Scripture assigns to parents the primary responsibility of educating their children [Deuteronomy 12:10 and Proverbs 4:1-7]. That assignment directly from God has never changed. In time, the parents were aided by religious institutions assuring a seamless character building process from birth to adulthood and beyond. Eventually, government schools assumed the responsibility for educating the children. Initially, the government sponsored public schools supported the religious mission so well that the parents and religious institutions began to abandon much of their God-assigned responsibilities for educating the children. But, beginning in the 1960s, the government kicked God out of the schools eventually banning most forms of religious expression in schools and virtually all other public places.
Consequently, today’s public educational system is experiencing a major crisis. It has been hijacked by the liberal progressive movement and deprived of emotional and spiritual influences in order to emphasize the “academics,” in preparation for the assumed priority of career over family in the life of every rising young man and young woman. Evolution-driven materialism recognizes no other educational goals. Since evolution does not recognize the existence of a spirit of any kind and emotions are regarded as a nuisance interfering with really important things, all that is left is knowledge devoid of any real wisdom. As a result, the public school system has become heavily embedded with humanistic evolution-driven principles and worldview. There is a new evangelism in the public schools. Humanist John Dunphy proclaimed that:
“I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort…utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of educational level—preschool, day care, or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism.”
But others, far better known and respected than Dunphy loudly proclaimed starkly opposing views long before America’s founding and continuing seamlessly until recent decades. Consider this sampling:
- “I would advise no one to send his child where the Holy Scriptures are not supreme. Every institution that does not unceasingly pursue the study of God’s Word becomes corrupt…I greatly fear that the [schools], unless they teach the Holy Scriptures diligently and impress them on the young students, are wide gates to Hell.” Martin Luther
- “[T] Bible…should be read in our schools in preference to all other books.” Dr. Benjamin Rush
- “The only foundation for useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion.” Thomas Jefferson
- “Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God.” Gouverneur Morris
- “Education is useless without the Bible.” Noah Webster
- “Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not only of all free government, but of social felicity under all governments and in all the combinations of human society.” John Adams
- “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens.” George Washington
- Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. C. S. Lewis
Children in the American government-controlled public schools devote twelve of their most vulnerable years learning to demand rights and not accept responsibility for much of anything, while being indoctrinated in the devastating self-centered evolution-driven principles of humanism. Those going on to college spend an additional four years raising to the professional level their abilities to demand rights and avoid personal responsibilities.
Values will always be taught. Nature abhors a vacuum. When selfless Judeo-Christian values are banned, the self-serving humanist values will fill the vacuum. Several decades of experience with humanistic values have produced tragic results. More in an upcoming blog. For now, what do YOU think?
Dr. Lloyd Stebbins 
The powers of the new world will not be nation building, as with empires past, but ideologies! This is why an informed and educated Christian is so important. We are engaged in a battle of ideas and the feelings of love and philanthropy will no longer sway the hardened unbeliever. We need to be armed with “hard thinking” skills. 🙂
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That’s right, Scott. We are engaged in a battle of ideas. But the root of Judeo-Christian tradition is infinite love. Love still conquers all, but today few people of faith understand the real meaning of love. Since many people devote far more time to watching TV or the movies than they do in church or synagogue, they end up with the corrupted view of love preached by the entertainment industry. What do you think?
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There are some interesting statistics found in “A Study of Faculty Members at U.S. Colleges and Universities” by Stanley Rothman from his book “Politics and Professional Advancement Among College Faculty.” He states that 67% of faculty members either “strongly” or “somewhat” agree that homosexuality is as acceptable as heterosexuality. 84% support abortion rights, and 75% support extramarital cohabitation. Fewer than a third described themselves as regular churchgoers. Church attendance can hardly count for much these days especially in light of this new and evolving acceptance of homosexuality and cohabitation by the Pope.
It’s scary to think that THIS is the state of our instructors and professors! We are sending our children into the “lion’s den” and they must be prepared with a foundation of biblical truth (1 Peter 3:15).
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Scott, you have cited very disturbing, but not necessarily surprising statistics. Fully 2/3ds of my book is devoted to responding to your message. The response is far more than could be included in a blog message.
However, there is an important message for the churches. At the lower levels, the public schools have become intellectually inefficient, as well as emotionally and spiritually toxic. That statement is developed extensively in the book. The bottom line is that there must be a broad-scale alternative to public education for Christian children. Home school has advanced dramatically in recent decades and many more families must take advantage of that opportunity. Nevertheless, there are certainly many families not equipped to handle home school for a variety of reasons.
On the other end, many faith-based schools that have been around for a long time have become high-end schools. Most families simply can’t afford tuition in the $10K-$14K range for each child.
In between, there is a desperate need for affordable faith-based education. The solution is obvious. Drive down the streets of any city and see block after block of churches and synagogues that are used primarily on weekend and evenings. They sit empty during prime time Mon. – Fri. The physical facilities are there that are screaming to be used for schools. More in another blog. What do you think?
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As I former public school teacher, I agree that something is amiss in public education. Most of my colleagues and myself did not get into the profession to teach w/o values. A classroom where children felt loved and heard was always my first priority. ..no matter what new material needed to presented. I do think teachers are caught in the system.
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That’s right, Kay. The public school systems have become intellectually inefficient, and emotionally and spiritually toxic. Intellectually AP students place 24-25th in the world on international reading, math, and science tests. That’s a big fall from what used to be the world’s best educational system. Emotionally and spiritually, note that in the 1970s a collective decision was made to take values out of the schools and focus on academics allegedly for career preparation. The decision is the fallout from evolution-rooted, post-modern thinking, a topic for another blog. Nature, including human nature, abhors a vacuum. There is no such thing as teaching without values. It can’t be done. When Judeo-Christian values were banned from the schools, the resulting emotional/spiritual vacuum was filled with the humanist values that are being taught today. The two sets of values are diametrically opposed and cannot coexist. There is another recent blog on that topic. Today, the situation is at the crisis stage. There must be an affordable alternative to public schools. “The philosophy of the school room today is the philosophy of government tomorrow.” Abraham Lincoln What do you think?
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