My last post was a call to action driven by frustration with the collapse of public education and the viciously anti-Christian agenda among the educational elites of this country. Please don't see it as an attack against teachers. My daughter is completing her student teaching semester right now and will be, Lord willing, an elementary school teacher next year.
My call to action was for churches to start schools in their communities. Schools that find a way to offer a free education to children in the community, in part to drive the public schools out of business...or change their ways. Here's where the clarification comes in. I'm not urging Christian churches to start Christian schools. I'm not inviting Christians to flee the culture and hide in a cocoon of all-Christian security. Far from it!
I believe the Christian church has retreated from the culture far too often for far too long. What I'm calling the church to do is launch real, regular, effective schools that return to the roots of what public education was meant to be...and was in this country...less than 100 years ago. Schools that invite but don't force children to pray. Schools that engage in open honest discussion about the different ideas about how the world was created. Schools that embrace the traditional core studies of science, math, reading, social studies, languages, etc. Schools that are open to anyone who wants to come to school...Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, atheist...for a quality education. Quality that's driven by the love of Jesus Christ in a way that is winsome, loving and accepting.
This kind of movement to offer effective schools built on a solid foundation of Christian morals and standards would stir a revolution in this country. Last night our Pastor preached about the early church and the accusation leveled against Paul, Silas and Timothy that they were "turning the world upside down." He asked if that charge was still being leveled against Christians today. Sadly, we have to admit that, in this country, it's not.
So what if we launched an alternative school movement that directly confronted the corrupt culture of public education? What if we re-engaged the culture right at the heart of it by reclaiming the education of our children? What if we did it in a way that was open to all and was genuinely effective? Would that turn the world upside down? Would that meet stiff, angry, violent opposition?
I can guess...but let's just do it and find out. Who's with me?
2 comments:
perhaps your perception of anti-christian behavior is simply a refusal of intelligent open minded people to submit to your near-nazi like aggression into a public arena. perhaps every 'elitist' female is fighting tooth and nail to keep your mysoginistic beliefs away from their precious children.
Wow, that's a lot of anger. Much of which I might agree with if you're angry at male dominated religion that pays little attention to the actual teachings of Christ. I agree that, in the name of Christ, many have been aggressive, disrespectful, hurtful and worse. That's part of the reason for this blog is to admit where the church has gotten it wrong. In my humble opinion, there is no public arena. This whole earth is God's creation. He is the creator and owner and, whether we like it or not, the separation between secular and sacred is a man made construct that simply allows us to pretend there are places in our lives where God has no place. It's a deception that has sad and tragic consequences. Suffering under the delusion that we can determine right from wrong apart from God's design for us has led to some of the worst human tragedy imaginable. Including the willful slaughter of millions of our own children and our obsessive compulsion to declare wrong behavior right and acceptable lifestyle choices. It is wrong to force anything on anyone. And I think a serious look at orthodox Christian teachings will reveal that God is gracious, loving and kind and never forces his way into anyone's life. Abandoning his standards and creating our own is to fall for the lie that we can be like God. The truth is, we simply can't and when we try is when everything goes to hell.
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