I got two very different reactions to my Friday email last month after the Texas school shooting. I referenced the kind of evil that’s being promoted “from the entertainment industry to the public schools & universities, to the Federal Government, & to social media.” It’s all become a cesspool of moral confusion & chaos as people call evil good & good evil (Isaiah 5:20).” One reaction was from one of the Elders who said it was the best one I ever wrote. The other reaction was from a former member who was offended & requested to be removed from future emails.
Why was she upset? Because as a retired public school teacher she was indignant that I would talk about schools like that. She thought my generalization was unacceptable, considering the vast majority of schools are good and doing godly work in nurturing & educating children. I responded it’s never my intent to offend, but I think people understand I’m not talking about every school or every teacher. Yes, there are certainly some wonderful educators-some of them right here in our church.
But can we honestly say the public school system is godly? Isn’t it obvious that more & more harmful stuff is being promoted in them? It’s in the news all the time, & it’s why so many people are pulling their kids out of schools. The stats are clear on that as homeschooling surges. A number of our church families homeschool. A movie played in theaters this past week (I didn’t see it) produced by actor Kirk Cameron called “The Homeschool Awakening.” Cameron passes along a profound quote: “If we send our children to Rome to be educated…we shouldn’t be surprised if they come back Romans.”
So many Christian parents especially are upset about the things their kids pick up in schools-not just from curriculum or educators but from the influence of their peers. I hear from parents here about how much they fear for how their kids are being sexualized through LGBT+ ideology, & impacted by critical race theory, foul books, macro-evolutionism, Marxist & other far-left influences. Kids can even join LGBT+ school clubs. And have you seen teachers brag on social media sites about how they purposely influence their students with this ideology? Michigan’s Attorney General even commented that she wants “a drag queen in every school.” Meanwhile, good teachers, especially Christian ones, are held back from teaching what’s right, true & good. What do you think-am I right on this?
When schools were shuttered during Covid & moved to online teaching, many parents’ eyes were opened as they were exposed to what their kids were being taught. Parents started showing up at school board meetings to express their displeasure. Some of these parents were silenced, and even targeted by our government as “domestic terrorists.”
One exasperated mother recently wrote me: “Where…can you go to escape woke indoctrination? They put this stuff on your kids without your knowledge or consent, and if you oppose it, they drive a wedge between you and them. It’s sick. Twisted. Evil. …We need a school. Can we build a school?” I sympathized because it had been my ambition many years ago to open a Christian school for Downriver. We even entered into negotiations in 2008 to take over Light & Life Christian School in Taylor (where both my sons attended, as well as some other Southpoint children). But it didn’t happen because their financial situation was so poor that it was too risky (and then the recession hit-so we were spared). Christian schools are expensive to operate & tend to lead to “mission drift” where the church gets sidetracked from its main mission. There are a couple of major Christian schools Downriver (other than Catholic-one is Lutheran & the other is Baptist).
It’s your choice where to educate your children…and that decision can be influenced by a number of factors financially & logistically. But be sure to stay involved & monitor what they’re being taught. You are responsible for your children’s education-including spiritual, biblical teaching. Our church is here to partner with you in that–but we want to help you be the primary influencer.