Parent Resources—Articles

Salt & Light, The Great Commission & Who's Responsible for Educating Your Children
by E. Ray Moore, Jr., Chaplain (Lt. Col.) USAR Ret.
from St. Louis MetroVoice, July 2004

One of the foremost criticisms from Christians who oppose the Exodus Mandate's agenda of encouraging Christian parents to remove their children from the public education system is, "Christian children should not be taken out of public schools because they are serving as 'salt and light' to their classmates and carrying out the Great Commission." (See Matt. 5:13-14 and Matt. 28:18-20)

It goes without saying that ALL Christians have a responsibility to be "salt and light" and help fulfill the Great Commission as commanded by our Lord. However, the salt and light theological argument is being grossly misapplied to children at the K though 12 level.

The fact is children at the K-12 levels are not mature enough nor are they properly equipped apologetically to exist in a _humanistic religious environment_ that is hostile and contrary to their Christian faith. Some may question the validity of calling public education a "humanistic religious environment," but according to Joe R. Burnett, the editor of The Humanist Magazine in 1961, "Public education is the parochial education for scientific humanism."

The fact is ALL EDUCATION IS RELIGIOUS. There is no such thing as neutrality in education and the public education system has been 'officially' godless and humanistic in both design and practice for a long, long time.

If you question these facts, then I suggest you consult the dozen U.S. Supreme Court cases since the Everson case in 1947 that have expelled Christian doctrine, practice and now, moral behavior, from our public schools. If that's not enough to convince you that what I am saying is the truth, then take a look at the curriculum in your local government school. Even the most cursory review should be enough to prove that public education is decidedly anti-Christian and designed to "indoctrinate" as opposed to truly "educate" children. Add the fact that the great majority of public school educators are non-Christians who bring their anti-Christian bias to the classroom and what you have is an environment that is not only anti-Christian, academically counterproductive and morally bankrupt, but sometimes even physically unsafe for a child of God.

Any semblance of a Christian worldview which parents have instilled in their children at home is under constant attack every hour their child sits in a public school classroom. And, whether they realize it or not, the same goes for teachers and administrators who are Christians in the public education system whose witness is suppressed as well as their Constitutional right of free speech.

Christian parents are commanded to place their children under godly and Christian teaching, not neo-pagan or humanistic instruction. Like it or not, there are only two choices—obedience or disobedience to God's commands. (See Col. 2:8; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Deut. 6:1-9; Mal. 4:6; 2 Cor. 6:14-19 along with Luke 6:40. Matt. 22:37-38 and Eph. 6:4)

Kindergarten through grade 12 education, either by Christian home schooling or through a solid, biblically based Christian day school, conforms to the overall responsibility for Christian families to engage in biblical parenting. Placing a child in a public school does not!

Children Missionaries?
The same basic justification for Christian parents keeping their children in the pubic education system is made using the Great Commission. (See Matt. 28:18-20) The thrust of this argument is that Christian children at K-12 levels are or can be missionaries in public schools.

Christian adults bear this responsibility, not their children. Nowhere in the Old or New Testament is it remotely suggested that Jews or Christians are permitted to have their children educated in a pagan institution. In fact, the Bible is quite clear that children require nurturing, training, and, yes, even being "set apart for a season." In other words, childhood is a time of discipling.

Being a missionary is not kids play -- its adult work and certainly not for children who are not yet prepared or trained apologetically to defend their faith and beliefs. Christian parents who send their children as surrogate evangelists to public schools may sincerely believe they are doing the right thing and I certainly don't believe they are willfully or consciously being disobedient to God. Rather, I believe they are doing so for any one of a number of misguided reasons.

It could be a case of not taking the time to really investigate what the Scriptures have to say regarding their responsibilities to protect their children; they're unaware of the facts regarding public education as mentioned previously above; they haven't taken a long hard look at the potential consequences of their actions or perhaps they're following the advise of someone or some misguided program. Regardless of the reason, the fact remains that they are either being deceived or deceiving themselves if they believe their children can be successful as missionaries in the public education system. It is only by the grace of God that in some cases He protects their children from harm.

Who's Converting Whom?
The reality of the situation is that very little Christian witnessing is ever done by children in public schools to begin with. As with everything else in life, there are of course some exceptions to the rule.

Without question, the lion's share of converting and witnessing is accomplished through the public education curriculum, peer pressure from other children -- most of whom are non-Christian -- and educators who implant (either subtly or obviously and
conscientiously or unconscientiously) their humanistic, neo-pagan or new age doctrines within the minds and hearts of Christian children. These children, I might add, are a captive audience with little or no chance to speak up or opportunity to rebut their teachers.

The research data on the success of the public schools in indoctrinating Christian youth with humanistic or neo-pagan worldviews is overwhelming. The Nehemiah Institute's worldview PEERS test shows that 83-percent of the children from committed Christian families in public schools adopt a secular humanist or Marxist socialist worldview.

At the SBC's 2002 annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life reported, among other disturbing things, that 88-percent of the children raised in evangelical homes leave church at age 18. Barna Research reports that only 9-percent of born-again teens believe in moral absolutes, and more than half believe that Jesus sinned while He was on earth. We believe the fact that 80-percent of Christian families send their children to public schools is a prime reason for this lost legacy.

Conclusion
For 2,000 years, the Christian Church has based all its preaching, teaching and educational enterprises such as Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, AWANA, seminary education, higher education, pulpit ministry and Bible studies on text like Matt. 28:20 where Jesus says 'Teaching them.." This text along with many others is the basis for all Church educational and teaching programs.

Very simply we want to put K-12 education BACK INTO THE GREAT COMMISSION. We believe Jesus assigned the teaching or the education mandate to the family and Church, not to the state or government. The state or government has usurped the role of the family and Church in running K-12 public schools. We don't want government offering the sacraments or ordinances of the Church, preaching the Gospel, taking over the pastoral role, and we don't want them teaching children at the K throughl2 levels either. The state shouldn't run our Sunday Schools and neither should they run our Monday through Friday day schools.

Our case is as much religious and theological as educational and academic. In Christian theology it is improper to compartmentalize or separate areas of knowledge or disciplines such as teaching and education from the anchor or foundation of God's Holy Word.

E. Ray Moore, Jr., Chaplain (Lt. Col.) USAR Ret. is a veteran of Gulf War 1 where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He is also the Director of the Exodus Mandate Project.

For more information regarding the project go to www.Exodusmandate.org or write to PO Box 12072, Columbia, SC 29211

The above article appeared in the July 2004 issue of the St. Louis MetroVoice, St. Louis' Christian News and Events Publication. The MetroVoice is a nondenominationally and non-politically aligned monthly newspaper that serves the greater St. Louis Missouri metro area and outlying communities which approaches everything from a Christian worldview perspective. For more information regarding the St. Louis MetroVoice visit their web site at www.metrovoice.net or call 314-965-5757.

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