How could entire schools be co-opted into the gun battle?
Regardless of where one stands on guns, most parents don’t
want their children forced into cultural and political debates.
Where were the kids that didn’t want to participate? Where
were the kids in Fairfax public schools who discern that
their biology textbooks teach them that sex is determined
long before birth but their sex-ed class teaches sex is merely
a social construct? Why weren’t they speaking up?
We Help Good Kids
Become Godly
Servant Leaders
Biblical Worldview
&
Ministry Mindset
Emphasis
THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING
The answer came to me one night at a parent forum for my
child’s school. Listening to a lecture on the importance of
the verbal arts, I realized my children had gained so much
more than simply avoiding being thrust into a political
battle at their school. The classical Christian education had
equipped our children to recognize the logical fallacies used
to promote various political agendas. Based on the educa-
tion they have received, our children can determine for
themselves when they are being propagandized.
Rhetoric and persuasion are powerful and can be easily
used for misdirection and manipulation. Adults have more
power to move an entire generation with false rhetoric
than in previous times in our history because many schools
have abandoned their focus on truth. Without a focus on
truth, understanding logic and rhetoric is impossible. At
the same time our society was moving into the post-truth
era, curricula began to abandon logic and the art of rhet-
oric. Once the truth is lost, and critical thinking is largely
untaught, then using children as pawns in political games
isn’t nearly as difficult.
I am thankful that when my children’s school gives atten-
tion to the power of words, they are doing it to teach the
students how to “always be prepared to give a reason for the
hope we have” (1 Peter 3:15). They understand words are
the tools we use to understand and digest God’s Word, to
reject the deceptions of the enemy, and to bring others to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. As the teacher at my chil-
dren’s school said in his presentation at that parent forum,
“Everything you hold dear was communicated to you
through words.” In a post-Christian society, an important
component of biblical worldview education must include
training children to think critically about the messages
they hear and communicate effectively the reasons for their
belief in God’s Word. ■
As president of The Family Foundation of Virginia, Victoria Cobb is responsible for the lead-
ership and direction of the Commonwealth’s largest, oldest, and most influential pro-family
organization. Victoria serves as the organization’s spokesperson and is regularly in demand
as a speaker and commentator on family issues in the media. She currently sits on the
Board of Governors of the John Jay Institute and is a Board of Governors Member of the
Council for National Policy. Victoria has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rich-
mond with majors in Political Science and Leadership Studies.
Seasoned Speakers
in an Exciting
Conference Setting
Featuring:
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Discussion
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Resources
Teaching Bible Principles Like:
Be Different On Purpose
Let Your Purpose Guide Your Choices
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Leaders in Your School or Church
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Student Leadership Conferences
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