Posted in Homeschooling
As a former Southern Baptist, one that went to church three times a week, I've been watching the denominational debate on whether to adopt a resolution calling for it's members to remove their kids from public schools and encouraging them to private school or homeschool their children.
Weighing in against this measure is a Dr. Tony Beam of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville College in Tigerville, South Carolina. Phew...his business card must be huge. Beam's argument is that we shouldn't cut and run in Iraq and we shouldn't cut and run in the nation's public schools. He argues that students -- this even includes kindergarteners -- should be salt and light in their classes.
Gena (TOS Publisher) has addressed the issue twice now. Her contentions are excellent and the comments are good too. She believes that children are not mature enough to take on teachers and others who are hostile to their faith.
I need to say that I agree with Beam on two points. First, he said,
This is a painful truth. Christians surrendered what voice they had in schools long ago. Most Christians are "concerned" about what their children are learning in school, but too few have actually done anything to help. Dr. Beam is very correct on this point. Unfortunately, it appears that Dr. Beam has also assumed that the schools were faith-based to begin with and that is absolutely false. You can't return to a place you've never been before. But Christians have, by and large, neglected their responsibilities in educating their children, academically and spiritually. "Give them to the church and schools. That's what they're there for." Wrong. A hands-off education has always been tantatmount to abandoning a child to the state. A parent's first duty, after caring for their physical needs, is to look after their spiritual and mental welfare. Ditching this responsibility has been one of the costliest sins in American history.
Beam also overestimates the power of today's parents in public schools. A parent may speak to the school board. They may have conferences with teachers. They may even be the head of the PTA. But watch what happens when that parent decides to introduce an Intelligent Design course or even intimate that the students be allowed to say the real pledge of allegiance -- you know, the one with "under God" in it? -- and you'll see what kind of power parents really have in schools. And just try to visit your child and follow them through their classes.
I also agree with a second point from Beam, which he makes in a backhanded way, that Christians should be actively engaging our culture on all levels. Unfortunately, Christians have a tendency to quibble over non-essentials as if they were vital parts of the "Great Romance," as Ted Dekker calls it. These quibbles sap our energy and direct our energies away from what God has called us to do.
Beam's contention that children should be salt and light in their schools has already met with more than enough criticism from other sources like Spunky for me to add anything of real substance. Still, I need to mention that Beam's casual tossing about of the phrase "salt and light" belies a deeper misunderstanding. Two days ago, I sat down with my son and read Matthew 5 while we were eating breakfast. I didn't actually set out to read about salt and light, but there it was, right after the beattitudes. Matthew 5:13 says,
That's the whole mention of salt. Jesus doesn't come back to it later and say, "Be salt, all of you." His concern was that we would not lose our saltiness. He did say that we are blessed when we are persecuted, but persecution drives our faith deeper into our lives, it doesn't remove it. That brings us to the heart of the argument: Does public school reinforce a child's faith in Christ or destroy it?
There are some children whose faces are set like flint toward the public schools. They have an enormous capacity to face adults and children alike with an unshakeable faith in Christ. These children, I believe, are specially graced by God to lead and to witness to others. But for every child like this, there are literally hundreds of others who have no business being in a public school just like they have no business being in a bar, a casino, or a strip joint. To borrow a casino term, the chips are stacked against them. The parent of a child who spends at least 50 hours per week in school -- roughly half of their waking hours -- away from their parents in an environment hostile to their faith cannot possibly expect them to surface from 13 years of this bombardment without significant damage to their faith. Does Dr. Beam honestly think that 3 - 4 hours a week in spiritual training from the church and hopefully the parents can compete with school?
Put another way, children are like cement or jello...you only have a short time before their hearts and minds are set. And the further you go, the harder it is to change what's already been put in. If you have teachers and students who tell the child that their faith is a sham, that evolution is a proven fact, that Christians are just pushy bigots looking to oppress the minority, that Jesus was no better than you or me, that he was a good teacher and respectable but not the Savior, ad nauseam, it's going to be harder and harder to correct that line of thinking, even for parents who are involved. The evidence for this is mounting. According to research by Barna, by the time public schools are nearly finished crafting our children,
Dr. Beam should plant something in his yard before summer comes. If he does, he will need to water it, to feed it, shade it properly and let it's roots grow deep so that it will grow into a strong, healthy adult plant. Then, perhaps he will understand the way a child's heart and faith need to be cared for.
For further reading:
Weighing in against this measure is a Dr. Tony Beam of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville College in Tigerville, South Carolina. Phew...his business card must be huge. Beam's argument is that we shouldn't cut and run in Iraq and we shouldn't cut and run in the nation's public schools. He argues that students -- this even includes kindergarteners -- should be salt and light in their classes.
Gena (TOS Publisher) has addressed the issue twice now. Her contentions are excellent and the comments are good too. She believes that children are not mature enough to take on teachers and others who are hostile to their faith.
I need to say that I agree with Beam on two points. First, he said,
The first thing Christians should do is repent of the sin of 40 years of dropping our kids off at the door of the public school system and paying little or no attention to what they are being taught.
This is a painful truth. Christians surrendered what voice they had in schools long ago. Most Christians are "concerned" about what their children are learning in school, but too few have actually done anything to help. Dr. Beam is very correct on this point. Unfortunately, it appears that Dr. Beam has also assumed that the schools were faith-based to begin with and that is absolutely false. You can't return to a place you've never been before. But Christians have, by and large, neglected their responsibilities in educating their children, academically and spiritually. "Give them to the church and schools. That's what they're there for." Wrong. A hands-off education has always been tantatmount to abandoning a child to the state. A parent's first duty, after caring for their physical needs, is to look after their spiritual and mental welfare. Ditching this responsibility has been one of the costliest sins in American history.
Beam also overestimates the power of today's parents in public schools. A parent may speak to the school board. They may have conferences with teachers. They may even be the head of the PTA. But watch what happens when that parent decides to introduce an Intelligent Design course or even intimate that the students be allowed to say the real pledge of allegiance -- you know, the one with "under God" in it? -- and you'll see what kind of power parents really have in schools. And just try to visit your child and follow them through their classes.
I also agree with a second point from Beam, which he makes in a backhanded way, that Christians should be actively engaging our culture on all levels. Unfortunately, Christians have a tendency to quibble over non-essentials as if they were vital parts of the "Great Romance," as Ted Dekker calls it. These quibbles sap our energy and direct our energies away from what God has called us to do.
Beam's contention that children should be salt and light in their schools has already met with more than enough criticism from other sources like Spunky for me to add anything of real substance. Still, I need to mention that Beam's casual tossing about of the phrase "salt and light" belies a deeper misunderstanding. Two days ago, I sat down with my son and read Matthew 5 while we were eating breakfast. I didn't actually set out to read about salt and light, but there it was, right after the beattitudes. Matthew 5:13 says,
[Jesus said,] "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
That's the whole mention of salt. Jesus doesn't come back to it later and say, "Be salt, all of you." His concern was that we would not lose our saltiness. He did say that we are blessed when we are persecuted, but persecution drives our faith deeper into our lives, it doesn't remove it. That brings us to the heart of the argument: Does public school reinforce a child's faith in Christ or destroy it?
There are some children whose faces are set like flint toward the public schools. They have an enormous capacity to face adults and children alike with an unshakeable faith in Christ. These children, I believe, are specially graced by God to lead and to witness to others. But for every child like this, there are literally hundreds of others who have no business being in a public school just like they have no business being in a bar, a casino, or a strip joint. To borrow a casino term, the chips are stacked against them. The parent of a child who spends at least 50 hours per week in school -- roughly half of their waking hours -- away from their parents in an environment hostile to their faith cannot possibly expect them to surface from 13 years of this bombardment without significant damage to their faith. Does Dr. Beam honestly think that 3 - 4 hours a week in spiritual training from the church and hopefully the parents can compete with school?
Put another way, children are like cement or jello...you only have a short time before their hearts and minds are set. And the further you go, the harder it is to change what's already been put in. If you have teachers and students who tell the child that their faith is a sham, that evolution is a proven fact, that Christians are just pushy bigots looking to oppress the minority, that Jesus was no better than you or me, that he was a good teacher and respectable but not the Savior, ad nauseam, it's going to be harder and harder to correct that line of thinking, even for parents who are involved. The evidence for this is mounting. According to research by Barna, by the time public schools are nearly finished crafting our children,
- slightly more than half ... believe that Jesus committed sins while he was on earth.
- about 60% agree that enough good works will earn them a place in heaven...
- about two-thirds say that Satan is just a symbol of evil, not really a living being
- only 6% of all teens believe that there are moral absolutes
- only 9% of self-described born-again teens believe that moral truth is absolute
Dr. Beam should plant something in his yard before summer comes. If he does, he will need to water it, to feed it, shade it properly and let it's roots grow deep so that it will grow into a strong, healthy adult plant. Then, perhaps he will understand the way a child's heart and faith need to be cared for.
For further reading:
- Dr. Tony Beam's article that touched off this debate
- TOS Publisher (Gena Suarez) responds here and here.
- Spunky Homeschool hits it very well when she corresponds with Dr. Beam
- Spunky's original post on Beam
- Russ Smith of A Pilgrim's Journey plunges in and invites your comments - excellent point, if I do say so
- Dr. Jim West (that's his blog name too) agrees with Beam...although he doesn't articulate why...(?)
- Jacque Dixon responds to Beam
- Jacque Dixon comments on Spunky's response
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