those who lead them are not always openly hostile to what the Scriptures teach , they require utter silence about what the Scriptures say on any topic of importance to our country and culture . Case after case , including the one in Wellesley , attests to that reality .
Ask yourself : Is God ever invited to participate in any discussion in any American public school classroom on issues related to the environment , law and justice , war and peace , the economy , race relations , or human sexuality ? I think you get the picture . The consequence of that purposeful censorship and distortion of reality has been devastating to our kids and our culture .
IS IT WORTH THE RISK ?
It is long past time that the believing church grasps the fact that we should no longer put our children at risk by having them attend stateoperated schools . I know that is a radical thought , and space does not permit me to address it fully , so I ’ ll limit my thoughts to a single statement . As Voddie Baucham put it , “ We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans .”
In one sense , the problem we face is simple . The ideas predominating the secular world have so poisoned the soil that very few healthy ideas can grow there . That is the difficulty those parents in the Wellesley school district discovered , as have parents in school districts all across the country . Those who run the system and teach in it have had their thinking methodically distorted by the very system they currently perpetuate . And as was true in the Roman Empire and equally true in much of the world today , the individuals in control of that system will forcefully resist and seek to discredit any voices that question what they believe and promote .
“ Is God ever invited to participate in any discussion in any American public school classroom on issues related to the environment , law and justice , war and peace , the economy , race relations , or human sexuality ?”
ARE WE TAKING THE GREAT COMMISSION SERIOUSLY ?
It is time to call the church back to the mission clearly given us by our Lord . As recorded in Matthew ’ s Gospel , Jesus commanded His followers to go into the world to preach the gospel . Those who embraced the gospel were then to be baptized and taught to live their lives fully aligned with the teachings of Christ .
The Great Commission was never just about making converts . Nor was it about simply equipping a handful of leaders for the church . Rather it was always about making authentic disciples , people willing to fully live the implications of the gospel in and before the world . However , by any honest measure , the evangelical church of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has largely failed at that task . Yes , there have been many converts but authentic disciples ? Not so much .
Why is that ? I believe it ’ s because we have failed to grasp a simple reality for far too long : Discipleship is education ; education is discipleship .
Education and discipleship are two sides of the same coin . They always have been . Every day when children go off to school , they are being discipled by someone . The question every parent should ask is this : Who do I want discipling my child ? Do I want that person to be someone who knows Christ , loves Christ , and understands the implications of what the Bible has to say about how we are to live in this world today ? Or am I okay with having someone who knows nothing of Christ or the Scriptures be the one who shapes and guides my child ’ s heart and mind as he prepares for life in a fallen world ? However , it is a pretty stark choice that a relatively small number of Christ-followers in America seem willing to consider .
Let ’ s be honest . We will not win the war for the hearts , souls , or minds of those who control America ’ s public schools . That is a fantasy . And we are soon approaching the time when even courageous Christ-followers who lead and teach in our public school systems will find themselves increasingly handcuffed and harassed in their attempts to be salt and light . Perhaps it is time to heed our Lord ’ s instruction to move on and shake the dust from our feet where America ’ s state-funded schools are concerned ( see Matt . 10:14 ; Luke 9:5 ; Mark 6:11 ; Acts 13:51 ).
Perhaps it is also time to ask a simple question : Is there a better investment of time , energy , and resources to be made by the church in the education of our children and young people ? I believe the answer to that question is a resounding yes ! Consequently , I believe it is time to boldly and graciously make that case to evangelical church leaders and parents . For many families , the task of educating children is simply too big and too complex . They can ’ t do it alone , and they need our support . Failure to make that investment will only have increasingly painful consequences for our families , the church , and the culture . ■
Dr . Alan Pue serves as president of The Barnabas Group , Inc , drawing on over fifty years of experience working in and with faith-based schools to assist schools in strategic / scenario planning , mission clarification / delivery , and governance . He is the author of three books , Rethinking Sustainability : A Strategic Finance Guide for Christian Schools , Rethinking Strategic Planning for Christian Schools , and Rethinking Discipleship : Why Christian Schooling Matters , along with numerous articles and book reviews . Alan lives with his wife , Linda , in beautiful Castle Pines , Colorado .
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