First Church of the Secularized MInd?
As shocking as it may sound, public elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. prior to the 20th century were overtly Christian in orientation and practice. This is evidenced by the texts commonly used in public schools.
Texts such as the McGuffey Readers, which contained many references to Scripture and to Biblical ideals. It sold some 120 million copies between 1836 and 1960.
Perhaps the most noteworthy evidence of Christian thought
being blended with U.S. education prior to the 20th century is Noah Webster’s American
Dictionary of the English Language (1828). This magnum opus took Webster 28
years to complete. It is full of Bible references, and Webster had a distinctly Christian purpose in writing the dictionary, which he plainly laid out in the Preface to
the work.
"Education," wrote Webster, "is useless without the Bible. The Bible was America's basic text book in all fields. God's Word, contained in the Bible, has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."
"Education," wrote Webster, "is useless without the Bible. The Bible was America's basic text book in all fields. God's Word, contained in the Bible, has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."
As the United States transitioned to a state-run system
in the late 1800’s, Princeton theologian A.A. Hodge declared:
“It is self-evident that on this scheme, if it is consistently and
persistently carried out in all parts of the country, the United States system
of national popular education will be the most efficient and wide instrument
for the propagation of Atheism which the world has ever seen.”
What is being propagated today makes mere Atheism
look pale.
That which was “self-evident” to A.A. Hodge, was not so “self-evident”
to others. The "scheme,” as Hodge called it, was indeed carried out. Few
decisions have had greater long-term consequences for American society than the placing
of children’s education into the hands of the State.
Many people, including Christians, may balk at Hodge’s words,
insisting that State education is "neutral" when it comes to matters of
faith. Really? Do we not understand that Secularism is a faith, too? It takes remarkable faith to be an Atheist, or a Materialist, or a Humanist, or a Secularist of any
sort.
The question of not mixing faith with education must be
carefully re-examined. The question is not whether faith will be allowed
to mix with education, but which faith?
The fact is, faith is being mixed daily with state education today. It’s just a different kind of faith than the one that was mixed with U.S. schools for our first 150 years.