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"The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all of our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license of immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jude 1:4
Hello Friends,
The current social climate is heartbreakingly grievous. It seems that the world has turned upside down and inside out. Historically, trouble and chaos are born out of an individual or group’s illegitimate truth or perspective, or worse, concealed dishonesty, greed, and power. Currently, society seems to be enamored with revolutionaries who have patiently awaited ideal social conditions of fear, gullibility, profound frustration, and deep mistrust to converge into an environment primed for “liberation”. Justice is being redefined, while the depravity of sin is largely ignored. Christians are either outwardly jumping on the “cancel culture” bandwagon and celebrating fallen foes, or cowering from distorted theological and philosophical attacks.
Time has witnessed the recycling of such realities and their ramifications, for the societal answer to issues always seems to be the same...blame and obliterate or turn a blind eye. But why?
The verdict is in …worldview.
Heavily influenced by the westernized church’s fear of insulting public school proponents, Christian education institutions and organizations have largely become lukewarm and benign in opposing cultural “norms”. As a result, we are appearing dangerously similar to our counterparts. The similarities are uncanny. Pioneers of the Biblical Worldview education movement are disillusioned by what former colleagues are supporting, and individuals who flee relativistic public education for the private sector are dismayed to find the motivations, instructional practices, and student outcome boxes similarly being checked.
Secularized curriculum ✔
Instruction for the sake of the 3R’s and standardized testing ✔
Championship-driven sports programs ✔
Administrative progressivism ✔
Worldview intentionality ✔
Yes, both are teaching a worldview, but one unapologetically and cunningly weaves it ever so naturally through every fiber without uttering a word, while the other broadly addresses it with the most sincere and careful intention to avoid controversy.
In light of the present culture, let’s examine public education’s worldview intentionality and success rate. While the instances of using K-12 classrooms to push social agendas are too numerous to list, I highly recommend checking out EducationWeek for an eye opening view into the educational environment that many Christians still claim “what was good enough for me, is just fine for my child”. As a former public school graduate and teacher, I can testify that it isn’t the place of innocent adolescent folly supervised by wholesome mentorship that one recounts.
Currently, my state’s education system is moving to eradicate the advanced diploma and reformulate math credits for equity purposes, while localities are insisting that the color white is a blight on society, and gender parameters are abhorrent. Interestingly enough, this is happening in areas who once naively felt protected by the number of Christian teachers it employed. The NEA, state governments, and local school boards have proven to be far more powerful than the missional “salt and light” expectations parents have long placed on the shoulders of their child or teacher.
Aside from legislative intent, let’s examine a more subtle strategy being used to impart worldview. The following children’s book titles are presently being used in public elementary classrooms across the Nation. In Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, a major proponent of Critical Race Theory, one learns that “Babies are taught to be racist or antiracist-there’s no neutrality.” In An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing, the mnemonic usage of song and brightly pictured common nouns has been replaced with inviting illustrations accompanied by adjectives such as “LGBTQIA, Oppression, Privilege, Xenophobia, and Ze”. What a vast difference from The New England Primer’s alphabetical usage of “Godliness, Holiness, Pray, Remember, and Trust”!
From PreK to college, is this deliberate exposure successful? Absolutely! How is Darwinism no longer regarded as a theory, and why are multitudes of youth attracted to socialism? Let’s ponder the words of those whose ideas have seeped into and shaped American academia, while comparing them with the infallible truth of scripture.
“Keep people from their History, and they can easily be controlled.”
-Karl Marx, Father of Communism
“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Deuteronomy 32:7
“My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” Karl Marx
“I appeal to you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught; avoid them.” Romans 16:17
“There is no god and there is no soul. Hence, there is no need for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, then immutable truth is dead and buried. There is no room for fixed and natural law or permanent moral absolutes.”
-John Dewey, Father of Progressive Education
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Romans 1:18
“Schools should take an active part in directing social change, and share in the construction of a new social order.” John Dewey
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Which worldview has taken precedence in today’s culture?
More than ever, Christian education must look and function with distinct differences.
- Students must be scripturally and logically able to process fallacies and false teachings.
- Scripture must be written "on door frames", corridors, hearts, and minds.
- Instruction must be framed in the Dominion Mandate and Theology of Work.
- Staff, faculty, and students must be Biblically clear on controversial topics.
- Biblical character development and servant leadership must be a core focus of the school's programs
- School culture must reflect our Savior's modeling on how to treat and regard others.
Silence and inaction wields the power to infiltrate the command of our children’s hearts and minds through observational deceit. Words have unimaginable influence, ideas spawn consequences, and worldview renders judgments of redemption or retribution.
Our children are internalizing a worldview daily, the most important question is which one are YOU providing?
Author
tonya c. gordon
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