There are numerous important venues for education and shaping of wisdom in the lives of our children and youth. Family and church are two of them. Yet the most prominent and inclusive comunity expression of instruction is the public school system
Bilkert then went on to call the Christian community to "value those who serve as professional educators" in those public schools and give specific examples of how one may do that very thing (e.g. pray for them, thank them, assist them).
I have a number of responses to this article.
I. What about the Gospel?
The purpose of these columns are not to spread one's random thoughts. The columns are there to help impress upon the readers the Christian worldview. If you are going to write for these things, preach the Word! Bilkert's article though has no substance or exposition. As a matter of fact, it promotes an anti-Christian world-view--as you will see below.
II. Who's the #1 Educator?
Bilkert makes it sound like the primary educator God has appointed is the public school system. O how Karl Marx and Jean Jacques Rousseau would be so proud! Marx and Rousseau both advocated that children should be taken from their parents and be turned over to the state as early as possible so that they could be fully inoculated with humanistic principles--er, I mean made better citizens of the state.
The Bible no where recognizes public education, let alone recognizing it as the primary agent of instruction. Instead it goes to great lengths to say that it is the duty of parents (particularly fathers) to train their children. This training is mainly in the principles of our religion and includes secondarily aspects of science, history and life's vocation.
This does not mean that parents cannot delegate parts of the child's training. But, be that as it may, the parents are ordained of God to be the primary overseers of their children's nurture.
3. The Fear of God Factor:
It is ironic that Bilkert mentions the book of Proverbs a number of times in his article. He is exactly right when he says that "God cares deeply about education." But Bilkert fails to recognize the fundamental principle of education and the theme of the book of Proverbs: the fear of God.
Rev. Bilkert fails to understand that the public school system in America is deeply flawed because of its godlessness. The Bible makes it clear that those who do not fear God are fools who "despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7; Psalm 14:1). Paul presses the notion further in the book of Romans when he says that the God-deniers, whose "foolish hearts are darkened," become "futile in their thinking."
For Rev. Bilkert's sake, and for the sake of others not versed in how deep the worldview clash is, let me explain. We are not opposed to the public school system simply because it doesn't allow us to say a prayer or read a Bible passage or two. These are terribly heinous acts, but they are just symptoms of a deeper hatred for God and the whole Christan worldview.
The public school system does not fear God and therefore rejects the worldview God has set out in Scripture. As a result it formulates its own worldview, one that opposes and attacks the Christian worldview.
An illustration might be helpful at this point: Every plant grows out of a seed. The leaves take form according to the initial nature of the seed, i.e. acorns produce oaks.
So too the education that one will receive depends on the worldview from which it sprouts. In rejecting the God of the Bible, the public school system has chosen to teach from a humanistic perspective (that is to say, man is the measure of all things. Man and his faculties becomes the arbiter of truth--not God). As a result the public schools will teach humanistic origins (Darwinism/Big Bang), humanistic ethics (sexual promiscuity /premarital sex, abortion, socialism, survival of the fittest), humanistic anthropology (you are just a sack of disposable cells/ a glorified germ) and humanistic ideals (feminism, materialism); all of which directly oppose the teaching of Scripture.
Parents are obligated to raise their children to fear God and keep his commands. Spending 8-9 hours under such tutelage seems hard to accomplish that divine requirement.
I hear the cries, "O, but such things wouldn't be taught in little old Ashland!" As a graduate of the local school system, I can honestly testify to the fact that, though it might not have been as bad as other places, many of these things were openly taught.
For instance, when I was at Ashland High School I was taught to use a condom when I engaged in my pre-marital sexual activity (one such time was by a man who openly confessed to be gay). I learned that my goal in life was to make lots of money. I was taught that I came from a monkey (and I was smart enough to figure out that my beast like instincts would warrant my acting like one too!).
Sure they told me to respect my neighbor, but they never told me why I should or developed a full system of how I should. I learned I was not to hit anyone or call anyone a name. But such instruction was contradicted in other classes that told me that only the strongest survive and that I did not have real dignity as a human-- I was just a grown up monkey after all.
Don't get me wrong. I had many teachers who taught me many good things. I even had many teachers who professed faith in Christ. But they were muzzled witnesses. They taught me well. But they never told me about Christ, prayed with me, directed me in the way of righteousness, read the Bible with me, or pointed me to the Author of the Universe in any way. Certainly I learned many things, but I never learned to think like a Christian--the most important thing of all.
In essence, I never learned to fear God and keep his commandments. As a result of being in an institution where they denied the true and living God my faith was greatly hindered and my sin was greatly increased.
I praise God that things changed after high school. The Lord took me to a Christian college where I began to learn all the things I should have learned many years before.
Having now learned what a real education is about, I am able to put into practice the principles of Scripture with my own children. Currently my six year old daughter knows more Scripture than I did when I was 20 years old. She has already professed faith in Christ and has joined us at the Lord's Table. To do this she had to meet with and be examined by our elders. This she did and passed with flying colors . She displays a high Christian character and a refreshing and ever deepening femininity. Moreover, her first lessons in school each day are readings from Scripture, books of faith, hymns and psalms, and a study in the doctrines of our faith.
Lest you fret she is going to be "sheltered from the world" let me say that I will be happy to teach her about Marxism, humanism, abortion, socialism, feminism, et. al. But it will be from a Biblical perspective. She will, Lord willing, hate them and learn to avoid them for the evils that they are.
In all, she will not be faced with the spiritual road blocks with which I met along the way. But she will be given every opportunity to surpass me in godliness and, by God's grace, leave a legacy of faith for many more generations.
1 comment:
Good words.
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