To begin with, the Christian community must re-evaluate its lukewarm attitude toward education in general. Without realizing it, to many of us have grown contented with godless education! How did it ever become acceptable to Christian leaders and Christian parents to go along with a system that leaves out Christianity? It should be unthinkable for Christians to raise their children in a system that communicates no knowledge of the true God, has no room for the Bible (which is the basis for all true education), and which does not confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
While you may have grown contented with godless education, I assure you that the Lord has not! On the contrary, the call of scripture is that we saturate our children with a knowledge of God’s Word! The Lord will not excuse us of the responsibility to diligently teach His Word to our children. From a truly Christian perspective, the goal of education is to instill a fear of the Lord into the hearts and minds of our children. Anything less is totally inadequate!
Remember, this letter is to the Christian community. Obviously, those who have no loyalty to Jesus Christ will not share the convictions expressed herein. However, we Christians are followers of Jesus Christ and we are compelled by loyalty to Jesus Christ to make Him Lord of education! At the heart of our conviction as Christians is our Lord’s emphatic statement “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” Jesus Christ is “the truth.” That reality establishes the necessity of placing Jesus Christ at the center of our children’s education. It is a gross contradiction for christians to leave Jesus Christ out of the daily education of their children. After all, our goal is to disciple our children, that is, win them to Christ and train them to follow Jesus Christ. How we intend to do that while our children grow-up in a godless system is a matter of grave concern.
Quite frankly, we need a “fresh” vision for our children. Our children are at risk. Like tender plants that must be given time and attention to come to maturity, our children need careful discipleship. Therein lies the secret for past generations. Our Christian forefathers saw the necessity of education built on Jesus Christ and His Word. By providing a daily education centered upon a growing knowledge of the Lord and His Word, they effectively captured and shaped American culture. Again, Dr. Kennedy writes,
“One great Christian who taught many of the Founding Fathers was Reverend John Witherspoon, the Presbyterian minister who served as the president of the College of New Jersey(later known as Princeton). Witherspoon was the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence. Witherspoon said, “Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.” Witherspoon’s best-known pupil was the chief architect of the Constitution, James Madison. A Virginian, Madison was expected to attend college at William & Mary. Instead, he chose the more Presbyterian-oriented education at the college of New Jersey, where he translated the Bible from Hebrew to Greek to English. Madison’s views on government were thoroughly shaped by Witherspoon and other Presbyterians. Thus, Madison’s political worldview was one shaped by the Bible more than any other source. Gary DeMar, author of America’s Christian History: The Untold Story, writes about the leaders Reverend Witherspoon trained: “Witherspoon taught a vice president , 21 senators, 29 representatives, 56 state legislators, and 33 judges, three of whom became members of the Supreme Court.”
This story illustrates the profound effect that Christian education can have on the nation when firmly in place. In the days when American education was controlled by the Christian community a nation rose to freedom, the rule of law became the norm, and representative government was born! Furthermore, our country enjoyed a much greater degree of civility. The nation’s children were the benefactors! They developed moral character and a strong faith in Jesus Christ. That is not to say that every child was won to Christ. However, it is quite clear that when the Christian community was providing a God-centered education for their children it had a profound effect upon our nation.
Why have we lost this vision for “daily” Christian education? Why are we contented to leave our children at risk? The deliberate, purposeful teaching of God’s Word, aimed at the heart of our children, is the only hope we have of delivering our children from a world system alienated from God. Have we decided that the world is not really that bad? Are we blind to the spiritual consequences of a godless educational system? Can we not see that recapturing education ought to be one of the top priorities of the Christian community?
