God, in speaking to and through the prophet Hosea, said: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hos. 4:6). What was true of the Jews and the nation of Israel in Hosea’s day, can be said concerning our present age, and especially with respect to America’s children and youth. Our future as a nation doesn’t rest only on court decisions or elections, or bills by congress or executive orders by the president–important as those are. The future depends on America’s children–those who are this nation’s future. And they will soon be returning to school, most to public school classrooms to face ideological and spiritual indoctrination. It will happen to some degree in every community across the country. While we have some excellent teachers who serve as light in the darkness of our secular humanistic educational system, their hands are really tied as they face the liberal union leaders, politicians and education “experts” who set curriculum and dictate what is taught.
Oh, students will be given a lot of “knowledge” all right, but it will be devoid of the godly, creation-based, biblical truth and principles and practices. Students’ minds and hearts will be bombarded with atheism, humanism, and evolutionary naturalism. Biblical truth, faith, morals and godly practices will be squeezed out. Many excellent teachers do their best to fight this trend and be “salt and light” in their schools, but they desperately need our support and our prayers. Our nation’s future is at stake. Remember, the Bible says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” (Psa. 33:12); and “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Pr. 14:34). Unfortunately, man thinks he knows better than God and is attempting to rule Him out of the classroom and out of public life altogether. Solomon gives a serious commentary on such in his “Book of Wisdom,” writing: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Pr. 14:12).
Interestingly, the idea that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” was the impetus for much of our country’s original schools. Education equipped children to learn to read God’s Word, respond to Him, and walk in His ways. Providing students with a sound, biblical world view was believed to lead to more positively contributing members of society. Martin Luther, who was an advocate for public education, warned, “I am very much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell until they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scripture…engraving them in the hearts of the youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.” Wow! Has his prediction every come true, or what, especially in the last 50-75 years. Now biblical creation, values, and godly practice are often openly scoffed at in the classroom. Unfortunately “Separation of Church and State” has been reinterpreted from its original intent of protecting the church and is now being used as a bludgeon to keep anything which smacks of Christianity out. For example, consider that the federal government has endorsed and sponsored–for our schools–an “anti-bullying” program created and run by Dan Savage, a radical homosexual activist who spoke at a conference of high school students and angrily told them that the Bible was “b______s_______” (So much for “tolerance” and the so-called separation of church and state!) Many brave students walked out as Savage called them foul names…but many cheered Savage. Think about that. As the Bible was blasphemed, many students cheered. That’s the depth of deception and hostility that anti-Christian, humanistic educators are creating.
Do you remember when America once led the world in reading, writing and arithmetic? When the virtues of citizenship and religion were honored in schools? I do. But now, despite the efforts of many well-meaning teachers, ideological messages are pressed into minds of impressionable children by an education system that has become a leftist, humanistic indoctrination machine. And they are crowding out true education. The core subjects of math, science, history are not the same as my generation was taught. We now have an educational system and curriculum based on a whole different world view, with secular humanism and “un-scientific” evolution being the basis, with an emphasis on globalism, sex-education, tolerance, and a re-definition of family.
Yes, education is vital, but unless it honors our Creator God, it leads to disaster. I recently saw a quote from Thomas Jefferson that is pretty sobering as I reflect on the condition of our country: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Pray much for those making decisions for our education system, pray for the teachers who have a biblical world view to have an influence, and may God have mercy on us!
Forever His,
Pastor Dave
Note: Some of the above information was taken from the Family Research Council’s letter of August 1, 2013 and from “Think and Believe,” Jan/Feb 2013, a publication of Alpha Omega Institute.
Wisdom of The Week 