Spunky Homeschool

The Baptist Growing Division

Apr. 26, 2006 at 11:51 AM

Homeschooling

One group of Baptists say pull your children out of public school.
A group of Baptists activists who two years ago tried to get the Southern Baptist Convention to approve a resolution urging the faithful to pull their children out of government schools announced they are proposing a similar measure this year.
One of the leaders of the resolution Dr. Bruce Short stated,
"The government's schools haven't merely failed; they are destroying our children spiritually and morally. Academically, the public school system is as dead as Elvis. Unfortunately, many Christian pastors and leaders still try to evade the cold, hard facts by talking about 'school reform' and 'salt and light.' Well, we've tried that strategy for 40 years and more, and, after trillions of dollars of reform, anyone who takes a serious look at the consequences of our government school habit can see that the Church has been hemorrhaging children for more than a generation and that the public schools are stuck on stupid morally and academically.
In response another group of Baptists say support your public schools. A letter was circulated among its members.

The letter said it's wrong for church leaders to urge their congregations to abandon public schools in favor of homeschooling or private Christian academies.

"We believe Baptists should recommit themselves to public education, not as a means toward converting school children, but because it's the right thing to do,"

We call on Baptists to recommit themselves to the separation of church and state, which will keep public schools free from coercive pressure to promote sectarian faith, such as state-written school prayers and the teaching of neo-creationism (intelligent design)."

As the public schools spiral into moral relativism, this debate is going to intensify.

The church is the gathering of believers. The state is the government. If people are really desiring the of "separation of church and state" then it would seem that the believer would be separated from the state schools. That, to me, is true separation of church and state isn't it?

Read Why We Homeschool to understand our scriptural mandate to educate our children in the fear of the Lord.

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4 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by pianosteve on Apr. 26, 2006 at 1:57 PM

I just blogged about this the other day. The second viewpoint you talked about ("don't pull your kids out of public school") struck me as a very odd perspective. As I wrote over on my blog, the lack of a "religious" teaching seems in itself to be a religious teaching. And to speak out against the teaching of Creationism (they specifically targeted ID, or "neo-Creationism") seems odd to me, too, since that will just result in more unfettered teaching of evolutionism.

steve :)

posted by gabalot on Apr. 27, 2006 at 1:50 AM

We attend a Baptist church and I really love my church family. That being said, it feels a bit odd to me to be the only homeschooling family at our church. I do often wonder where the guidance is to the parents about the importance of who is educating their children. I realize my convictions are very strong, but I wonder how they find it so easy to send their children to public schools, especially in California. I would love and delight in nothing more than to see Christians make a mass exodus from public education.

posted by My4LittleWomen on Apr. 27, 2006 at 5:44 PM

I thought your comments at the end were hysterical, and will definitely use them often! :)

posted by creativehsmom on Apr. 28, 2006 at 3:50 AM

At the end of your post, you said;

"The church is the gathering of believers. The state is the government. If people are really desiring the of "separation of church and state" then it would seem that the believer would be separated from the state schools. That, to me, is true separation of church and state isn't it? "

That is EXCELLENT and sums it up to a TEE!
I've also posted on this topic on my blog too from the perspective of how the church in general should be reconsidering her partnership with the PS system. When the opportunity arrises, I like to send people to this link, an online book written by Little Bear Wheeler entitled "Warning, Public Schools are not for Christians" http://www2.whidbey.net/jmboyes/warn1.htm

You always stir good thought provoking topics in your posts Spunky!
God Bless,
Cathy :o)

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