Public Blog

Are Your Ears Seeking Knowledge?

Summer is here! It is hard to believe that another school year is over. As I reflect back on this year, I am constantly amazed by how God has been so good to me and Kingdom Education Ministries.

Yesterday, I preached at my home church with the main texts taken from Proverbs 18:15, Hosea 4:1,6 and Isaiah 4:13-14. These verses caused me to pause and reflect on where we are in today’s world. The writer of Proverbs states that,

The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Here we find that a person who has understanding is able to acquire or obtain knowledge. It also tells us that a wise person’s ear will actually seek out knowledge.

However, God had much to say about how His people were suffering for the lack of knowledge; they weren’t wise or prudent. You are probably familiar with Hosea 4:6 where God says,

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you…

God also explained why Israel found itself in captivity when He said,

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; Isaiah 5:13

This is exactly what we are facing today. Christians are being destroyed for lack of knowledge and we are being taken captive because we lack knowledge. We look around and we are broken by a rash of mass shootings in grocery stores, schools, crowded streets and even in churches. Almost 2,000 babies are murdered each day in abortions that take place all across the nation. Suicide rates are skyrocketing.

We need to understand that many Christians find themselves captive to false ideologies. We see hatred and prejudice between people simply because of one’s skin color. We have allowed the false ideas found in social justice, gender identity and wokeness to creep into our churches and take many of us captive.

We are facing exactly what the Israelites faced in the times of the OT prophets — and for the same reason. We are lacking knowledge. Oh, we know a lot of stuff. We even consider ourselves very educated as more people have college and postgraduate degrees than ever before.

However, just like the nation of Israel during Hosea’s day, we have lost the ability to discern what is really important that we need to know. Hosea 4:1 explains what knowledge the people lacked that was causing them to be destroyed.

I hear it everywhere I go. Christian school leaders are saying things like this. God is blessing our school. Our enrollment is stronger than it has ever been. We have waiting lists in many grades and we are thinking of expanding our facilities.

There is no doubt about it. Christian schools and home schools are growing at an unprecedented rate. Many believe that this is an unintended result from the recent shutdown of schools due to the recent pandemic. With students now attending classes at home on their computers, parents became aware of the dangerous ideologies that their children were being taught in secular schools.

Many parents said enough is enough and pulled their children out of public schools and chose to homeschool them or enroll them in Christian schools. Some parents made this decision only because Christian schools chose to reopen and made masking voluntary. Regardless of the reasons behind these decisions, it has resulted in rising enrollments in Christian schools across the country.

The Association of Christian Schools International, ACSI, reported a 12% increase in enrollment in their member schools. One article quoted a Christian school leader saying,

This is a once-in-100-year moment for the growth of Christian education.

With exploding enrollment numbers came some added blessings. Budgets not only became balanced but many schools experienced some surplus of funds that allowed them to expand facilities, faculties and programs. When talking with school leaders, I am often told how good God has been and how He continues to bless their schools.

Even though I am elated about all of this, I am also aware of some dangers that Christian school leaders must be aware of. Some recent articles have addressed some of the challenges that will always come with God’s blessings. These challenges may come in a couple of different ways.

First, God may test us to see if we stay focused on Him and not on His blessings. This was the case in Abraham’s life. God had promised him a son that would birth an entire nation. After years of hoping for this son, Issac was finally born. I can’t imagine the excitement that Abraham and Sarah must have experienced with this amazing blessing from God.

However, God tested Abraham by telling him to sacrifice this child on an altar. Most of you know the story of how Abraham trusted God and was ready to plunge a knife into his son’s body when God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice. God told Abraham,

And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Genesis 22:12

Another reality that we must understand in light of God’s blessings is the fact that many parents may enroll their children in Christian schools but not for the biblical reasons for why the school exists. Many parents simply see Christian schools as safe places that are void of such ideologies as CRT, gender indoctrination, etc. They want the “safe” environment that a Christian school offers but aren’t really interested in their children having a biblical worldview taught to them.

I experienced this many years ago when I participated in several 4-day convocations in various republics of the former Soviet Union. These teacher training conferences were part of the Comission where Christian educators were invited to come to these countries and train their teachers on the topic of a biblical morality as a foundation for society.

One of these convocations was held in Minsk, Belarus. As we were sharing the truths of Christianity, a professor of Darwinian biology at the local university asked to meet with me. In that meeting she shared with me that a lot of the teachers in attendance weren’t really interested in the Christian faith. She went on to tell me that they merely were looking for a better economic system that would ease the terrible conditions that they had experienced under Communism. They saw Christianity as a means to economic prosperity so they would tolerate listening to us in order to achieve this end.

Parents who bring their children to Christian schools without knowing or wanting to know the biblical philosophy of education (Kingdom Education™) will also bring with them some pressures we must be ready to resist. If a school gives too much focus on Jesus and the Bible (in these new parents’ minds), you will start to hear such statements as,

We don’t mind Bible class and chapel but we didn’t enroll our children here to have Bible taught to them in every class. You need to teach the academics without all this Bible stuff.

A few years ago I challenged Christian school educators on the need to avoid pursuing the world’s concept of excellence and pursue biblical excellence instead. I explained how biblical excellence focuses on godly character rather than performance and achievement. At the end of the session, the head of a large Christian school said to me, “That was powerful and I agree with what you said. However, we must also understand the pressure from our parents to be “academically” excellent or else they won’t keep their children in our school.”

There is another challenge that we are starting to see spring up in Christian schools during this time of God’s blessings of increased enrollments. With this opportunity to impact many more young hearts and minds for eternity comes Satan’s attack to destroy Christian schools. I have become convinced that there is one hill that Satan does not want to give up in his war against God. That hill is the hill of education.

Satan knows that if he can control the education a child receives, he can take their minds captive to human thinking and the ways of the world (see Colossians 2:8). The devil has been quite successful in controlling what has been taught to the vast majority of young people in our country for many decades. He has done this by keeping more than 90% of young people in secular educational programs. As a result, 70-80% of Christian young people have been leaving the church within a few years after high school graduation.

There have been recent articles that have shown how Christian schools have been attacked for doing one thing — teaching biblical truth to their students. I strongly encourage you to read these two articles — Christian Education: an Alternative or a Standard? and A Christian School is Caught Teaching Biblical Truth. These are must reads for every Christian parent and educator if we are going to be prepared to engage in the cosmic battle of worldviews that are sure to come our way.

Unfortunately, we have far too many parents, administrators, board members and teachers who do not have a biblical worldview and, therefore, do not understand a biblical philosophy of education, Kingdom Education™. The result is not only are they not prepared for the challenges that are already here but they may also be used by Satan to attack the biblical purpose for why Christian schools exist.

I have been giving my full attention to addressing these challenges through these weekly blogs, the new weekly podcast, Kingdom Currents, and the upcoming Kingdom Education Summits. I cannot stress it enough how important it is for Christian school leaders to subscribe to the podcast and join me at one of the Summits this summer.

I thank God for the rich blessings He has showered on us by giving us a greater number of young hearts and minds to steward for His glory. However, let’s make sure we are up for the challenges that will come our way because of His blessings.

Several years ago, I attended a youth pastor’s event in Orlando, Florida that was conducted by Dr. Jay Strack. At the conference, Josh McDowell challenged us in the opening keynote address. Josh said something that caused me to pay closer attention to the culture we were living in at the time.

He shared how the country had gone from a Judeo-Christian culture to a post-Christian culture and that we were now living in an anti-Christian culture. He described how the culture supported biblical values when our country was founded. However, as time passed and we entered a post-Christian culture, the culture no longer supported biblical values. During this period of time, the culture merely tolerated Christianity.

McDowell went on to tell these church leaders that we were living in an anti-Christian culture. The culture no longer tolerated Christianity; it was now hostile toward and attacked the basic beliefs of the faith. You have to keep in mind that this conference took place more than 15 years ago.

I realized that many Christians my age were longing to go back to what our country was like in the 1950s and 1960s — thinking that those were the days when the culture was Judeo-Christian in nature and supported our Christian faith. As I contemplated the truth of what Josh was sharing, I understood that, while growing up in the 50s and 60s, the culture was already post-Christian.

It is true that we were allowed to pray in school and we weren’t hindered in anyway from attending church and talking about spiritual things in public. Yet, society only tolerated our faith; it no longer supported it.

The signs of what it is like to live in an anti-Christian culture were just beginning to show up. Fast forward to now and there should not be any doubt in anyone’s mind that today’s culture attacks any effort to bring biblical values into the public arena. This is especially true when it comes to how we educate our children and youth.

Secular education, whether in public or private schools, will not tolerate biblical values. This means that any attempt to bring truth into the classroom will be viciously attacked. This hostility toward Christianity has been on full display over the past few weeks. I have written about some examples of this hostility such as Disney’s effort to infuse LGBTQ characters and other efforts to sexualize children and youth in all that they do.

This hatred toward Christianity (I know that this is a harsh statement) showed up in full force on my computer screen this past week. Consider the following:

• A Massachusetts’ kindergarten teacher bragged in a virtual meeting about teaching 5 year olds white privilege and mocked parents who expressed concern over the lesson.
• Several women openly wished they had been aborted and how they hated their lives in opposition to the upcoming Supreme Court ruling that may overturn Roe vs Wade.
• A Pennsylvania teacher hosted a drag show for students as part of a GSA club without notifying parents what would take place in this after-school activity.
• Three Wisconsin middle school students were accused of sexual harassment for using incorrect pronouns when addressing another student.
• A Florida middle school principal told parents in a Facebook post to stop “getting in our way” because teachers will “do what’s best for your students in spite of you.” You can be sure that what these teachers believe is best for students is not in line with God’s Word!
• A Texas Methodist Church performed a gender-swap in lyrics to the song, You’re a Good, Good Father, and sang it instead, You’re a Good, Good Mother.
• Willow Creek Church did a similar thing and read Psalm 23 this way: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. She makes me lie down in green pastures; she leads me besides still waters, etc.

In the Pennsylvania example, it must be noted that when parents complained to the school, it was discovered that this event had been taking place for the past 3 years. The teacher who had sponsored the drag show posted this,

I don’t know how to explain the sheer joy i feel in my bones when these queens come take time out of their busy schedules to perform for us (year 3!) and to be with my students. as GSA co-advisor and a queer teacher, it makes me emotional to think of this space we have created– I would have loved nothing more than to have a space like they have, an opportunity to attend their own drag show…and to have these beautiful role models to support them. to model kindness. acceptance. perseverance. confidence. community. my closeted high school self finds so much healing in days like this. we all want permission to be ourselves. for some of us, we have to be the ones to celebrate ourselves. days like today are my why. je vous aime tous (I love you all).

It is somewhat encouraging to know that the school has suspended this teacher. However, it must be noted that the teacher was not dismissed. Unfortunately, parents will think that the problem has been taken care of with the suspension of the teacher. What should be of greater concern was that this type of activity had taken place for three years and nothing was done about it until a parent complained. This shows that there is a dangerous philosophy of education that has taken hold in the school that will continue to drive every one of its educational efforts in the future.

You may be thinking that this should be expected in a secular society but we are “safe” in our Christian school. An anti-Christian culture won’t limit its attack on Christianity to the public square. A case in point is taken from a news report in Kentucky. This news report targeted a Christian school in the area due to a leaked homework assignment.

A middle school assignment in a Bible class asked students to write a letter to a friend who is struggling with homosexuality. In this worldview class the students were to share truth with them that “God’s design for them is good,” “that homosexuality will not bring satisfaction,” and “that you love them even though you don’t approve of their lifestyle.”

A local businessman, who identifies as gay, was given screen shots of the assignment from a “close friend who has a child attending the school.” So, he posted this and said he received over 1,000 messages about this — including some from supposedly current parents at the school and school alums who all voiced concern over the assignment.

The school gave a biblical response when contacted by the news station. However, the report ended with a quote from an alumna of the school who “was angry about the assignment” and a final statement by the businessman.

They’re a private school they can do what they want. They have a board, they create their own values. Parents decide where their kids go to school. I would only say is I didn’t feel like I had a voice in 7th grade either when I was being forced to attend schools that I didn’t have a say. These kids should have a voice. (emphasis mine)

I am reading through the book of Job in my daily devotions and I came across a passage that describes the mindset that we face in today’s culture.

Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’ Job 21:14-15 (NKJV)

It is not easy to serve God in today’s culture. It is going to take courage and boldness to stand firm in the faith. We must be grounded in the truth of Scripture if we are going to survive the attacks that will definitely come our way. Christian schools must know and embrace a biblical philosophy of education (Kingdom Education™) in order to stay true to God’s purpose for their existence. We must pray for each other like never before.

I pray that you will consider joining me at one of the upcoming Kingdom Education™ Summits, where we will develop strategies for our homes, churches and schools in order to equip the next generation to serve God in an anti-Christian world. I urge you to register your school today!

This past week there was another attack on the family. I have written about Satan’s strategy to destroy the family in some of my recent blogs. We must never forget that God designed and defined the family as a husband and wife who have children if He so allows.

It has always been the belief of Christians that children are gifts from the Lord to parents. Throughout Scripture parents are given the responsibility to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The first biblical principle of Kingdom Education™ states that the education of children and youth is the primary responsibility of parents.

Over the past several decades there has been an ever-increasing effort to move this responsibility from parents to the state. Hillary Clinton stressed this years ago when she emphasized the statement that it takes a village to raise a child. During last year’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, one candidate stated that parents should not have a voice in what children are taught in school. I could go on and on with other examples of this belief that children belong to communities (the state), not to parents.

In a speech to public school educators this past week, President Biden alluded to the belief that the state has some ownership of children. Here is what he said.

You’ve heard me say it many times about our children, but its true: They’re all our children. And the reason you’re the Teachers of the Year is because you recognize that. They’re not somebody else’s children; they’re like yours when they’re in the classroom. (emphasis mine)

There is no doubt about it. This attack on the family, especially for the right to teach children and youth, will increase in the coming days, months and years. Many parents have started to realize the dangerous ideologies that the state has melded into the curriculum over the past several decades. The number of parents who have started to home school their children has skyrocketed in the past 2-3 years. Christian schools have also seen their enrollments climb during this same period of time.

Christian schools have always maintained that they partner with parents in providing the children with a Christian education. However, there seems to be a growing disconnect between the home and school when it comes to this partnership.

Sometimes parent involvement is equated with partnering together in giving children a biblical education. However, mere involvement is not enough. There must be a commitment by both parents and Christian educators to a biblical philosophy of education, Kingdom Education™, for a true partnership to take place.

In order for parents and teachers to know, understand and embrace the biblical principles of Kingdom Education™, they must possess a biblical worldview. The reality is that both Christian parents and many Christian educators do not possess a biblical worldview.

The Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University just released its findings from a major study of parents’ worldviews. Dr. Tracy Munsil, Executive Director of the CRC, summarized the study with this shocking statement.

Today’s parents of preteens are in the midst of a spiritual crisis — a crisis of worldview and faith so deep that a tragic crash looms on the horizon when it comes to how parents are raising the next generation.

These findings are reported in the American Worldview Inventory 2022 that was conducted under the direction of veteran worldview researcher Dr. George Barna. Munsil explains the basis for this crisis of worldview this way.

Today’s preteens (up to age 13) are confused by the contradiction between their parents’ actions and lifestyles and their self-identified Christian beliefs. In fact, the AWVI 2022 identified a staggering disparity between the number of parents who claim to be Christian (67%) and those who actually possess a biblical worldview (2%).

Even though one finds parents at many school activities, volunteering in a wide range of things, and present on school campuses on a daily basis, there is little evidence that this involvement translates into the partnership needed to effectively give students a biblical worldview education.

I have had the privilege of conducting several parent seminars at different Christian schools over the past few months. In each case I have found the parents to be fully engaged in what God expects of the home and school when it comes to how He wants children and youth to be educated.

However, I have walked away from these events with mixed emotions. It has been rewarding to see parents committed to the biblical principles of Kingdom Education™. However, it has been concerning to realize that only 10-20% of parents, who have enrolled their children in these schools, attended these seminars.

I have frequently heard school administrators voice their concern over the lack of understanding that parents have about Kingdom Education™. However, there doesn’t seem to be a plan to make sure parents not only know the principles of Kingdom Education™ but also embrace them in their homes.

With the increased attack on the family and the growing belief that children belong to whole communities, we must develop strategies to help parents understand their God-given responsibility to educate their children biblically. In addition to helping them understand this responsibility, they must also be equipped to begin this process in their homes and, then, partner with like-minded Christian schools.

I have always wanted to help Christians understand Kingdom Education™. However, when God led me to establish Kingdom Education™ Ministries in 2014, He made it clear to me that this had to be my major focus. It isn’t that I am not interested in equipping educators in good instructional strategies or identifying the best practices when it comes to teaching and learning.

However, God’s call on my life is to do all I can to help restore individuals, empower parents, engage churches and transform schools through Kingdom Education™. This was the driving force behind publishing two complimentary books to Kingdom Education™ — Understanding Kingdom Education™ and Applying Kingdom Education™.

This is also the reason I conducted the first Kingdom Education™ Summit last summer and will be conducting two Summits this summer. At these Summits, I build the case for Kingdom Education™, clearly define Kingdom Education™ and, most importantly, develop strategies for the home, church and school to apply Kingdom Education™.

I am asking God to bring together school leaders, teachers, parents and pastors so that we can address the issue of education biblically and be fully equipped to combat the ever-increasing attack on our families. I trust you will prayerfully consider joining me at one of this summer’s Kingdom Education™ Summits. The partnership between the school and the home must be a reality and not simply a statement in our handbooks.

Do You Feel Like Surrendering?

In my last blog, I shared some of the horrific things that are happening to our children and youth in schools, the media, the government and, even, in Christian churches and schools. If you haven’t done so already, please read my last article before proceeding further.

I have found myself spending more time in God’s Word and prayer each day since posting that article. My heart has been further broken with more evidence of Satan’s efforts to destroy the family, control the state and weaken the church — especially when it comes to the education of our children in the home, church and school.

It has been heart wrenching to read where we are as a society. Just a few of the items that have come across my desk over the past couple of days include:

• • An article describing how one parent’s teenage daughter decided she was trans and so have ALL her friends — not some of them or even most of them — but every single one of them.
  • A dad of two teenage boys who read to a school board word for word examples of what the school is making available to them. The language and sexual activities’ description are too graphic for me to include in this post.
  • There are growing occurrences of people “celebrating” abortions. One social media post read, Abortion is healthcare. And also traumatic so if you do have one, please gather all of your closest friends after to celebrate. Be around endless love and happiness for your decision. Thanks for everyone who came last night. Another post stated, Abortion havers deserve to celebrate. Join me in celebrating my 2 abortions next weekend! My friend is throwing me an abortion shower.
  • A feminist author criticized the idea for more mothers to be at home rather than pursuing a career. She wrote, The carer/earner nuclear family model we think of as “traditional” is a historical anomaly that is tremendously isolating and often financially devastating for the carer (almost always a woman). It also reinforces the gendered division of labor, which ripples out to all women…More mothers at home makes for worse, more sexist men who see women as mommies and helpmeets. Men with stay-at-home wives are more sexist than men with working wives; they don’t assess women’s workplace contributions fairly; and they are less likely to hire and promote women. She went on to write, [full-time mothers] are psychologically and emotionally worse off than working mothers by just about every measure.

When I take time to examine where we are as a country, I find it easy to become discouraged. This is even more true when I see how today’s Christian homes and churches have succumbed to the pressure and have become mere carbon copies of the secular society in which we all live. It is easy to be overwhelmed, think that we have fallen too far, and that there is no hope to turn things around. This is when I say to myself, BUT GOD!!!

This same feeling of hopelessness must have been in the minds of three of Judah’s kings. King Abijah faced terrible odds when confronted by a civil war with Israel. Judah began this war with 400,000 valiant warriors. However, Israel drew up into battle formation with 800,000 chosen men who were also valiant warriors. Judah prevailed over Israel.

Then, King Asa faced an attack by the Ethiopians. Even though Asa was able to assemble an army of 580,000 men, Zerah, the Ethiopian, had a million men and 300 chariots. Even against those odds, Judah was victorious.

Jehoshaphat succeeded Asa as king. Like his predecessors, Jehoshaphat faced a huge army from Moab and Ammon. The King saw no way out of this terrible condition. Surely, Judah would not be able to survive this attack. However, not only did Judah survive, but Judah didn’t even have to fight. Why? Because God fought the battle for them.

How did Judah survive these wars when it seemed like there was no hope? What caused God to take action and bring victory to the underdog, Judah, in each of these cases? As I studied 2 Chronicles 13-20, I found some common practices of these three kings of Judah that resulted in God doing some miraculous works.

1. All three kings trusted in the Lord. They knew that they were not strong enough to win on their own. Their only hope was to trust God (2 Chronicles 13:18; 14:11; 20:12).
2. Each of these kings cried out to God. In their prayers to God, they recognized Him as the God of the universe that knows all and has all power (2 Chronicles 13:14; 14:11; 20:6-12).
3. These kings had led Judah to throw away all their idols and obeyed God (2 Chronicles 13:10-12; 15:8-18; 17:3-6; 20:32).

Jehoshaphat did something else that is noteworthy. He developed an educational system or process so that all of Judah was taught about God — who He was and what He expected of His people. In 2 Chronicles 17, Jehoshaphat selected officials who would teach truth to all the people.

So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people. 2 Chronicles 17:9 (NKJV)

The results that Judah experienced were amazing.

And the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 17:10 (NKJV)

There is a marvelous truth that is key to seeing God bring us victory in the face of insurmountable odds. This truth is found in the words of Hanani, the prophet, that he spoke to Asa. It is important to see the back story that led up to Hanani’s prophetic words.

Even though Asa had seen firsthand how God had given Judah victory over the Ethiopian army, he didn’t trust God when faced with another war. Instead Asa made a treaty with the king of Aram. This alliance stopped an attack on Judah but also led to Asa’s downfall. Hanani told Asa,

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.” 2 Chronicles 16:7-8 (NKJV)

Then, Hanani said,

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars. 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)

We are vastly outnumbered and the hope of turning things around are dismal to say the least. In fact, it seems impossible to even think about winning. However, our only hope is to do what these three kings did.

1. We must trust God with all our heart, soul and mind.
2. We must cry out to God who is all powerful and is the sovereign King of the universe.
3. We must throw away all our idols and obey God completely. This is especially true for how the home, church and school educates children and youth.
4. We must teach the entire body of Christ who God is and what He wants from His people.

I must admit, it doesn’t seem possible. However, since God is immutable, His eyes are still going to and fro throughout the whole earth. He is looking for that remnant of parents, church leaders and educators whose hearts are loyal to Him. As He looks, will you be the one He finds so He can show Himself strong on your behalf?

I need your school to join me at one of this summer’s Kingdom Education™ Summits where we will address the issue of education biblically and develop strategies to engage parents, pastors, church leaders and Christian educators in making disciples of Jesus Christ. Find out more by clicking HERE.

The eyes of the nation were on Washington, D.C. this past week. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s public hearing on President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee was taking place. During this hearing, Senator John Kennedy asked the nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a series of questions.

I was intrigued by her answers. This is because her responses defines the worldview she holds to. It is the same worldview that far too many Christians live by. The Q&A went this way (emphasis mine).

Senator Kennedy: When does life begin, in your opinion?

Judge Jackson: Senator, I don’t know.

Senator Kennedy: Do you have a belief?

Judge Jackson: I have personal, religious and otherwise beliefs that have nothing to do with the law, in terms of when life begins.

Senator Kennedy: Do you have a personal belief of when life begins?

Judge Jackson: I have a religious view that I set aside when I am ruling on cases.

Senator Kennedy: When do equal laws of protection attach to a human being?

Judge Jackson: I don’t know the answer to that question. I am sorry.

I do not share this exchange to debate the politics that are always part of the confirmation process for a nominee to the Supreme Court. However, Judge Jackson’s responses show a tragic condition that has become part of the fabric of society and, unfortunately, today’s church.

It is my opinion that far too many Christians would respond to these questions the same way that the nominee did. In fact, many Christians will “set aside” their “religious” beliefs when it comes to voting for individuals, how they educate their children, and a host of other life decisions.

Behind Judge Jackson’s answers lies a worldview characterized by dualism. Dualism is the false idea that life can be divided up into two or more compartments. Each compartment of one’s life can operate according to different beliefs and values. This is exactly what Judge Jackson was very honestly stating.

She believes that she has personal beliefs, religious beliefs and, even, “otherwise” beliefs. “Otherwise” beliefs seem to be different to her than personal and religious beliefs. This is why she states that she has religious views on some areas of life that can be used or set aside when making decisions, depending on the situation.

Of course, this is a false worldview that really can’t bring true meaning to one’s life. Believing that I can have different and even conflicting beliefs about any area of life does not match reality. There is an even more important truth when it comes to trying to compartmentalize one’s life. It is impossible for anyone to “set aside” one of his/her beliefs when it comes to making decisions.

This is because all beliefs and values are religious in nature. In order to believe something, one must have faith that it is true. For example, you cannot claim that “religiously” you believe life begins at conception and, at the same time, decide that life doesn’t begin until birth when deciding whether or not abortion is murder. When one states that abortion is right, his/her real belief is that life does not begin at conception.

I know that when this is debated many people will play a game of semantics. For example, those who believe abortion is morally right will say something like this.

Life may begin at conception. However, this does not mean that the fetus is a person. Personhood is different!

Atheist and secularist Daniel Dennett states that five conditions must exist in order for someone to be considered a person.

Among the conditions he applies to personhood are rationality, consciousness, the attitude or stance taken by society, capacity for reciprocity, capability for verbal communication, and a self-consciousness.

Of course, most of these conditions are subjective and can be answered in many different ways — especially the attitude or stance taken by society. This means that if society has a certain “attitude” or “takes a stance” on any thing, that attitude and/or stance determines its truthfulness.

By playing this semantic game, one can claim to believe life begins at conception but, since the new life does not have some of these conditions, it is not a person and, therefore, can be killed. When this is one’s belief, then it is accurate that the person cannot determine when equal laws of protection attach to a human being.

Having a dualistic worldview causes life to be fragmented with no unified meaning to one’s existence. The most evident example of the devastating consequences of living a divided life is seen in how Christians educate their children. By dividing life up into the secular and sacred compartments, the vast majority of Christian parents enroll their children in secular educational programs, both public and private. It even shows up in Christian schools where a biblical worldview and philosophy of education are not understood and implemented in everything these schools do.

Parents can do this because they simply “set aside” their “religious” beliefs. They will enroll their children in schools where beliefs and values that are totally opposed to Scripture will be taught to their children.

The result is that children go out into adult life with either a secular worldview or, at best, a dualistic one. When they are confronted with a choice, usually the secular mindset wins out and drives most of their life decisions.

This is why it is imperative that Christian parents, pastors & church leaders, and Christian educators develop a biblical worldview and address the issue of education biblically. This is exactly what will take place at this summer’s two Kingdom Education™ Summits. I cannot stress it enough how important it is for you to attend one of these Summits.

We must ask ourselves this question. Do I have any “religious” beliefs that I have set aside in order to make certain decisions in my life? If so, we are living in a divided house. A house divided against itself cannot stand and a dualistic worldview will only result in disaster. Scripture makes it clear that one either loves God and hates the world or he loves the world and hates God. We must develop and live by a biblical worldview in all areas of life if we are going to make right decisions.

Last year, the country experienced something that hadn’t taken place for quite some time. Parents became very involved in challenging what their children were being taught in school. Much of this outcry can be traced back to schools going virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With students being taught virtually on their computers, parents started realizing some of the dangerous ideologies that were being pumped into their children’s minds.

Videos started showing up on social media that documented parents challenging public school administrators and board members and demanding that schools not teach these ideologies. Much of the attention was focused on what is referred to as Critical Race Theory or CRT.

This parent uprising became a political hot potato in the 2021 election cycle. Probably the most notable place this was seen was in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. It seemed like the entire nation became focused on the race between Terry McAuliffe and Glen Youngkin. In a September 29th debate, McAuliffe made a statement that some might compare to the “shot that was heard round the world” at the beginning of the American Revolution. His statement became headlines all across the country. He said,

I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

Many people believe this is what turned the election into a major victory for the opposing party. When Youngkin won, he followed through with his promise to remove teaching of the CRT ideology in Virginia schools. This victory was seen by many as a victory for the family and a return to the belief that children belong to parents, not the state.

At the time this was happening, I wrote a blog in which I warned that, even if CRT was completely removed from public school curriculum, parents could not think that the war had been won. Since then one does not hear as much about CRT. I began to wonder if true change was taking place in secular education.

However, I am even more convinced that once the tree of education (especially schooling) becomes secularized, it becomes a bad tree. We know that Scripture teaches that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. There is no doubt about it that public education in the United States has become completely secular in its philosophy of education. Unfortunately, this is also true in many, if not most, private schools and can also be seen creeping into Christian schools and home schools.

The philosophy of education will always produce fruit based on its beliefs and values. A secular philosophy of education can only produce bad fruit because the philosophy is bad. I have been intrigued by some “new” terminology that is being used in more and more schools. Instead of talking about Critical Race Theory, I am hearing a lot of talk about training in DEI. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

There is a second trend that I have witnessed in what is being taught in many schools today. It is referred to as SEL or Social Emotional Learning. One description of SEL states that it is a methodology that helps students of all ages to better comprehend their emotions, to feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others.

I am not trying to provide a critique of CRT, DEI or SEL in this blog. What I am trying to do is call everyone’s attention to the fact that these emphases/programs have one thing in common. They have been developed out of a secular worldview and philosophy of education. As such, God and biblical truth have no bearing on their beliefs and/or values.

Once a school or school system becomes secular, you cannot reform it by simply removing certain dangerous programs/ideologies. Any educational effort based on a secular philosophy of education has become a bad tree and will only produce bad fruit.

Even though parents are right to go to their school leaders and stand up against false philosophies that show up in their schools, it will not make the school safe for their children. This is because the problem is in the worldview and philosophy at the root of the school.

If I had to state what is the major problem of a secular worldview and philosophy of education, I would put it this way. When God and His Word are removed from education, man becomes the definer of truth and meaning of life. Behind all secular efforts to educate children and youth are Satan’s two lies that he used to first tempt Adam and Eve.

1. God’s Word, therefore God, cannot be trusted.
2. You can be your own god.

I have had the privilege to preach at a church, conduct two parent seminars and provide staff training at a Christian school over the past two weeks. At each event, my focus was on the need for Christian parents, pastors and educators to develop a biblical worldview and embrace a biblical philosophy of education (Kingdom Education™). This is the only hope we have to raise future generations to become authentic disciples of Jesus Christ.

The response that I received from each of these groups was overwhelming. I could not believe the hunger that parents, church leaders and teachers have for truth. Even those from two strong Christian schools that I was at told me that these events were some of the most meaningful sessions that they had ever been a part of.

Two teachers from one of the schools I was at had attended last summer’s Kingdom Education™ Summit. They left the Summit different persons. One of these teachers told me, the Summit not only changed my teaching, it changed my life. This is why I am conducting two Kingdom Education™ Summits this coming June. We must unite the home, church and school by addressing the issue of education biblically.

I am encouraging every Christian school and church to be part of this summer’s Kingdom Education™ Summits. Click HERE for more information.

Soil Preparation Is Critical

Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of speaking in several different venues. Whether preaching in a church, conducting a parent seminar or performing professional staff development for a Christian school, there is one thing that I am more certain of than at any other time in my life and ministry. I am more convinced than ever before that the home, church and school must unite with each other and address the issue of education biblically.

This became evident when I attended an administrator roundtable hosted by Dr. Sonny Sherrill at North Raleigh Christian Academy. Dr. Larry Taylor, President of ACSI, presented the opening keynote address. He shared one of the domains of ACSI’s Flourishing School Model in his presentation. However, before explaining the model, he stressed something else that was critically important.

Dr. Taylor emphasized that the key to the effectiveness of the Flourishing School Model (illustrated by a tree) is the soil in which the model is planted. The soil, according to Taylor, represents the philosophy of education by which the school operates. Of course, the only philosophy of education that will allow the Model to flourish is a biblical one or, as Dr. Taylor said, Kingdom Education™. One of the main tasks of a Christian school administrator is to make sure the soil is properly prepared so that the school can flourish.

This is the same message that I have presented to parents, pastors and Christian educators for many years. This is why I developed my KEM Prime Member website, have written a three-book series on Kingdom Education™ and started conducting a Kingdom Education™ Summit. The most important thing that we must all do is to know and embrace a biblical philosophy of education in the home, church and school.

If we fail in this effort, the world will continue to capture the hearts and minds of the majority of our children and youth. We cannot afford to delay any longer in addressing the issue of education biblically. Dr. H.B. Charles, Jr made a profound statement in a sermon he delivered last week. He stated,

While you wait to teach your children truth, the world will not wait to teach them lies.

Every educational effort is based on some philosophy of education. The goal of any philosophy of education is the same — the discipleship of the learner. All education is aimed at making our children disciples of someone or something. This was clearly stated in Alan Bloom’s classic book, The Closing of the American Mind.

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

Behind every educational methodology is an educational philosophy; behind every educational philosophy is a theology of the nature of the child, the role of the teacher, and the aims of learning.

In an earlier blog, I wrote how there is only one way to develop a biblical philosophy of education. It requires every parent, pastor and teacher to take up daily residence in God’s Word. So often, I find Christians looking for a better program or technique in their efforts to educate the next generation. However, we must understand a truth that the late R.C. Sproul understood when he wrote,

I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible. Everyone is looking for power in a program, in a technique, in anything and everything except where God has placed it: His Word.

Unfortunately, we sometimes lose our distinctiveness by trying to be “relevant” in our efforts to reach the world. Rod Dreher warns about the danger of trying to reach the world by looking like the world when he wrote,

Too many of our churches function as secular entertainment centers with religious morals slapped on top…The sad truth is, when the world sees us, it often fails to see anything different from nonbelievers. Christians often talk about “reaching the culture” without realizing that, having no distinct Christian culture of their own, they have been co-opted by the secular culture they wish to evangelize (emphasis mine).

This can also be true for Christian schools. In our efforts to keep up with the most up-to-date methodologies of teaching and learning we fail to keep our biblical distinctive that comes from operating from a well-developed biblical philosophy of education. We devote many hours to training our teachers on methods of teaching with little time left over to make sure every teacher has developed a biblical worldview and fully understands a biblical philosophy of education (Kingdom Education™).

I am all for Christian schools striving to use effective teaching strategies and incorporating today’s technology in the classroom. However, the first priority for every Christian school must be to prepare the soil biblically so that there is a firm foundation that allows the school to flourish.

It is my prayer that many more Christian schools will become KEM Prime Members so that board members, administrators, teachers and parents can use the resources available on the member site to develop a biblical worldview and philosophy of education. In addition to becoming KEM Prime Members, I am encouraging Christian school and church leaders to attend one of this summer’s two Kingdom Education™ Summits. At the Summits, we will work together and develop strategies to empower parents, engage churches and transform schools through Kingdom Education™. We can’t delay in doing this or else it may be too late!