Part 1: Why Education Matters So Much
Schools are closed as America fights the pandemic. That means parents are confronted with how best to help their children continue their education at home, at least for now. And importantly, parents are more clearly seeing and evaluating the ideas that are shaping their child’s thinking and worldview.
Maybe some eyes are being opened as a result. Moms and dads are newly aware that every schooling option is ultimately a form of discipleship—that is, of training young minds to think from a particular perspective.. Every day, disciples are being made.
Parents are suddenly asking themselves: “What type of disciple is my child’s school aiming to produce?”
Ideas that not many decades ago were well understood to be destructive are now accepted, if not embraced, by huge percentages of Americans. And make no mistake; much of this shift ties to the curriculum forced upon the vast majority of American children through the public school system.
That curriculum is not an accident. It is the design of John Dewey and others who set up a teaching college a century ago at Columbia University, which has become a model for most teaching colleges in our nation. The core objective has been to shift America away from its earlier free-market societal model to one of centralized state control.
It’s based on the misguided belief that a world controlled by a few “gifted” people would deliver a safer and better life than a world where people are free to interact, create and exchange goods and ideas according to their needs, desires and dreams. In these progressives’ elitist zeal, the history of corruption and carnage from concentrating power in the hands of a few was disregarded.
Their ideal world, which is from Marxist ideology, requires a world where the citizens’ greatest allegiance is to the state. So, like all Marxist experiments, their methods are aimed at eliminating from society the more natural allegiances: bonds to family, religion and property (physical as well as labor and creative works).
Our nation’s shift away from free markets and toward state-controlled markets is very much connected to the worldview taught in public school curriculum. Some surveys suggest that about half of America’s young adults are quite open to socialism. None of this is an accident. People become what they learn.
For decades vain efforts have tried to “reform” public education. However, it is impossible to make something good out of something that is fundamentally flawed. To pretend a school system can teach without impressing a worldview into the minds of its students is utter nonsense. Education is always teaching from some set of ideas.
We have had state-controlled public education for so long it is hard to imagine an alternative; however, as with any monopoly-type entity it invites corruption and indeed has been used to redirect the American mindset.
The concerns that produced the First Amendment, prohibiting government from pushing a particular religion, apply equally to education. A government with the power to direct the thinking of the population is dangerous. Americans have spilled massive amounts of blood and resources in wars against nations where monopoly state-controlled education steered cultures toward horrific ends.
A free-market system of education, which diversifies power and naturally delivers according to the needs and desires of the population it serves, is a much safer option. Thankfully there are numerous education models in practice today, delivering results far better for the children than the “free” public system. So while small at this point, the framework for a free-market system is well established.
Of course the public school system is not really free at all. Mammoth taxes fund its per-student cost that is almost always higher than most free-market options. But a far greater cost is the long term effect on a child of a poor education based upon a fraudulent set of ideas, which is the case at all public schools.
Even teachers that understand the fraudulent core of the curriculum can do little when he or she is bound by law to impress that curriculum into the minds of students. What a huge loss of a person’s life to have spent their formative years learning from a paradigm that is counter to the realities of life!
Add to that the impact from peers, with parents having little to no control over whom their child interacts with at public schools and on essentially unsupervised bus rides to and from school. Consolidating public schools makes the peer problems worse. Bigger is not better.
The utter failure of the state-controlled monopoly-minded school model has, even with its “free” price tag, spawned many free-market options. Part 2 of this article explores free-market thinking for educating with a transparent and intentional perspective.
Part 2: Envisioning a Free-market Education Model
Part 1 exposed many of the problems with the state-controlled public education system in our nation today and proposed moving to a free-market education system. Understanding that every education model is built from a core set of ideas and will produce students that think consistently with that particular paradigm, the key question is: From what perspective do you want your child to think?
Regardless of the perspective, the considerations are largely the same. What does the paradigm say about education? What methodologies and curriculum will best help the student develop a thinking that is consistent with that paradigm? These are real objectives of any education model. People are very moldable, most especially when young. Our view of life is shaped by the ideas our minds are focused on, whether that focus is by desire or by force.
I have chosen to consider a free-market education model from a Christian perspective as that is the worldview I embrace. Additionally, the Christian worldview was widely embraced and thus very influential at the birth of our nation. With a free-market approach to education then prevailing,, curriculum naturally reflected the perspective that parents wanted instilled in their children, and so Biblical teachings greatly informed the cultural thinking. Human incompatibility with great power was well understood, as was the value and uniqueness of each person.
Drawing upon Biblical teachings, the framers implemented a government with several layers of checks and balances with powers resting at the smallest governing body possible starting with the individual, to the family, church, community, state and finally a federal government with powers limited to those expressly enumerated in its constitution.
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, embraced the uniquely Judeo-Christian worldview concept of created human equality and God-given rights,, and thus rejected the caste mentality that has plagued the world throughout human history.
Fully realizing that ideal, which is so contrary to our fallen human nature and was even beyond Jefferson’s natural thinking, is truly a never ending battle. But the idea of an American citizen being free to chart life according to his or her own aspirations and abilities, with no restrictions based on social status, is very much a founding concept that connects solidly to a Christian worldview.
The Bible, being the primary written source on the Christian perspective, nowhere suggests that education be under the jurisdiction of the state, but rather it expressly states that the training up of children (education or discipleship) is the responsibility of the child’s parents and the church.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus initiated His Church with the expressed purpose to make disciples by discipling in Godly ways. That is not a concept built out of a single passage, but rather it is a theme throughout the Bible (see Part 4).
Yet estimates are that 85% of churchgoing parents today send their children to literally be discipled in schools with a curriculum based on secular humanism along with destructive teachings on sexuality that come from cultural Marxism.
Christians in the church are so quick to point out sin in our culture and to fight for religious liberty. But could it be that the sin in our culture and the challenges to religious liberty are the outcome of sin within the church in America?
Surely the church has largely turned away from its most basic calling to make disciples, most especially when it comes to the very children in the church. Why would we not expect our culture to shift toward carnal behavior when the majority of churchgoing Christians send their children to be discipled in carnal thinking? That disconnect is massive!
Indeed, the consequences of putting children under contrary instruction are very serious. Jesus expressed in Matthew 18:6-7 (NASB), “... whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Why would true followers of a given set of ideas willingly have a very contrary set of ideas impressed into the minds of their children?
While it is very common to focus on the “how” of this task, which can certainly feel overwhelming, we must first set our mind on what we are called to do. Once our thinking is aligned with Jesus’ call to disciple—and most especially disciple the children in our home and in our church—then we can consider the “how” in light of the greatness of our God, the uniqueness of each child, the resources and abilities in the home, and the available resources, talents and gifts in our particular church.
The options vary greatly in cost, education focus, parental interaction, possible outreach, etc. Part 3 considers actions and resources to help move what we say we believe into action.
Part 3: Putting Ideas into Action
Part 1 of this article made a case that every education option impresses a set of ideas into students. A free-market education model is the only option that allows parents to give their children an education consistent with the parents’ worldview. A free-market model can, and generally does, deliver a safer, better quality, more appropriate education at a lower cost than a monopoly-type state-controlled education model.
Part 2 of this article explored applying free-market thinking to education. A Christian worldview was used in that example. Part 3 is an extension of Part 2, and as such is focused on creating solutions largely from a Christian perspective. It puts action to Jesus’ core calling to Christians in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8, because education is discipleship.
Parents:
o There are many options. Search them; study the curriculum and teaching methodology with the goal of finding an education environment that will instill strong Biblical thinking in your child, while giving a format that fits well with your family. Collaborating with friends on this venture will be encouraging and helpful for both you and your friends.
o If you are part of a local church that does not strive toward ensuring every child in your church has an opportunity to be educated (discipled) in Godly ways, encourage a change in priorities; if that fails, join a different church. A Biblical church, by definition, will not ignore the core calling of the church. Correct thinking does not come by chance, it requires intentional discipleship and that is the core calling of the local church.
o Remember that whoever pays for the education ultimately controls the education. Your children’s education is worth being a top priority in your home. There is no second chance.
Pastors and church leaders:
o Where are the shepherds who are to protect the sheep (even the least of these) when the vast majority of churched children are sent to have false ideas impressed upon them five days a week? Who will stand up against the resulting confusion from children being told to believe two very opposing sets of ideas? Who will encourage churchgoing parents to educate their children in a manner consistent with the Biblical worldview taught and preached from the pulpit? Who will lead the church as a whole to help make that possible?
o Where are the pastors that truly stand up against a dualistic mindset that limits Biblical thinking to a couple hours a week within the four walls of the church building, and perhaps a little personal daily time for seasoning? Is not the Biblical worldview an all-encompassing comprehensive worldview that does indeed speak to all aspects of life? If not, it is not a worldview.
Church family:
o Working together creatively, as a single body with a single purpose, help find ways for every child in your local church family to have an opportunity for a Christian-based education. Christians aren’t to be islands that simply join together once or twice a week. We are called to do life together. Do not limit yourself or God.
For some churches, homeschooling might fit every family. Others will find the best option to be a co-op type school, where several families work together and make use of the church building. And then other churches will open or be part of opening a more traditional school that, while more expensive to operate, can reach well beyond the needs in a single church.
A mix of all of these options could deliver great results while also being more affordable for parents and more sustainable for traditional schools. Younger students would be educated at home or in co-op arrangements that are more intimate and then go on to a traditional school setting, which has more offerings, for their high school years.
This mixed model creates a natural feeder program for the traditional school, reduces the higher-level cost to just four years for each student, makes Christian education available to far more families, and makes great use of existing church buildings that are generally empty during weekdays. It is a win-win-win-win! The main point is to organically find what best fits your church. One size does not fit all.
o Resist the fortress model of simply protecting your children from competing ideas and forces, but rather understand the ideas that confront and confuse our culture. Open your doors to families who are not part of your church so they have options besides the confusion created by the ideas pushed through the public school system. Help shift your local church from simply being another social venue to being a strong and trusted pillar of your community.
Existing Christian Schools:
o Are you truly developing strong biblical thinkers? Are your teachers equipped to accomplish that task?
o Have you tested your graduates’ worldview using a worldview test, such as the PEERS test from Nehemiah Institute, to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and learning methods you use?
o Are you familiar with RenewaNation’s Biblical Worldview Training Bootcamp for Teachers?
Christian Teaching Colleges:
o Are you training teachers to educate students to truly think biblically in all subjects?
o Many teachers from Christian teaching colleges seek public school jobs simply to pay for their education debt. Are you able to lessen the financial burden for graduates based upon the graduate teaching in a Christian school for a number of years? Teachers in Christian schools are very much missionaries, answering a calling.
Resources:
Over the past few decades many people have been working tirelessly to create better options and their efforts have truly prepared our nation for a time such as now when, because of the COVID-19 virus, parents are forced to be more engaged in the direction of their children’s education. Just over a year ago several of these people and their organizations joined together to create the Christian Education Initiative(CEI) at https://christedu.org/.
With CEI, those actively working for free-market education solutions built on a Christian worldview can get to know and support one-another and collaborate with their various strengths to help create more and better opportunities for children to have a Christian education. CEI embraces a free-market system, where parents have the strongest voice. CEI is new and growing, so there are still many great resources that are not yet connected in with CEI.
CEI is a resource for parents, churches, Christian schools and Christian teaching colleges that embrace that the calling of the church is to make disciples and most especially disciples of the children in the church. Because education is discipleship.
Part 4: Anchoring our Education Models in Scripture
Part 2 of this article explored a free-market approach to education from a Christian worldview perspective. Part 3 listed practical action items and ideas to help move Part 2 toward a reality. Below are a number of Scripture citations that speak to the important role both parents and the church have in the education of children. Godly training for children and adults is a theme that spans the entire Bible. The verses below are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7– Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sonsand 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 up.
Takeaway: Children are to be taught Godly ways all the time – every day and in every setting.
Psalms 78:5 - 8– For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Takeaway: Fathers are to teach children Godly ways so that the children will put their confidence in God. By contrast, state-controlled public schools teach from a position that we should put our confidence in man because man is supreme.
Proverbs 4:1-2– Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.
Takeaway: Fathers instruct your children in true understanding; don’t send them away to schools that instruct under false understandings.
Matthew 18:6-7– but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Takeaway: Children whose thinking is developed from false ideas will stumble.
Matthew 19:13-14– Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Takeaway: Sending children away to be trained in ungodly doctrines is hindering.
· Matthew 28: 19-20– Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Takeaway: Christians and the Church are called to make “Christian” disciples, not disciples of secular humanism.
· Luke 6:40– A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
Takeaway: Whom do you want your child to model his or her life after? How about YOU!
Acts 1:8– But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Takeaway: Jesus was very intentional, so the order is likely intentional – start closest to home. Don’t forsake the children in the church for distant missions. Sending children to be discipled into a counter-Christian mindset is a sure way to kill the local church, and its missions.
1 Corinthians 15:33– Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Takeaway: Parents, don’t send your children to a school where you have little to no control over peer influences.
· 2 Corinthians 6:14– Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Takeaway: An education choice for a child is a binding that parents enter into.
· Ephesians 4:11-16– And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Takeaway: The church is made up of people with a variety of gifts and callings that are to work together toward bringing every person in the church to a mature faith and knowledge so that no one is easily confused by false ideas. That cannot be accomplished when children are being sent away, five days a week, to be discipled under secular humanism.
Ephesians 6:4– Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Takeaway: Imagine operating a complex machine using faulty instructions. Can you see some frustration resulting? How about anger? Children experience a lot of pain and anger when the set of instructions they are given for life does not work. Instill true ideas in your children that will bring a Godly understanding and purpose to their life.
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Mark Shepard, formerly a state senator in Vermont, now resides in rural Virginia. He and his wife have long experience in guiding their four sons’ education according to the principles described here.
