PCA General Assembly: Pull Kids from Public School?

Well, this should rankle a few feathers. It rankles mine. A resolution is being brought before the PCA General Assembly that “encourages all her officers and members to remove their children from the public schools and see to it that they receive a thoroughly Christian education, for the glory of God and the good of Christ’s church.” The resolution is sponsored by Rev. Warhurst and has support from Dr. D. James Kennedy and elder Joel Belz (founder of World Magazine).

I am not a pro-public school kind of person. I am not a pro-anyschool kind of person. I believe there are serious problems with the public schools. However, I have serious problems with this resolution. It is shortsighted and displays the worst of so-called Christian conservatism.

I am a pro-parent kind of person, as you will see.

Taking the resolution paragraph by paragraph:

“Whereas, The Bible commands fathers to bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), and all parents who have had a child baptized in the Presbyterian Church in America have taken a vow to strive by all the means of God’s appointment to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (BCO 56-5), and”

It is true, that as parents, we are responsible for our child’s education. In particular, a child’s spiritual education. Rather then ultimately encouraging parents to withdraw their children from public schools, this resolution should encourage parents to, well, be parents. No matter where I send my child for formal education (homeschool, private, Christian, or public), it is ME that is responsible for the education of the child. If sending a child to school outside the home, how involved are you in their schoolwork? It has been shown that no matter what KIND of school it is, the key to success of the individual child and the school as a whole, is a parent’s involvement. In fact, what it comes down to is how you as a parent live, work, play, and teach. Your children are watching YOU. Who are YOU? What do YOU do? More on this later.

For all the problems that public schools have, I have seen children from Christian schools who truly are little materialists. Whose fault is that? Don’t blame the school. Look at mom and dad.

“A truly Christian education begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10), and teaches children to think biblically about all of life (2 Corinthians 10:5; Romans 12:2; Deuteronomy 6:6-9), and”

What is a truly Christian education? Has anyone ever defined that? I am positive that you would get multiple responses to that question. I am also sure that if you studied the curriculum and the perspective of the Christian schools in our area they will all be different. Yes I agree that a Christian education begins with the fear of the Lord and teaches children to think biblically about all of life. However, that, it seems, is my responsibility as a parent to teach that, encourage that and reinforce that. Again, my children are watching me.

“Whereas, The public school system does not offer a Christian education, but officially claims to be “neutral” with regard to Christ, a position that Christ Himself said was impossible (Luke 11:23), and”

Yes, public schools don’t offer a Christian education. I would not expect them to. I think the PCA should then also admonish Christian schools, who thinking they are Christian, are not (Matt 7:21-23).

“Whereas, The public schools are by law humanistic and secular in their instruction, and as a result the attending children receive an education without positive reference to the Triune God, and”

Again, I wouldn’t expect them to do so. It is expected of me as a parent to do so, however. Do I teach my children with a positive reference to the Triune God?

“Whereas, Some courageous teachers in our congregations disregard this law. Obeying God rather than men, they try to give their students a truly Christian education (Acts 4:18-20). This resolution should not be construed to discourage these adult believers who faithfully labor as missionaries to unbelieving colleagues and students. However, these rare exceptions should not lead anyone to believe the public schools are regularly giving children a truly Christian education.”

First, those “exceptions” are not rare. There are quite a few Christians who teach in the public schools. Granted, simply because there are Christians who teach in a public school does not mean a child is receiving a Christian education. Again, I would not expect the public school to do so. Again, how are you as a parent providing that in your home?

“Whereas, Sending thousands of PCA children as “missionaries” to their unbelieving teachers and classmates has failed to contribute to increasing holiness in the public schools. On the contrary, the Nehemiah Institute documents growing evidence that the public schools are successfully converting covenant children to secular humanism,”

It is misguided to send a child to a public school as a missionary, especially when talking about elementary school, granted. The question is how are you as a parent teaching your child to live? Is your child learning to love his neighbor? He/she will only learn that IF you are doing it. Is your child loving his/her enemy? She/he will only do so if you love your enemy too. Is your child learning to love God? He/she will only do so if he/she sees you doing so. I do not care what school you send your child too, if you are not faithfully following Christ and loving God, how can you expect your child to? I would surmise that “schools are successfully converting covenant children to secular humanism” because of the lack of parental involvement in those children’s lives. It is the same reason why children who go to Christian schools, reject the whole nine yards later in life. They see the big disconnect between what they were taught and what they saw at home.

“We are squandering a great opportunity to instruct these children in the truth of God’s word and its application to all of life;”

Yes we are. But not because we are sending our children to public schools. But because we have not been faithful as a PARENT to be 1) creating an atmosphere in the home that encourage spiritual growth 2) live as Christ has called us to live 3) create a growing and loving marriage which is very much an encouragement to children

“Therefore, be it resolved that the 33rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America encourages all her officers and members to remove their children from the public schools and see to it that they receive a thoroughly Christian education, for the glory of God and the good of Christ’s church.”

Misguided to say the least.

I do not say all this to bash Christian schools. No, it is because I believe the responsibility is to be laid at the feet of parents. And THAT is what the resolution (if any) should be about.

The ultimate responsibility to give a child a Christian education lies with the parent. It is not the responsibility of any school to do that. I can fail at this whether I homeschool, or send them to private, Christian or public school. I can succeed at this whether I homeschool, or send them to private, Christian, or public school.

I went to a parochial elementary school. It was a Catholic school. Some will say that a Catholic school is different than a Christian school. Maybe. The point I want to make is that at my school by the time 8th grade rolled around, there were kids who were getting involved in drugs, who came from extremely broken homes, who were extreme troublemakers, who were beginning to engage in sexual activity. I know as well, things are not different at any other school. Christian or otherwise.

Who are YOU at home? How do you talk to your children? Do you seek to understand them? Do you listen to them? Do you try to recall what life was like as a child so you can relate to them better? When you read your Bible Study and you get to the page that says “application”, is your first thought your home? Do you love your closest neighbors (spouse and children)? Do you seek forgiveness from your children?
What do your children see you DO? How much TV do you watch? Do they see you shop a lot? Do they see you aloof and distant sitting in a corner reading the newspaper? What do your children hear you talking about? The need for that new car? Or concern for a friend? Do you have devotional time with your children? Do your children think you care? Do you care?

Here is the resolution I would write:

Whereas, The Bible commands fathers and mothers to love God with all their, heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:29-30), to love their neighbor (Mark 12:31), to know Christ (John 17:3), to go and make disciples (Matt 28-18-20), to faithfully examine the Scriptures (Acts 17:11), and to impress these things upon our children (Deut 6:4-9), and

Whereas the decision to formally educate your child is a difficult one, given one’s talents, community, school district, and financial ability, and

Whereas, a child’s education and the success thereof is dependant in large part on the involvement of that parent in the child’s life, no matter whether the child is homeschooled, private schooled, Christian schooled or public schooled,

Whereas, parents need to take hold of their relationship with Christ and live it according to the work of the Holy Spirit within them (Eph 3:20),

Therefore, be it resolved that the 33rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America encourages all her officers to the following:

to live according to the standards set in Scripture for elders and deacons,

to preach faithfully about living the Christian life and applying it to member’s lives as fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, etc.

to offer curriculum whether in Sunday School or additional Bible Studies that disciples the members of your church and helps them to teach their children and other children in the knowledge of Christ,

to encourage fathers to meet with one another and discuss issues, problems, etc.

to encourage mothers to meet with one another and discuss issues, problems, etc.

to be an advocate, not for a particular type of schooling, but for parents, encouraging them to live according to God’s Word and encouraging them to teach their children the same,

encourages all her members:

to live as a Body, supporting one another in their individual decisions about their child’s education, offering encouragement to one another.

To faithfully participate in the life of one’s church.

To faithfully dialogue with other parents about educational issues from a Christian worldview.

To faithfully participate in the school of your own choosing.

To be salt and light in the school of your own choosing.

To be faithful to your calling as parents and take responsibility for the oversight of your child’s education.

To be faithful as non-parents to the child around you, who are watching you too.

that all the above would have the effect of discipling parents to be solidly grounded in God’s Word so that they may pass that on to their children, no matter the circumstances of life, for the glory of God and the good of Christ’s church.

1 Comment »

  1. Megan said,

    June 16, 2005 @ 11:44 pm

    Amen.

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