Topic #21- Education of Christian Children

 Generational Faithfulness
by Eugene Clingman
Executive Administrator

Copyright 2006, International Church Council Project

www.ChurchCouncil.org

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            “How great are Thy works, O Lord!
Thy thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man has no knowledge;
Nor does a stupid man understand this:
That when the wicked sprouted up like grass,
And all who did iniquity flourished,
It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore”
Psalm 92:5-7 (NASB)

            How great God’s works are indeed! What is God doing today? When we consider the evidence of cultural decay and a seeming decline of Christianity, it gives us pause to wonder, is God working? George Barna, that eminent Christian researcher, says things may get worse before they get better. Barna writes that in America, “People 35 and younger are substantially more likely to approve of abortion in all or most circumstances than are people over 35; are much more likely to describe themselves as “pro-choice” than are any other age segment; were much more likely to argue that homosexual relations should be legal; substantially more likely to consider homosexuality an acceptable lifestyle; and notably more likely to approve of clergy conducting or blessing gay marriages.”

            A question that should be asked is how America is coming to this while so many in America claim to be Christians? The salt is obviously loosing its savor! 

• Fact: The overwhelming majority of Christian children (more than 80%) are being discipled by the anti-God, humanistic government schools (aka public schools), so that…
• Fact: approximately 80% of those so schooled leave the church shortly after graduating high school. With the result that…

• Fact: More than a decade of careful research by Dan Smithwick of the Nehemiah Institute (www.nehemiahinstitute.com) shows that Christian children who attend government schools have essentially the same worldview (view of: life, purpose, morality, ethics, religion, etc.) as their non-Christian counterparts; they see the world and life through essentially the same eyes as their fellow government school classmates who are being raised in unbelieving households.

             Conclusion: When we place two of these facts together: 1) that eighty plus percent of Christian children attend government schools, and 2) that Christian children who attend government schools essentially have the same worldview as their pagan counterparts, we have to realize along with Dan Smithwick, that, “This is a disaster in the making!”

            Eighty percent of the next generations of Christians who should be in the process of being fitted as salt and light have already “lost their savor” and have little distinctiveness with which they may salt (effect) those around them, and little light (real truth) with which they may guide those in darkness. It is as if we Christians had been delivered from Egypt, settled in the Promised Land, and now rise early each morning to put our little ones on the yellow bus so they can be taken south to Egypt for their education, or west to the Philistines for ethics training, or north to the Babylonians for proper socialization! Surely this is not God’s plan, nor intention!

            But this is an article asking what God is up to, so we will move on. In the midst of declining Western culture, I believe God is doing something! I believe there is an underground movement the result of which will be phenomenal; only time will reveal the effect. This semi-secret army, this counter-culture is the growing number of children being trained and educated with a distinctively Christian worldview. By Christian worldview I mean trained to see things from a biblical viewpoint as opposed to the humanistic, socialistic, and fallaciously “morally neutral” viewpoint which permeates even the mildest government school in the USA today. By training into a Christian worldview I mean also by using distinctively Christian curriculum, not old government school textbooks baptized with prayer, a Bible class, and a weekly chapel!

            This movement is almost silently growing as parents accept the responsibility of generational covenantal faithfulness in the education of their children. Other parents, not quite so far along in their understanding, are nonetheless realizing the growing absurdity that is the government school system and are getting their kids out. This absurdity called the public schools in essence demands – “Out with God and truth and in with rewritten history, political correctness, moral perversion, and social acceptability!” This absurdity includes a growing number of public schools (more accurately called “government schools”) that begin introducing children to alternative (homosexual) lifestyles as early as kindergarten.

            “How great are Thy works, O Lord! Thy thoughts are very deep.” Remember this – it is never the majority who determine the victory but an informed and committed minority. Today is a day of Gideon’s army! God is gathering the troops, small, yet awesome by his grace. God’s plans will stand! In spite of the faltering steps of Christ’s bride she continues to take strides forward. Victory is assured for the Church! And yet generational victory for each individual family is in the balance of covenant faithfulness (Isaiah 2:6). Let us consider the precious gems, these children given us by God. Let us call upon God for wisdom and energy to set these “Talents”, these bits of wealth invested with us, to set them on the path of greatest return for our worthy Lord and his Kingdom. Let us raise our children faithfully, with a distinctively Christian, a purposefully Christian education.

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