I thought I would repost the links to a series I did a little over a year ago on the discipling of our children and some of the questions I often hear with regards to sending ones children to the government schools. I speak of “discipling” with regards to schooling since that is the goal, or should be, of education; yes the government schools are seeking to disciple your children as well. Since the disciple will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40) this should be enough for Christian parents not to send their children to government schools but sadly it often is not.
The question I would like to deal with is: Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools? A better way to ask this may be: Should we accept government subsidies?
At issue is whether when the government dangles out a carrot should we partake of the bauble it places before us. The initial reaction of many sincere parents is that they pay taxes so this is simply taking nothing more than they have already paid for and thus their right. Before I deal with why we need to avoid this let me deal with the assumption.
First, let me say I have felt this way in the past and still struggle at times with thoughts of taking what I think is mine. If we think about it there are lots of things that our taxes pay for that we would hopefully never seek to take part in. Our taxes pay for abortions, immoral art efforts, unbiblical government projects and the list goes on and on. While our taxes pay for these things we would not, I pray, think of partaking in them so why do we think we must do the same with things dealing with schooling. Not only are many of the things we pay taxes for unconstitutional more importantly we need to see that they are often unbiblical. So let us not seek to take the government carrot simply because we think we deserve, have paid for it or have a right to it.
Now for a reason not to take government funds. I would highly suggest watching the DVD Exposing a Trojan Horse as it speaks to many examples of how the government has offered something with one hand then takes more back with the other at a later date. Once you accept the help of the government you become beholden to it. It is the nature of a government that is seeking to control all aspects of life to do what is necessary to get that control. This may not have always been true but it has proven itself true with the government of today. Basically the same reasons we are not to send our children, as Christian parents, are valid for why we should not accept government subsidies for such things as charter schools and other aspects related to schooling.
Remember that living the life of the pilgrim we are called to be as believers will not be easy. It was not easy for Abraham, it was not easy for Daniel, it was not easy for the Apostles and it will not be easy for us. As we live in the city of God and journey through the city of man there will many things that seem attractive but are merely there to distract us from the true path God desires us to follow. The world tries to sell us the line that we are owed something and our sin nature often leads us to falls into the trap. Simply because we pay unjust taxes, actually a topic for another day, does not mean we should accept that which will jeopardize the goal of raising our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4).
So, let us not accept government subsidies masquerading as benefits that will eventually enslave one to the state and hinder us from accomplishing our purpose of glorifying God in the raising of our children.
As I continue looking at the education of our children from a Christian perspective another question that has to be answered is whether the government should be involved in their education at all.
I fear that many believers do not even contemplate this question because of the successful indoctrination of the government to train us to think it is natural and right to send our children to Uncle Sam for training. We have been told so often that teaching is a job for professionals that most parents do not even question this assertion. But we must question this premise since if we are told in Deut 6:1-9 that it is our responsibility to train our children would God not also equip us to do as He requires. I have heard Voddie Baucham when speaking on homeschooling and the ability of parents to teach say that a parent only needs to be one day ahead of the child when training, how true that is. We need to get it in our heads that the adage that “we need to leave the education of our children to the professionals” is incorrect, instead we need to keep the education of our children with the parent.
I should add that the mindset of education only being for professionals has infiltrated our churches as well. Believing parents so often hand their children over to well meaning youth leaders and Sunday school teachers and in the process do just as the education system has trained them to do. Keep in mind the whole concept of education used in most churches is also simply a spiritualizing of the world’s method of education.
Most of what I have just said applies to education as a whole and not just as it concerns the government. What has to be contemplated when sending ones children to the government school system is what is their goal. What are their stated and desired goals for children that come out of their system? No matter what you feel those goals are it should be obvious to believers that the one thing the government schools system does not want is God honoring students, students who give all credit to God and seek His guidance in all areas of life. This is obvious because the subject of God has been removed from schools so that if one is to work by the government standards God will not enter into education. Not only does God not enter into education when the government is involved He is denied access at all and is even ridiculed and negated at every opportunity. Children in the government school systems are trained to see life as having nothing to do with God. If God is even mentioned it is that God only plays a part in one area, the spiritual component, of a persons life and often even minimally then. The goal of the government is to train children to be freed from the “constraints of religion” and to be brought to the light of secular humanism.
This should be enough to make any believing parent not send their children to the government school system. But often we as parents try and justify our actions by saying such things as “my school is different”, “my child is well grounded”, “I will correct things when they get home” and many other similar statements. The problem is this attitude does not see the affect that an inordinate amount of time in the indoctrination process creates. Due to this large amount of seat hours in the government schools the minimal amount of time the child is left with parents does not allow for deprogramming and retraining.
Even if you would be fortunate enough to have Christian teachers in the government school system they are bound by the contracts they sign to teach within the parameters of the school. Thus, God is still to be left out of the education process and your children are still not being taught in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). Let alone Prov 22:6 lets us see that as a child is raised so he will go and if that raising is primarily in the government school system that way will be the way of secular humanism.
I believe the present condition as a nation can be largely attributed to government control of education and the churches acceptance of the state of affairs. The church is too comfortable in the world and is fearful of the repercussion of not allowing the world to educate their children. This attitude needs to change and it will only do so when God’s word is seen as the only means of deciding ones child’s education.
I believe the answer is clear that we are not to have the government involved in the education of our children. With this in mind remember that the whole Charter School issue allows government involvement no matter how minimal it may appear presently it is sure to change. Let us not send our children to the government for their education. As Voddie Baucham has said in his great DVD, The Children of Caesar, "If you send your kids to Caesar for their education don't be surprised when they come back as Romans."
Last time, in part 1, I touched on a number of verses that speak to education. It is imperative to understand education from a biblical worldview if we are to raise children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). As I have mentioned before this also is imperative because once we see what God calls for in the way of education it should became clear that the public education system is diametrically opposed to God’s plan for education and thus not acceptable for the children of Christian parents.
The public education system seeks to remove God from education but in truth He is simply replaced by the god of humanism. Everybody worships some god and the god of humanism is man himself and not the one God who created man. Any education children receive from the state is by its very nature and direction man centered and seeks to minimize or negate the God of the Bible, many times at all costs. Children in the public school system are bombarded by humanism for 8 hours a day which is difficult to counteract by most professing Christian parents with the remaining time left even for the most diligent parent. Needless to say it is easy to see where this leads to and that is a generation that has no more a biblical worldview than the schools they are taught by.
Here are some more verse that speak to the nature and direction of education:
Jer 10:2 Thus says the LORD: "Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,
This verse speaks about the worthlessness of the cultures ways. This does not say we cannot teach what other cultures ways are but we are not to teach children so as they become their ways. In the public school system that is one of the main goals. That goal is to train children to be a part of society and fit the norms and morays of the people instead of teaching them to obey the commands of God. Keep in mind the worlds ways are not God’s ways and one cannot be taught one without it affecting the other.
Matt 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters
When deciding if public school is for children of believing parents contemplate the words of Jesus here. The school system cannot proclaim that God cannot enter the classroom and at the same time be for God. Thus to send children to public school is to send them into a system that is against God.
Matt 18:6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
These words of Jesus should give us pause as anyone contemplates sending their children to the government schools. To send them where the goal is to separate God from education is to put them in a position to sin. Contemplate the position you put your children into by sending them to public school and this verse becomes one we should be concerned with.
Matt 28:20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
While we often think of this verse only in terms of evangelism we should do so with our children in mind as this is our first place of evangelism. We are called not to make converts but disciples and when we send our children off to be taught by the government we are definitely not raising/discipling them to obey God’s commands. The public school system does quite the contrary and in reality seek to undermine all that God commands.
Luke 6:39-4039 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher
This verse is imperative as it truly reflects the nature of the government educational system, that it is blind since it seeks its answers in man not God. The result of all of this is that the student will in the end be like the one that teaches them and in the public school system that is to become a “good” pagan humanist. As I have mentioned already, don’t fool yourself that minimal time at home and in some Sunday school will overcome the 8 hours a day the student is being indoctrinated.
2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
While this verse is usually used with regards to marriage as well as business partnerships it is equally valid for education. The act of teaching is truly discipleship and when the student spends so much time with the teacher/teachers they are in a manner yoked to them. Not only are they yoked to the teachers but in the end the goal of government education is to be yoked to the state.
Eph 6:4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
This may be the last verse listed but it is integral to understanding education from a biblical worldview. The training and discipleship of our children is to be centered on God not man as the humanistic public school system has as a focus. Many may balk at this and say what about math, reading, writing and the such but the point here is that all of those subjects when taught need to be taught with God as the focus and that will not happen in government run schools.
These are only some of the verses that speak to aspects of education and raising our children from a biblical worldview. The challenge for Christian parents is to realize God does speak to how we are to raise our children and His commands are not vague. We as Christian parents and especially fathers need to see that it is our position and duty to raise and to educate/disciple our children. It is too important a task to leave to others. I realize that many parents have gotten themselves to a place where a change is difficult but that should be no reason not to make the change. For those that are new parents I urge you to see what scripture says about educating your children and then seek to follow God’s commands.
Here are the reasons he gave, you can read the post for the details.
5. You don’t have to 4. America’s schools are among the worst in the industrialized world 3. America’s schools are morally repugnant 2. Government education is anti-Christian 1. The Bible commands Christ-centered education
A week or so ago I wrote on Homeschooling and Charter Schools and in the course of writing the post I touched on some questions we as Christian parents need to answer. But before I get to the first question I will deal with what we need to remember as professing believers we have gotten ourselves to a place where changing course is imperative but will be difficult. It will take hard decisions and may often even mean financial hardship. The question though has to always come back to not what we feel we should do but what God reveals we should do. I think as believers when we seek the road that has to be traveled we need to answer first; should believers rely on the government and public education to educate their children. Then the question is; as believers are we to educate our children or can we leave this to “Christian schools.”
So with this all in mind here are the questions I posed previously, but I have reordered them:
1) What is the purpose of education/discipleship for believer’s?
2) Is the government to be involved in the education of my children at all?
3) Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools?
4) Should not my children be in the public school to be lights in a dark place?
5) Why do we need to meet man’s standards for education?
6) Why do we need relief or a respite from the presence of our children?
7) Isn’t the method of education of our children a preference?
I begin with the purpose of education because we need to understand this aspect of the caring for our children before moving on. As I want to put the verses with each reference I will break this down into at least two parts.
When one looks in scripture for education you will not find the specific word education as we know it is used. Instead we need to seek out words such as wisdom, knowledge, discipleship and the like. We need to realize that God’s call to make disciples starts with our children.
So let us look at some verses that touch on the education of our children. After the verse I will give a brief comment on each.
First is Deut 6:1-9: (1) “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, (2) that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. (3) Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. (4) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (5) You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (8)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
We will also look at this passage later when it comes to who should educate our children but this passage shows the necessity of teaching/discipling our children about the commands of God. We are told in V6 that we as parents, especially fathers, are to have these very same commands on our heart and then we are to not only teach them to our children but to do so diligently. Then Moses, in case it was not clear, reveals what is meant by diligently. We are to spend a large amount of our time discipling our children in all places in all of life. So the education/discipling of our children is primarily to instill in them the commands of the Lord and to let them see by our constant contact with them that those very same commands are on our hearts.
Next is Prov 1:7-9 (7) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (8) Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, (9) for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
This passage lets us see that the wisdom we are to teach our children does not start in some textbook or curriculum but in the fear of the Lord. That fear is only taught in scripture and is to be taught by the parents as V8 shows. The mainstay of the teaching of our children should be the fear of the Lord as revealed in scripture so that they can truly, by God’s power, be wise.
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
This verse makes it clear that the training of our children is to focus on “the way they should go.” This training is not found in a calculus book or some philosophy book but in God’s word. This does not say that math is not important or that other subjects are not useful. What I am saying is that those subjects are not where scripture has us start. A child that knows his 3 R’s but is not raised in the fear of the Lord or the way he should go is not prepared to be used by God. Again, as always. remember this is not about education as the world defines it but about education as God calls us to educate.
Isaiah 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
This passage shows God’s heart for His people to know Him and in this verse for their children to know Him. So we can discern that the education of our children is to make sure that they are taught about God. Yes, it is God that will call them and change their hearts to know Him but God can and often does use the training of children in His word to draw them to Himself. For so many, education is all about everything but God however in His word it is clear that God is most interested in His people and their children knowing Him first and foremost. Education that does not have God at its center is not the education He desires for His people.
I will stop there and look at some other verses later. Keep in mind that my purpose here is, as best I can, to help us see that the raising of our children is not something God has left to our discretion. He has instead set forth parameters that narrow our options so that we can know what God desires us to primarily teach our children. Many of these principles have a cross over when it comes to why we should not allow the government to educate our children as their goal for education is not based on God’s desires but man’s. I would also hope that even for those that already are convinced that public schools are not for the children of believers would see that we need a firm understanding of biblical educational principles so that we do not simply “school at home” but that we would seek after God in all of the curriculum we use.
Last night we went to a meeting of the Exploring Homeschooling Ministry, the topic was charter schools and we viewed the well done short documentary: Exposing A Trojan Horse. The documentary included such people as Voddie Baucham, Kevin Swanson, Geoff Botkin, Brian Ray and others dealing with the danger charter schools present to the Christian homeschooling community.
A question was raised as how does one answer those that ask “what is wrong with charter schools if they allow one to do as they please and one can still be reimbursed?”
As stated in the DVD and shown in other places around the US and the world, once the government gets its tentacles into something the rules quickly and suddenly change when they have the grasp they desire. It is not necessarily an issue of the current situation but what will come of charter schools in the future since the government controls them. The DVD title is Exposing A Trojan Horse, as that is what the charter schools are, a Trojan Horse, and they need to be exposed for what they are. Charter schools are an inviting gift that outwardly appears generous but once it is in the door it will be anything but inviting.
This all made me think about why anyone that homeschools, from a Christian perspective, would ever turn to the government for such a program. Why are we, as believers, so easily swayed by the baubles the world hangs before us when we have the creator of the universe to supply our needs? I am sure some would say that this may be God’s gift to us but an honest, closer, look will reveal the basis of the charter system is anything but based on God’s word. Again, the school some may be part of may have freedom now but we must always remember it is still part of a government system which by its very nature and rules does not allow the Christian perspective and guidance we as Christian parents should desire in the discipleship of our children.
So I thought I would set forth some thoughts on this subject.
First, we need to realize that God’s design for government as well as our constitution does not call for the government to have any say over education. It is only the integration of government into every part of life and the demise of the family that has allowed believers to acquiesce to even the thought of government intervention. We have over time, allowed the government to encroach into every area of our lives. As believers we need to realize this is not what God established for the role of government in scripture. Even more importantly, the government has taken over the role of parents in the discipleship. Yes, I said discipleship, as that is what education is toward our children and has specifically usurped the role of fathers in the family. Deut 6:1-9 and Ephesians 6:4 set forth that the discipleship of our children is the responsibility of the family and the father is central to this. When we give this responsibility over to the government, we have disobeyed God’s word.
The issue is not only about charter schools but a greater issue as to why believing parents would even consider sending their children to the pagan government schools at all. The following are questions we need to ask of ourselves and then be honest with the answers in light of God’s word. These are questions that relate to various reasons I have heard in regards to charter schools and even public education. So here are the questions we need to answer:
- Why do we need to meet man’s standards for education?
- What is the purpose of education/discipleship for believer’s?
- Is the government to be involved in the education of my children at all?
- Why do we need relief or a respite from the presence of our children?
- Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools?
- Should not my children be in the public school to be lights in a dark place?
- Isn’t the method of education of our children a preference?
Over the next month or so, I will make an attempt to review each of these questions. If we function by God’s standards, as revealed in all of His word, we will find that the answers to these questions show that public education, including charter schools, is not what God calls us to partake of.
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