American
Education:
SHAPING
THE MIND
AND SOUL
By Dr. Gary House
E
DUCATION HAS SERVED many
purposes throughout American
history including moral and social training,
literacy and instruction, cultural conformity,
and forming a national character. It has arguably
been one of the most significant instruments used to shape
generations of Americans and to influence the mind and
soul. Ultimately, that’s what education is all about. For this
reason, educational institutions are a major battleground
where culture wars rage and the future of our children and
the character of our country hang in the balance.
Foremost in the struggle has been the role of religion in
public education. Secular humanism regards Christ and
truth as antithetical to one another, having difficulty recon-
ciling the integration of faith and reason. Consequently, it
seeks to separate religion from education. While forced to
the perimeter at most educational institutions today, many
still believe that religion is fundamental to the essence of
education at any level. A brief historical review might
elucidate the ideological and philosophical differenc-
es behind this tension and the current crisis we face in
educating our families.
The formative principles for both a Christian and a secu-
lar humanistic culture in America emerged within the
Renaissance, which spanned the 14th to 17th centuries,
and the Reformation of the 16th century. These ideologies
developed in America during the Enlightenment age of the
17th and 18th centuries. While the Renaissance laid the
foundation for a secular humanistic, man-centered world-
view, the Reformation laid the foundation for a Christian,
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