-three years ago, God gave me my wonderful wife, Sharon. I don’t know how I could have made it through the daily grind of living for God without her at my side.

He also blessed me with three precious children and six grandchildren. The older one gets, the more he or she realizes the importance of family. As my children texted me birthday wishes today, I responded by telling them that God has blessed me beyond measure.

I am also grateful for the people who have helped me fall in love with God and His Word. Paul Kienel, Roy Lowrie, Jr, Gene Garrick, Tony Fortosis, and many more helped me develop a biblical philosophy of education that I have termed, Kingdom Education™.

Being blessed to sit under the teaching of such giants as John R. Rice, Francis Schaeffer, B.R. Lakin and Josh McDowell, to name a few, played a significant role in helping me understand the importance of thinking biblically about all of life. These men taught me that God’s Word is not only true but is applicable to my everyday life.

One of the greatest blessings that God has given me is the privilege of sitting under the preaching of godly pastors. Jerry Falwell, James Merritt, Glenn Weekley, Michael Catt, Mike Lewis and James McMenis are some of the pastors who have faithfully preached the whole counsel of God and shaped my life in significant ways.

Finally, there are thousands of believers, like you, that I have had the privilege to connect with over the years. It has been an unbelievable joy to have been able to talk with, teach and counsel faithful followers of Christ who are in the trenches each and every day.

I don’t know what the future holds but the one thing that I know is this.

God’s lovingkindness is everlasting. His mercy endures forever. Praise the Lord!

My wife and I were driving home from San Antonio, Texas after Christmas. We were going through a small town in rural South Carolina when my eye caught a billboard. The sign had a picture of a woman and a simple message in large letters. It read,

Love Yourself First!

As I continued driving, I thought to myself that the billboard accurately described the society in which we now live. The concept of loving oneself first permeates every area of life, including how many people view Christianity. One might hear someone declare that “it is all about Jesus.” However, if you listen closely and watch how they live, it isn’t all about Jesus. It is all about me.

This dangerous belief can be especially seen in the sports world today. This is the season of bowl games in college football where a long season culminates in the opportunity for many teams to compete on national TV. However, things have changed and what would have been considered unacceptable at one time is now common place.

It seems like every announcer for every game listed players who had “opted out” of playing. Why weren’t they playing? It was because they didn’t want to risk injury as they were entering professional football’s draft.

Not only did many players “opt out” of playing in these season finales, it is also common to hear of players entering what is called the “transfer portal.” This means that college athletes can decide to transfer to other colleges if they can get a better offer than the one they currently have.

We see this taking place at the high school level as well. I have lost count of the number of high school athletes who have recently decommitted. This means that they had made a commitment to attend a certain school but now want to withdraw from that commitment or the agreed course of action.

I liked what former NBA and college basketball coach, Tubby Smith, recently posted. He said,

“We had over 800 Division I players transfer last year. C’mon. Teaching ’em how to quit. That’s what we’re doing. Things not going well? Quit. I remember calling my dad when I was a freshman…’Dad, people not treating me…this and that…I’m unhappy here.’ My Dad, he said, ‘Son, somebody do something to you?’ No. ‘You’re still getting your scholarship aren’t you? They’re still feeding you? They’re still housing you. You’re still getting your education?’ I said, ‘Yes, Sir.’ He said, ‘You can’t come home. your bed’s been taken…but you can join the Army.” Best thing he ever said to me.”

It is not only players that are exhibiting this “love yourself first” mentality. It is also seen in coaches. It has become a common occurrence for coaches to simply walk out on their contracts because they can better themselves and make more money.

This may be taking place because institutions are also breaking their contracts and dismissing coaches simply because they didn’t win enough games. I have even seen this happen immediately after a school extends a coach’s contract. Whatever happened to the biblical teaching that our yes should be yes and our no should be no?

This idea of me first has been creeping into our homes and churches. Divorce among Christians continues to increase. Many times marriages end simply because one or both of the parties aren’t happy. When one is not happy, then the best thing to do is “love yourself first” and get out of the “bad” marriage.

The attitude of “love yourself first” is much of the motivation behind the pro-abortion movement. It is all about the feelings of the woman with no concern for the innocent life of the unborn baby.

 

Christian Smith’s studies showed that the most common religious beliefs found in Christians today can be termed Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Here, God becomes a divine butler that a Christian calls on when life isn’t going well. God is expected to come in and make the person happy and then go back to Heaven until He is needed again.

We see example after example of individuals who once claimed to be Christians who are now denying the faith. The term used to describe this change of lifestyle is “deconstruction.” This is the same belief that the student athlete has when he or she “decommits” to a school. They are saying that Christianity is simply an organization and that they want to withdraw their previous commitment to it.

What is the message we are teaching the next generation when it comes to life, in general, and Christianity, specifically? Are we preparing them for the harshness that is a reality they will face because they live in a fallen world?

They must understand that “love yourself first” will have disastrous effects on their lives. Our words and our lives must demonstrate the truths of authentic Christianity. Jesus made it clear that it isn’t all about me.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV)

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:42-45 (NKJV)

Paul considered himself to be a bond slave to Christ. He wrote that true Christianity always exhibits Christlike humility.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:3-8 (NKJV)

As we start a new year, may we not only say with our lips but also prove it with our lives — it is all about Jesus!

This past week was an interesting one to say the least. One of the highlights of the week was having the opportunity to sit down and talk with Drs. George Barna and Tracy Munsil. Dr. Barna is the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center (CRC) while Dr. Munsil serves as the Executive Director of the Center. The CRC serves as the biblical worldview research and resource arm of Arizona Christian University.

At this meeting we discussed CRC’s findings that have been published in the book, American Worldview Inventory 2020-21. The findings of this study are quite troublesome as they relate to the state of today’s Christian adults. There were a couple of statistics that stopped me in my tracks.

I found it fascinating that 50% of American adults accept the orthodox biblical view of God as one who created and controls the universe; is omnipotent, omniscient, and without fault; and is just in His decisions. However, only 34% of these adults believe that God is involved in their lives. God exists but He doesn’t influence my life is what these statistics are telling us.

Another startling finding in this study reflects the beliefs of adults concerning the existence of moral absolutes.

Forty-eight percent of born again Christians believe that identifying moral truth is up to each individual and, therefore, there are no moral absolutes that apply to every person, all the time.

This reality plays out as Christians are equally likely to turn to one of three sources for moral guidance.

• Other people (30%)
• Their personal beliefs, feelings and experiences (31%)
• Religious faith (29%)

As I dug deeper into this annual report, certain things in today’s culture became more and more understandable. One example of this concerns today’s debate over abortion. Most of you are aware that the Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. This case may determine the future standing of abortion in the country.

In light of this Supreme Court case, consider some additional findings of the CRC’s Worldview Inventory. The Inventory asked adults what they would do if someone came to them and asked for advice about getting an abortion. The responses were heartbreaking.

• 22% would tell the person it was okay to have the abortion
• 44% would tell them no, don’t do it
• 11% would tell them it was not a moral issue
• 15% would offer no advice
• 8% did not know what advice to give

These findings are a clear illustration of the belief that every individual must determine moral truth on his/her own. This caused me to understand why Justice Sotomayor made the following statement related to a baby in the womb reacting to something painful taking place.

There’s about 40 percent of dead people who, if you touch their feet, the foot will recoil. There are spontaneous acts by dead brain people. So I don’t think that a response to — by a fetus necessarily proves that there’s a sensation of pain or that there’s consciousness.

What really caused me dismay as I was following this case was seeing some of the reactions to it from Christian leaders. One pastor was remarking on social media how encouraging it was to see evangelicals coming together in unity in their concern over abortion. However, he went on and made this statement in the Tweet.

This proves that evangelicals really do care about social justice issues. (emphasis mine)

The sanctity of human life is not a social justice issue; it is a biblical, moral issue! The Bible clearly states that God created man in His image. It also says that God knows individuals before they are shaped in their mother’s womb (Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1) and that He carefully knits each of us together while in the womb (David, Psalm 139).

You may be wondering why I am writing on these issues. It is because the American Worldview Inventory 2020-21 simply shows us the sad condition today’s church is in. If we don’t recognize the problem, we will not know what needs to be done to change what is taking place in our country each and every day before our very eyes.

The findings I have shared and the confusion there is on biblical moral values are only symptoms of a much deeper problem. What is happening in our homes and churches is the result of decades of secular education that has shaped the worldviews of its students.

Christians must come to grips with a truth that I have written about on many different occasions. All education is religious in nature. There is no such thing as a spiritually neutral education. Alan Bloom in his book, The Closing of the American Mind, makes this point with these challenging words.

Every educational system has a moral goal that it tries to attain and that informs the curriculum. It wants to produce a certain kind of human being.

Secular, humanistic education wants to produce human beings who do not believe in God nor His Word. It wants to produce autonomous individuals who will do whatever is right in their own eyes. What Dr. Barna reported in this annual worldview inventory is the end product of an educational system aimed at doing away with Christianity having any influence in society.

Battles over things such as abortion will never end unless we change the way we educate future generations. More than ever before in our country’s history we need to make sure the home, church and school is united on a biblical worldview foundation and, together, are determined to make disciples of the next generation.

 

The information shared in this blog is taken from American Worldview Inventory 2020-21: The Annual Report on the State of Worldview in the United States by George Barna.

You may have heard the old adage before. Too many people forget what they should remember and remember things they should forget. I have found this to be very true in my own life. Paul addressed the need to forget certain things in his letter to the Philippian Christians.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.      Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

It is important that Christians do not dwell on the past but continually move forward in an effort to serve Christ faithfully here on earth. I cannot change the past or will I ever have the opportunity to relive it. However, the future is always before me and I don’t have to repeat past mistakes.

Even though it is important to forget some things, it is equally important to remember certain things. I have been reading and rereading Psalm 106 over the past several weeks. I was gripped by this Psalm and how it is so applicable to what I see going on in the world today.

The Psalm begins by praising God for His goodness and lovingkindness. It also stresses how God blesses those who “keep justice” and “practice righteousness.” If that isn’t needed in today’s world, I don’t know what is.

However, in verse 6 there is a shift away from the character of God to the sinfulness of God’s people.

We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea. Psalm 106:6-7 (NKJV)

God had done many miracles in their sight and had brought them out of bondage in Egypt. Even though He had shown the people His awesome power, it didn’t take them long to forget all that He had done. In fact, they seemed to have completely forgot what God had done for them by the time they arrived at the Red Sea.

They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. Psalm 106:13-14 (NKJV)

This brings me to the main point of this blog. It is very dangerous to forget God’s works! When God’s people forget His works, it leads to a series of practices that carry with them terrible consequences. Here are some of the things that Israel did when they forgot God’s works.

• They craved things of the world which resulted in God giving them what they wanted. When God gives us what we lust for, it always brings heartache and becomes our own discipline (see Jeremiah 2:19). (verses 14-15)
• They rejected God’s leaders and many died as a result. (verses 16-18)
• They made their own god and were only saved from destruction by Moses’ intercession. (verses 19-23)
• They did not believe God’s Word and a whole generation died in the wilderness. (verses 24-26)
• Finally, they intermarried with the culture and ended up in captivity to the very nations they had “mingled with.” (verses 35-41)

All of these things started when God’s people simply forgot His works. As I have studied this passage of Scripture, I see some of these same things happening among God’s people today. Consider the following.

• We have forgotten many of God’s amazing works that He performed in the founding of this country and how He blessed it over the years.
• This has led us to crave the things of this world more than Him and He has given us prosperity to such a degree that it is fast becoming our destruction.
• We have forsaken godly leadership and have instead chosen leaders who completely ignore God and His Word.
• We no longer believe that God’s Word is sufficient for all matters of life and faith and believe that we have to use man’s writings to help us understand and interpret the Bible.
• We have intermarried with the culture to such a degree that it is hard to distinguish us from the secularists that are our neighbors. At a recent worldview conference I was speaking at, Dr. George Barna reported that the most common religion in America today is a syncretic one. We have intermingled with the nations.

Forgetting God’s works carries with it disastrous consequences. However, this doesn’t begin at a national level. It begins in the individual Christian’s life. A nation doesn’t forget God’s works unless the people of the nation first forget them. The same is true in our homes, churches and schools. It is crucial that each of us remembers the marvelous works of God that He has performed to bring us into His family.

Remembering God’s works must play a major role in the education we give our children at home, church and school. As a new generation of administrators and teachers move into our Christian schools, they must be taught the awesome works that God has performed in the past to make our schools what they are today.

We cannot allow ourselves to crave the trappings of secular education and forsake a biblical philosophy of education. We must protect our schools from mingling with the false ideologies that are taught in schools of education, presented in secular textbooks and sometimes tied to accreditation and certification standards. We must believe that God’s Word is the only source of absolute truth and must view every thing that man writes through the lens of Scripture.

Psalm 106 ends by giving us hope for the future. This hope is only found in God alone.

Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise. Psalm 106:47 (NKJV)

Our only hope is to cry out to God to save us. May He separate us from the world as we live in this world. We must also have the right motivation for God to save us. It is not so our lives will be easier. It must be so that we will give Him thanks and praise Him no matter what we may be facing.

As we come out of a Thanksgiving break and enter into the Christmas season, may we remember the grandest of all of God’s works. This is the work God did by coming to this earth, becoming one of us, and dying on the cross for our sin only to come out of the grave and defeat sin and death. When we remember all of God’s works, our response will be that of the Psalmist when he ended this Psalm by writing the following words.

Today we are engaged in a fiercely fought war.   One does not have to travel to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran or some other part of the world to encounter the battle that is raging.  All one has to do is visit any home, church or community to find the war taking place in full force.

I refer to this war as a culture war.  A culture war is a war of ideas and the two sides are fighting for their ideas to be the driving force in everyone’s life.  The two sides have ideas that are in total opposition to one another.  The ideas of both sides in this war are trying to provide answers to the two most important questions in life.

1. What is REAL?
2. What is TRUTH?

One thing that we must all realize is that the major target in this culture war is the hearts and minds of our children.  Both sides want to capture our children and have them believe their ideas about reality and truth.  Paul reminds us of this battle in Colossians 2:8.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

The ideas that come from the tradition of men and the principles of the world want to take our children’s minds captive.  This is because when one’s mind is taken captive by ideas, those ideas drive the person’s attitudes and actions in every day life decisions.

The second reality of this war that we cannot overlook is that the major front of this war is being fought on educational turf.  The reason why this is true is because the main business of all education is the communication of ideas from the one doing the educating to the one receiving it.

When most of us think of education, we immediately narrow our thoughts to what takes place in a school. However, education involves what takes place in three very important institutions in every society – the home, the church and the school.

The home is still the most important influence on a child’s education.  Scripture makes it clear that parents have the greatest responsibility for what ideas are communicated to their children.  Deuteronomy 6, Psalm 78:1-7, Psalm 127:3-5, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4 are just a few examples found in God’s Word that emphasize the truth that parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children.

The church also plays a significant role in educating a child.  The local church is God’s instrument to proclaim His kingdom to a lost world.  The Bible clearly teaches that the church is to teach, another word for educate, its members so that they are equipped to do the work of the ministry.  One of the most important “works of the ministry” is parenting the next generation of young people.  It is critical that the church come along side the home and provide support to parents in educating their children.

The third institution that plays a role in a child’s education is the school.  Schooling has a major influence on the education of a child.  A child attends school six-hours-a-day for 180 days a year.  This represents 1,080 hours each school year – a significant number of hours that a school has opportunity to communicate its ideas to the hearts and minds of our children.

Some parents who are reading this article might give a big sigh of relief at this point.  They can say to themselves that they are adequately preparing their children for the future because they are Christians, they attend a church and their children are in, what they believe to be, a good school.  However, every parent needs to understand what it takes to properly educate one’s children.

True education can be defined as the process of preparing a child intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually for life and eternity.  This means that we must make sure that the ideas that are communicated to our children through the home, church and school are preparing the total child not only for this life but also for eternity.

In the forward of my book, Kingdom Education, Josh McDowell makes a profound statement.

The ideal way to help our kids not only to reject the postmodern worldview (a set of ideas) but also embrace deepened Christian convictions is to align church, home, and school into a unified whole that arms our children with the truth and protects them from distortions.

According to McDowell, the key to winning the battle for the hearts and minds of our children is to align the home, church and school with a biblical philosophy of education. If we are going to win today’s culture war, we must give our full attention to all aspects of our children’s education.  It is absolutely necessary that the home, church and school are educating our children from a biblical worldview perspective.

Unfortunately, we have been losing the culture war over the past several decades. The world has been taking a majority of our children captive to its false beliefs and values. Many years ago, I came across a “little story” that explains why this is happening.

A Little Story

This is a story about four people named EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, and NOBODY.

There was an important job to be done and EVERYBODY was sure that SOMEBODY would do it. 

ANYBODY could have done it, but NOBODY did it.  SOMEBODY got angry about that because it was EVERYBODY’s job. 

EVERYBODY thought ANYBODY could do it, but NOBODY realized that EVERYBODY wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY

when NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done.

We can’t afford to repeat this “little story.” The home, church and school must come together and give our children a biblical worldview education. Anybody and everybody must do it!

You may have been like me last week and watched with interest the results of some elections that took place. What especially caught my attention was the gubernatorial race in the state of Virginia. Now, most of the time a governor’s race in a distant state wouldn’t garner much attention. However, last week’s race in Virginia had national attention because of what took place during a televised debate.

In that debate one candidate boldly proclaimed that parents had a right to be involved in their children’s education. The other candidate took the opposite position and actually said,

I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions. I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

I wrote about this in an earlier blog. As the campaign came to its conclusion, the candidate who made this brash statement continued to double down on his belief that the state has the final authority in the education of children and youth. The other candidate even went so far as to promise voters that certain human ideologies would not be taught in the government schools if he were elected.

The results in this race sent shock waves all across the country. This is because the candidate who was little known and was predicted to lose by a large margin actually won convincingly. When Youngkin was declared the winner, it was noted that parents rose up and carried him across the finish line. One news report stated that Youngkin,

…seized on a late-stage stumble by McAuliffe, who during a debate suggested parents should have a minimal role in shaping school curriculums.

Let me state right up front that I was thankful that this election turned out the way it did. It did send a message that the education of children is the responsibility of parents and not the state. However, I am fearful that results like we saw in Virginia will give parents, especially Christian parents, a false sense of security. Allow me to explain.

Even if the governor elect in Virginia is successful in removing various teachings from the state’s schools, does it make secular education safer? I agree that some teachings such as CRT and social justice are grounded in an unbiblical worldview and are very dangerous ideologies to be taught to children and youth.

However, what is still a reality when it comes to public school education is that it has been completely secularized. Secular education, as I have written about many times, is in no way spiritually neutral. It denies or, at least, ignores the existence of God and, therefore, betrays its students. Futurist, Alvin Toffler, said it best when he wrote in the 1960s,

All education springs from some image of the future. If the image of the future held by society is inaccurate, its educational system will betray its youth.

American society is secular, period. Its view of the future does not include an eternity with heaven or hell as everyone’s eternal destiny. By believing that this life is all there is, today’s secular society has developed an educational system that will not only betray our youth but also will not prepare them for the real future as is set forth in Scripture.

 

I have witnessed some other things that happened in the past that caused Christians to have a false sense of security when it comes to the education of their children. I will only take time to mention one such occurrence. Quite a few years have passed since the very first See You At The Pole rallies occurred.

Since that time, students, teachers and parents have gathered outside around school flag poles to pray for students and their schools. Again, I want to clearly state that I am thankful for these sacred assemblies and the thousands of students who openly take a stand for God by participating in these important events.

When these were first taking place, I heard many Christians joyfully make statements that demonstrated their exuberance to see God and prayer brought back into the nation’s public schools. Unfortunately, no such thing ever happened. This is because once the time around the flag poles ended, students went into buildings to receive a totally secular education where the God that was just worshipped and prayed to remained at the flag pole.

I am encouraged that parents are now waking up and are willing to take responsibility for the education of their children. However, parental responsibility can’t be limited to how one votes. Parents must do everything in their power to make sure their children receive a biblically based, Christ centered education. Only then will we be able to give our children an education that will prepare them for the real future and not betray them.

Last week I had the privilege of speaking at a VIP Worldview Conference sponsored by BJ Press and Precept Marketing. It was held at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter.

One of the highlights of these conferences is to hear from some amazing speakers. Dr. Bryan Smith, Jeff Keaton, Ben Schettler and Dr. George Barna always challenge those in attendance on the need to provide children with a biblical worldview education.

This particular conference was marked by a sense of urgency that was evident in every presentation. I came away even more determined than ever that the education we give the next generation must be built on a strong biblical worldview and a biblical philosophy of education. This must be a reality at home, church and school.

Dr. Barna shared that his research shows that the most dominant worldview among young Christians is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. That might sound like a lot of mumbo jumbo but it is a very dangerous belief system that too many Christians live their lives by.

In order to understand this worldview system, it is best to compare it to genuine Christianity. Consider the table below.

It is important to know where our students are coming from when we are attempting to help them develop a biblical worldview. I realized when listening to Barna that most of our students, including those who claim to be Christians, most likely have a worldview that is in conflict with authentic biblical Christianity.

There were several truths that were emphasized by each and every presenter. It  is important to note that we, as speakers, do not get together and plan what we are going to present. A few of the common themes that were presented at this conference were:

1. Neutrality is impossible in education.
2. Every educational effort is religious in nature.
3. There must be greater intentionality on the part of parents, pastors and teachers in their efforts to make disciples of Jesus Christ when it comes to educating the next generation.
4. We can only give to students what we, ourselves, possess.

As I contemplated where the younger generations of people are in relation to a biblical worldview, I asked myself how can we reverse some of these dangerous trends. A couple of things came to my mind.

First, I understood that I needed to examine my own life and worldview. Do my beliefs reflect a true biblical worldview or are there things in my life that line up with Moralistic Therapeutic Deism? One thing that Barna said really struck home with me. He shared that the vast majority of Christians have developed a syncretic faith. This is a faith that combines beliefs from two or more religions into one belief system.

Next, I realized that I must be diligent in renewing my mind. I have always believed that renewing one’s mind is not a one-time activity but a life-long process. We have been born with a faulty mind and are bombarded with falsehoods on a daily basis. Paul’s challenge in Romans 12:2 is that Christians must be continually renewing their minds.

Finally, I was reminded of how important it is to connect all knowledge to a biblical worldview framework. Dr. Renton Rathbun shared some questions that teachers must ask themselves as they plan their lessons. These questions demonstrate how a biblical worldview is an essential part of every subject that is taught. This is because a biblical worldview is the only worldview that matches reality.

1. What is the basis of truth for this subject?
2. Why does this material matter?
3. How do I account for my beliefs about this subject?
4. How do I make connections from this subject to the real world?
5. To what degree can I place my confidence in this subject?

Biblical worldview education is more critical today than at any other time in our nation’s history. Secular education is doing its best to shape our children’s minds in a way that is completely anti-biblical.

I never thought I would see a day when boys would be allowed to use a girls’ bathroom because they “identified” as a girl. But an even greater shock was when I heard a school board and superintendent deny that a rape occurred in one of their bathrooms due to this absurd type of policy. Then last week, I saw where not only a boy was crowned homecoming “queen” at his high school but the entire crowd cheered when it was announced.

This should not surprise anyone. When God’s existence is denied, anything and everything is permissible. The challenge to Christians is that we must be distinctively different from the world.

We cannot afford to attempt to be simply “better” than secular schools. Christian schools must not take a secular model of schooling and merely Christianize it with Bible classes and chapels. Here are two questions that need to be answered.

1. Are we simply operating a traditional Christian school?
2. Or are we operating a biblical Christian school?

We must never forget that there is no neutrality when it comes to how we educate future generations!