Does the World See God with Us?

Yesterdays text at SGCF was Gen 21:22-34 which reveals that Abimelech saw God was with Abraham and begs us to ask the same question of ourselves: Does the World See God with Us? Does the world observe that our lives are different and that difference being our relationship with God. This is not simply about people seeing different actions but seeing them in such a way as to acknowledge that the difference is that God is With Us.

I truly believe this only happens when we live by the all sufficient Word of God. When we are obedient to His word by His power the world will notice. We do not have to try and be different as if we just seek to live as God commands that will stand in stark contrast to the world around us and be noticed. Now this notice may bring a blessing such as with the treaty with Abraham and Abimelech or it may bring the blessing of persecution as the Apostles and the martyrs down through the ages have experienced. But a life lived that reflects God is with us will be noticed.

Living a life that is seen by the world as revealing God is with us is a life of worship to the one that has called us to Himself. Let us live such a life.

Health Care and the Bible

A friend of mine on his blog, The Crux of the Matter, asked a question about how we should view health care from a Biblical perspective. I thought I would post my response here:

I think there is an error that many make when speaking on social issues and health care is no different. The Bible speaks of caring for widows and orphans and others in a number of places; Deut 10:18; Deut 14:28-29; Deut 24:17-21; Ps 82:3; 1 Tim 5; James 1:27; etc. It is often verses such as these that those purporting a social gospel grab hold of to say the government needs to do something. But this misses the point that these actions were put forth to the church and Israel and not set up for the government of the land. Yes the government of Israel would have part in this as in Deut 14:28-29 but we could probably see this as even now applying to the church but not to the government as we have today.

Another thing that is also often missed is that the care that is to be offered often has stipulations as with widows in 1 Tim 5 and with those being able to work in 2 Thes 3:10. Even the offering in Deut 14:28-29 is only every three years so is not perpetual in the sense of most programs today. To simply have a social program or health care open to all with no stipulations is not biblical.

The bottom line, scripture does call for believers and the church to help those truly in need as the bible directs and describes but simply because we are called to do so does not dictate the government regulating it. The church and those that like to use the church have misused God’s call for his people and in many ways all people to mandate a top down manner of caring for others. Care for others is to be done as an out flow of the commands of God and His change of our hearts. This is the call in Luke 10:30-37 but that call is not for a program to help those in need but is to be ready to care for others as the need arises as the Samaritan did. To use this passage, as I have seen done, to say universal health care is a biblical principle misses the point Christ is making, that we are to all care for our neighbor out of love for God not out of subservience to the state.

So I would say that to say the church needs to be involved in some manner with helping the needy is biblical but it needs to be done out of obedience to scripture not some governmental law. I would even say that this is truly how things have worked in the past, that is until we as a people began to rely on the state to take care of these issue. It was the church that set up orphanages and feed the hungry. But then the state started taxing so there was less money and they took over the welfare and the church handed that over to the state so look where we are now.

As an addition:

While I would say that National Health Care would be in violation of the 10th amendment of our constitution we as believers need to first seek what the Bible says before we consult even the constitution. However in many instances you will find the constitution when properly interpreted through the lens of its framers will in general not conflict with the scriptural mandate. However interpreting the constitution through the “living lenses” of our current government is another matter and is very often in conflict with the Bible.

So at the end of the day while health care may be good it is not a right and God has set up His kingdom to be cared for by His people in His way. As with the Samaritan we are to care for the needy as God brings them into our midst but we are to do so as a people of God and the church of God, His bride, not as a mandate of the state. Once the conversation strays from the Bible it becomes mostly opinion but when we stick to the only infallible and unchanging standard then we can make God glorifying decisions.

Daniel Hannan Interview

This is a good interview on among other things healthcare from someone intimately involved in public healthcare.



At the end of the day though the answer is not conservatism or any other "ism" it is in seeking Matt 6:10 – Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Which is a call for God's kingdom to be magnified here today, "on earth", by His people living by His word and His power.

The Government Can

Tim Hawkins is at it again:) - A sad but true comment on our government.

Patrick Henry on the Constitution

Here is a great quote from Patrick Henry on the Constitution that my son and I have posted at our quote blog – What they Said:

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”

Patrick Henry

Aren’t Our Children to be Lights in the Government Schools?

This is probably the most used statement when it comes to sending children of Christian parents to the government schools. While I am sure the intent is noble the reality of this is that the children will probably be changed by the schools more than the schools being changed by the children sent there.

For one to be a light in a dark place that person needs to first be a light. Thus while some may be able to argue for their older children being lights this argument is lacking when it comes to younger children. I would add that having worked with youth in the past I can truthfully say I have seen very few youth that would qualify for being the light God speaks of in His word. To be the light God has called us to be is a result of discipleship not simply a profession of faith, it is to be a reflection of the true light that is Jesus Christ. Children need to be raised to be lights and sending them off to the government schools does little else but indoctrinate them into the darkness the government schools spread.

Also, to send children of any age off to a system that is antagonistic to God and teaches along those same lines is to be avoided at all cost. The result of this abdication of the training of the children of believers is that the fear of God that wisdom begins (Prov 9:10) with is nowhere to be found. Instead children are taught that to fear God is not for the enlightened people we are today.

One may think they can counteract this government schooling with training at home but when children spend vast amounts of their time in the government school system it would take an inordinate amount of time to simply correct the wrong teachings and even more time to teach what is correct. With the small amount of time that parents spend in the home and even less time spent in discipling thier own children counteracting the government indoctrination seems highly unlikely.

So let us not send our children to spend large portions of their days in darkness. We need to take the commands of God to teach our children seriously and not abdicate that responsibility to the state.

You can also read a previous post by Voddie Baucham on this subject: Salt and Light

Series Posts
1) Christian Homeschooling and Charter Schools
2) What is the purpose of Christian Education: Part 1 & Part 2
3) Should the Government be involved in the Education of our children
4) Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools?
5) Should not my children be in the public school to be lights in a dark place?
6) Why do we need to meet man’s standards for education?
7) Why do we need relief or a respite from the presence of our children?
8) Isn't how we educate our children a preference?
9) What if my husband says he does not want to homeschool?

Social Media Addiction

If you are addicted to Social Media you should watch this, well if you use social media you should watch this :)

PS. I should add I found this while looking through my Facebook home page :)

Standing Up For the Lord’s Day

Tim Challies linked to a great article on a man of conviction. Dan Walker speaks on his conviction to not work on the Lord’s Day: Standing Up For the Lord’s Day. It is refreshing to see a man working in a business that sees the Lord’s Day as nothing other than just another day of the week take a stand for his beliefs despite the possible repercussions. I would pray we are all as bold.

Around the Web and Blogosphere (8/12/09)

My son Andrew and I have been working on a new blog, What They Said, that posts various quotes from men of the past. It has been interesting as we try and verify the quotes we find and in the process sometimes find it difficult to find the source. We are attempting to make sure the quotes we give are not simply lore but actual quotes from verified sources. We have also found that when it comes to quotes from our founding fathers on God or the Bible many try and discredit the quotes. Either they say they do not exist, at times they appear correct, or they reinterpret them by their anti-God worldviews so as to have them say what they do not. Enjoy.



HSLDA has released a study on homeschooling as it relates to academics: New Nationwide Study Confirms Homeschool Academic Achievement. While it is good to see that homeschooling does not as a whole provide a sub-standard education we as believers need to be careful that we are not diverted from the true reason to homeschool which is because God requires us to. If our primary purpose is to have children that have the best education then we may be dissuaded from homeschooling if some other system shows itself or persecution arises. However, if our primary purpose for homeschooling is because we are called to do so by God, and the government is not, we will be able to persevere when times get tough. So while it is good to see the statistics that HSLDA has shown let this not be the ground we plant our flag in but let that ground be the only solid and unchanging ground that is in the very word of God. As Christian parents we are called to raise godly seed (Prov 22:6, Eph 6:4 among others) not academic geniuses. If your child is academically gifted by God then thank Him but our primary purpose in child raising is to raise children that glorify God with a godly character. So again let us stand firm in God’s word and His commands as the reason why we homeschool. Voddie Baucham also writes on the study by HSLDA: Home Education: the Strength of our Weakest Argument.



Gary DeMar in his blog post: What Our Founders Understood About Human Nature looks at how the founding fathers held to the depravity of man. This is an outlook our governing officials and even the church need to have as it is when we truly understand the heart of man we then understand the reason for and limits of government.



The video below from The Voice of the Martyrs was posted by James McDonald at Family Reformation. Watch this and realize the freedoms we do have but are slowly loosing. Are we ready to stand firm in our faith when the time comes? Well that time has come now as while we are nowhere close to the sufferings of Sarah in the video it is now that we prepare for what may come later. Let us be prepared to be victorious as Sarah was.

Sufficiency of Scripture 2009 Conference

Today there are many battles that are being waged by the church. There is the battle to maintain what the gospel message is as many try and hijack its true message with their own ideas, often ones that align with the world’s goals and objectives rather than God’s. The family is under attack from not only the world but sadly even the from within the professing church. The relationship between God’s law and His people and the world in general is attacked daily but again not simply from without but also from within. I am sure you can name other battles that you see happening daily but there is an even greater battle. That battle is for the sufficiency of scripture

Many have fought for the inerrancy of scripture but to stop there is to fall woefully short. Simply having a revelation from God is inadequate if that revelation is not seen as sufficient for what it was intended, to direct and guide all of life such that our lives are lived as acceptable worship of God. Another reason the battle for the sufficiency of scripture is of supreme importance is that it affects how you fight all other battles. It affects how you live all of life. You will either live by the very word of God or you will live by your own understandings and that is not a place a believer should be. For the church to fight the decline of the world we live in, and it is a fight, we need to make sure we are doing battle by the standards set forth by God in His all sufficient word. Thus the sufficiency of Scripture is the main battle ground and we must regain the ground the church has lost so that we and future generations will be equipped to fight and claim the victory that God promises and thus offer up the worship He requires.

The National Center for Family Integrated Churches (NCFIC) will be having a conference, Sufficiency of Scripture 2009:Practically Applied for Church & Family, December 10-12 at the Northern Kentucky Convention center in Covington Kentucky (just outside of Cincinnati Ohio). They have a great line up of speakers : Scott Brown, Ken Ham, Doug Phillips, Kevin Swanson, Joe Morecraft, Voddie Baucham, Andy Davis & Paul Washer. Below are links to information on the conference :

About the Conference
Travel and Accommodations
Registration

Biblical Economics – Book Review

I have been reading R.C. Sproul Jr.’s book Biblical Economics and have found it a good read. Where I would disagree with R.C. Jr. is in his perspective on the industrial revolution. What I think is missing is a balanced look at the industrial revolution and the great harm it did to the family and other areas of life. Thus, the apparent lower cost derived from the revolution came with a great cost to the family. Even with this disagreement I think this book is still a good one to read. The following are observations on some of the chapters in this book:

The chapter on Stewardship is a good one because there are those that question private ownership as a biblical principle and R.C. Jr. shows how this is not so. Even the 8^th Commandent, do not steal, and the 10^th do not covet imply ownership. We need to see the universe as owned by God and thus we essentially live in a proprietorship and are to be good stewards of the Owner’s goods. We are not to simply care for His property but to care for it in a manner consistent with His word.

The next chapter is on Creation and we see that man tends, by his sinful nature, to lean towards either “radical materialism” or “radical spiritualism” with the church often swinging like a pendulum between both extremes. One needs to remember that how ones views these aspects of life will affect ones view of economics. God has made us to be both body and soul and thus we need to live by God’s decrees in both areas and not to neglect one for the other.

The following chapter on Prosperity deals with how we become prosperous and looks at four aspects: Production, Development of Tools, Surplus Capital and Profit. In the area of production it is shown that the value of a product is not dictated by the labor put into the object but by the value placed on it by the consumer. The example given is the square wheel in that a vehicle could be made with square wheels and much money and effort could be invested in building it but due to value to the consumer being nil the value of the product is not based on the cost of production. This is where the Federal Government usually steps in and tries to artificially create value. It is also here that the industrial revolution is credited for cheaper and more plentiful goods. What also should have been mentioned was that the industrial revolution and the mindset that it fostered has also given us a food industry that while making cheaper and more plentiful food is creating food of questionable nutritional value. Let alone the question of the harm to health that is created by the genetically engineered food.

Next is a chapter on Profit. It is interesting to see how much the government involves itself in dictating profit when in actuality it is the public that should be dictating value and not the government. The following is a very timely quote: “Government attempts to tamper with profits disturb the balance between supply and demand, creating surpluses, shortages and injustices, profiting no one save the Government,” sounds like today. This manipulation by the government is much like the unjust scales in Deut 25:13-16 & Lev 19:35-37.

The chapter about Money does a good job of explaining how we got money and how it works and the role the government plays in it value. Again we see that the government is stepping in where it should not and in the process it only creates wealth for itself.

Tied to the subject of money is Inflation. Too often we think of inflation as rising costs when in reality it is a result of the increase in the supply of money and again the government plays a detrimental part. At issue is that the government believes that consumption not production is the key to prosperity and thus this leads them to increase the money supply but in doing so create the inflation we see.

Debt results from consuming today what one assumes they will produce tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow is not assured (James 4:13-14). While this book was written before the current economic debacle and the out of control spending by the government we see a perfect picture of debt. The government is spending today what they assume our children and their children will produce but that is simply irresponsible. The books judgment though is that not all debt is bad but it needs to be considered very carefully. An example would be spending to buy tools to increase production so that debt can be repaid. But the bottom line is that we need to consume only what we produce and that is a concept that seems to be bypassed by our government.

The chapter on Poverty and the one that follows on Equity were well done. The bible speaks to poverty existing and that there is not to be favoritism with regards to the poor or rich (Ex 23:3 & Lev 19:15). Thus the idea of a graduated income tax shows favoritism and is thus unbiblical. Biblically speaking poverty will be with us and it has various reasons & causes such as: Slothfulness, Calamity, Exploitation and Personal Sacrifice. As far as equity it is important to see that this speaks to justice, impartiality and fairness while equality deals with likeness, evenness and uniformity. Thus socialism seeks after equality while scripture looks to equity.

In the chapter on Government R.C. Jr. doesn’t simply deal with the governments affects on economics but also deals with the nature and purpose of government. He shares that Augustine argued that government is not so much a necessary evil as an institution made necessary by evil, how true that is. Another statement made that we are seeing so glaringly today is: “as government grows freedom diminishes”.

The last two chapters, Leviathan and Outlook, tie everything together. In doing this we see that while we are told daily that the government is the answer to our problem in actually it is quite the opposite. Sproul says: “ As long as the government is seen as the solution to all of our problems, the government will continue to be the source of many of our problems.” As a people we need to seek God and His word for the solutions to our troubles instead of turning to the government. We also need to understanding that when we take anything form the government we are actually taking from others that have paid taxes. The government does not make money but simply redistributes it it.

I would recommend reading this book so as to combat the humanistic worldview of economics that sadly often permeates the professing church.

Natural Skin Care Products

Check out my daughter’s natural skin care products. We have set up a store on her and my wife’s website: Practical Simplicity- Store.

Also check out their blog as she is giving away a gift basket: Practical Simplicity Blog

FRESH - Movie Review

While many tout the merits of the industrial revolution and the ability we have to produce plentiful supplies of food more cheaply, have the costs of this change in the food production system been counted? Some weeks ago I reviewed the movie Food Inc. which revealed the issues involved in the way we are producing food. This movie coupled with an earlier one I watched, King Corn, show that simply making food that is apparently cheaper and more plentiful should not be the only goal we are to have. I think this is a direct result of the mindset we have garnered from the industrial revolution which is interested more in quantity and profit than in quality and long term affects. By the way neither of those goals, quantity and profit, are in and of themselves, wrong but when the product is sub-standard and in many cases dangerous we need to review our goals. Above I said apparently cheaper on purpose because there are costs that we do not see immediately with food that is engineered and not natural and those costs are to our health and the health of the generations to come.

A few days ago we watched another movie that deals with food and its production called FRESH. As my friend Paul Vaughn put it: “it seems like Fresh, The Movie, is going to be the answer movie and Food, INC. is the movie that highlights all the trouble!” After watching the movie I think he put it very well.

The first part reveals issues with the current food production systems we have and after that we see answers that people are seeking to produce healthy, natural, food. The movie interviews a number of people but focuses on three men more than the others. They are: Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, Russ Kremer a Natural Hog Farmer and Will Allen an Urban Farmer in Milwaukee working with Growing Power.

I have heard Joel Salatin speak before and am always impressed by the principles he uses in farming. Joel shows how his faith influences his methods and thus lead to a truly biblical perspective on dominion as it relates to farming. His methods not only have been able to produce healthy food but have also been able to sustain him. If his ideas on farming interest you I would suggest his book You Can Farm.

Russ Kremer shares how he used to raise hogs and have to continually inject them with antibiotics to keep them healthy (relative term) and then one day he was injured by one of them and got an infection that almost led him to lose his leg because it was resistant to regular drugs. After this event he realized he could not sell meat, such as he was then producing, to the public and decided to raise natural hogs. Instead of slowly heading in that direction he eliminated his herd and started over.

Will Allen teaches others how to grow food on a small parcel of land in the city of Milwaukee. He shares how he raises a large amount of food for such a small space without the use of chemicals. In doing this he is trying to motivate others to do as he does.

In the movie there are others that are interviewed including a husband and wife that raise chickens for a large company. What you see in the mass raising of chickens should make you think twice about the chicken you eat. Not only because of the quality of the food but also in how the chickens are treated in raising them for food.

I would hope in seeing this film you will not only see the problem at hand but that it will inspire you to eat better and make healthier choices. This movie is being distributed differently than many other movies and you can check their web site to see where you can view it or you can also buy a copy to show to others yourself.

I have mentioned Paul Vaughn of Vaughnshire Farm earlier and I look forward to his review of this film as he is not only a proponent of sustainable agriculture but actually is in the midst of farming himself.

So find this movie near you or show it yourself, lets begin to change the food market. Remember a basic principle of economics is that it is the consumer that dictates what is produced. This may be difficult and initially costly but the end result is well worth it.

Watch the trailer to Fresh the Movie below and when the first trailer is over click on more to see the other 3 trailers.

Should We Accept Government Schooling Subsidies

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.

I would also suggest reading the Christian Education Manifesto by Israel Wayne.

Series Posts
1) Christian Homeschooling and Charter Schools
2) What is the purpose of Christian Education: Part 1 & Part 2
3) Should the Government be involved in the Education of our children
4) Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools?
5) Should not my children be in the public school to be lights in a dark place?
6) Why do we need to meet man’s standards for education?
7) Why do we need relief or a respite from the presence of our children?
8) Isn't how we educate our children a preference?
9) What if my husband says he does not want to homeschool?

Word for the Day- Sufficientist

Well it is actually a word I may have made up as I have not heard it before. In the past there was a fight over the inerrancy of the bible and many have felt that battle was won but even that may be questioned. However, I think there is just as big a battle today and that concerns the sufficiency of scripture. It is not enough to simply claim the word of God is inerrant and then live as if the word of God has nothing to say about every aspect of life.

The issue of sufficiency affects every part of life; from how we raise our children, to how we worship as a church, to how we evangelize and every other aspect of life we encounter. What professing believers, many who claim the inerrancy of scripture, tend to do is rely on everything but scripture for directing all of life. Oh, many will give lip service to the word of God but in the end worldly principles are Christianized and used rather than living by the very word of God as revealed in the Bible.

The principle of the sufficiency of scripture does not rule out reading and studying other writings by men and women of God but it simply says that at the end of the day scripture is to dictate and direct all of life. We need to make sure that our final filter for all we see, hear and read needs to be the word of God.

Thus a biblical sufficientist is one that sees the word of God, Old and New Testament, as being the final and deciding place to seek direction for all of life. A sufficientist would be one that seeks to live life by the revealed word of God. This is the battlefield for today and the battle starts in our churches that have taken the wisdom of man repackaged in Christian garb and live by that standard. The sufficientist is to live by the only inerrant, unchanging standard and that standard is the entire corpus of scripture; both the New Testament and as Greg Bahnsen has called it the Older Testament.

Let us seek to be biblical sufficientists.

Around the Web and Blogosphere (7/16/09)

I have been writing about homeschooling lately from a biblical perspective and Israel Wayne at the ChristianWoldView.net Blog has posted A Christian Education Manifesto. I am sure you will see many of these verses as I write more on Homeschooling in the future but this a great list all in one place with some commentary on how they relate to our God given responsibility to educate our children.


Dan Ford has written a good article, The Reformed Christian Legacy of Dominion, which shows the tie between the dominion mandate and private dominion. In a country such as ours where the government is increasingly bent on removing private ownership and seeks to have dominion, be sovereign, over the people it is important to see that the founders of this nation did not see things this way. It is also important to remember that when speaking of the founders of this nation one does not simply go back to 1776 but we must continue further into history to the 1600’s to see the original founders as it is their legacy and the legacy they brought with them from the reformation that was integral in the formation of America.


Chuck Baldwin has written an article entitled: Romans Chapter 13 Revisited. This is a good explanation on how we are to view government from a biblical perspective. The only place I may have a question is his use of the term “natural law” as we as believers are to hold to His “revealed law” in all of God’s word. Natural law is not truly able to inform action as we do not find out about such things as property rights from the landscape around us but God’s revealed law in His word can do so. I will be emailing Mr. Baldwin to get a clarification on this as it simply may be a different use of terminology. Regardless of this question this is a great article when we look at all the government is trying to do today as we are not to judge the work of government by our feelings but by the very word of God.


Along the same lines as above Dr. Archie Jones writes in his article The Tenth Amendment and Interposition about the place of government in our society. His last paragraph is so true of our day. Actually I think that many are blindly happy with the government as the sovereign of this nation because they are ignorant of God’s purpose for government and also because they tend to see man as autonomous from God in virtually every area of life. Here is Dr. Jones last paragraph:

“Do enough Americans today understand our rights? Are enough Americans disposed to defend our liberty? Do enough understand the constitutional means of using the powers of the states to defend and recover our liberty? The Tenth Amendment’s statement that the powers not delegated by the people of the states to the central government are retained by the people of the states respectively was meant to make Americans understand our rights and those of our states, to protect our constitutional system of interposition, and so to motivate us to defend our liberty before we let conditions become so dire that we urge our states to resort to our ultimate defense against centralized tyranny”

Should the government be involved in the education 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."

Series Posts
1) Christian Homeschooling and Charter Schools
2) What is the purpose of Christian Education: Part 1 & Part 2
3) Should the Government be involved in the Education of our children
4) Why are we so easily swayed by the money & items offered by charter schools?
5) Should not my children be in the public school to be lights in a dark place?
6) Why do we need to meet man’s standards for education?
7) Why do we need relief or a respite from the presence of our children?
8) Isn't how we educate our children a preference?
9) What if my husband says he does not want to homeschool?

John Calvin – 500th Birthday

Here are some articles from various sources on Calvin’s 500th:

John Calvin, Founding Father by Doug Phillips

Calvin 500 Website

The Calvin 500 Blog

Monergism.com’s Calvin resources

How are you celebrating Calvin’s 500th? by Tom Ascol at the Founders Ministry Blog


John Adams on John Calvin by Kevin Swanson


The Expository Genius of John Calvin, a great little book by Steven Lawson

Solid Ground Books Calvin Specials

Reformed Baptist Fellowship has a number of links here

Reformation 500 Celebration CD Set

50% Off Intro Offer

Vision Forum has released a 2 volume set from the recently completed Reformation 500 Celebration in Boston. You can view the content of these CD’s here and order them here. Through July 15th they are 50% off at $62 for 36 CDs and 2 MP3s that have the entire collection on them.

Demographic Bomb: demography is destiny DVD Review

For those of you who have seen Demographic Winter, my review is here, they have a new DVD that is part 2 of the series called Demographic Bomb: demography is destiny. This documentary builds on the previous one in that it explains more about the “Inaccurate Assumptions” of over population. This documentary, as with the first, does not come from a Christian perspective but it does show that the call of God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth was a serious charge and not to do so in defiance of God has its consequences that even the secular world can see.

It is also fascinating in the DVD that demographics were able to predict the economic downturn we are in, worldwide. This was not just done in hind sight but was spoken of in the initial documentary and again in this DVD prior to the current economic woes we are experiencing.



DEMOGRAPHIC WINTER PART II, THE DEMOGRAPHIC BOMB: DEMOGRAPHY IS DESTINY

In Part 1 of this film series, experts from many different fields revealed with chilling soberness the dangers facing society and the world?s economies.

Demographic Bomb: demography is destiny (the long awaited part two), illuminates the history of population control, how we came to believe that there are too many people in the world, and how these beliefs became institutionalized.

In Demographic Bomb we interviewed Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, author of 1968?s The Population Bomb, who popularized the myth of overpopulation and became the father of the modern population-control movement?.

You?ll also hear from Matthew Connelly of Columbia University (author of Fatal Misconception: The Struggle To Control World Population), who reveals how organizations, institutions, governments and the United Nations manipulated and coerced families, evaded political accountability and deceived the poor ? who were targeted for population control -- violating their human rights in the process.

Demographic Bomb shows what happens when countries comprising 80% of the world?s economy have plummeting numbers of workers, consumers and innovators ? leading to falling consumer spending, and not enough young to support the old.

Former Yale Professor of Economics Jennifer Roback Morse and USC?s Professor of Urban Planning and Demography Dowell Myers join with Harvard PhD Nick Eberstadt, Harvard MBA and author of The Great Depression Ahead Harry Dent, and Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker to uncover the roots of the crisis that has shaken the world?s economies. Demographic Winter predicted the financial crash of 2008 to within 12 months. Demographic Bomb reveals how it is just the beginning.

These are just some of the voices you'll hear in Demographic Bomb, an essential sequel to Demographic Winter.

Updated 12/28/09:  You can get both Demographic Winter and Demographic Bomd as a set and save a littel more here.