Should Christian Educators Leave State Schools?

An excellent resource for followers of Christ working in state schools is Gateways to Better Education, founded by my friend Erik Buehrer. Click here.

Responses to last week's video, Not Far Away, ranged from, “brilliant piece of work,” and “a powerful, prophetic video!!” to, “the impact of the video is to demonize the schools, and the administrators and about 50% of the teachers and many of the administrators in those schools who claim to be evangelicals.”

A friend asked: “How do we help evangelicals who have kids in public schools, or who are public school teachers, or administrators, to ‘hear’ this message and not feel condemned or helpless, or angry?”

This is a great question! 

Certainly God calls Christians to serve in state schools as surely as He chose Joseph to serve in Pharaoh’s court, and Daniel to serve in Babylon. If you are one of "the chosen," you are not a demon! But are you functioning as a Joseph, a Daniel or an Esther where God has placed you? These are the kind of Christian teachers and administrators we need in state schools today.  

If you are one such dedicated individual, you may be spending time in a "lion’s den," unless you are silent and passive when your time to speak comes up. When it does, remember Esther, who was in the right place, "for such a time as this." Your outcome, however, may not be as delightful as Esther's.

If churches were training, equipping and supporting Christian state school teachers and administrators in how to be Daniels and Esthers in state schools, that would be great! Erik Buehrer is doing this.

It seems that if 50% of the state school teachers and administrators are evangelical Christians, we should be seeing a course correction. Perhaps the "how to" is in short supply.  

Should Christian educators leave state schools? My short answer is, “…do what the Lord shows you to do." And if God shows you to be in a state school, be prepared to do the right thing, as Daniel did. (And be praying as Daniel did, too.)

It is getting harder and harder to work in state schools today, particularly when it comes to dealing with increasing LGBTQ pressures. May the Lord give every believing teacher and administrator in state schools the grace and wisdom of Jesus, to be "salt and light in Babylon." We need such people in the system. 

The bigger question, when it comes to educating Christian children, has to do with the Church. 

More next week. 

Posted by Dr. Christian Overman