This is a poor written and even poorer argument in response to the dialogue I’ve now had with Scott twice. I appreciate where he is coming from, yet my position is not up for debate. I am against homeschooling and Christian schools for beleivers.
Scott, (sorry about accusing you to the recent influx of hits… I think it’s tied to something else.)
Again I thank you for the dialogue. Forgive me for summarizing but time is short. Your argument seems to stem from “I’ve given up because of what the supreme court did in 1990.”
To the individual Christian parent what happens on the supreme court level does not supercede God’s word. God commands all believers to besalkt and light in the world. Does this mean that you may have to put yourself in the way of a lawsuit or even jailtime? Perhaps. But I challenge any administrator to arrest a student or fire a teacher for expressions of opinion or religious ferver.
Annocdotally, when I lived in CA we had a small group of pastors who met weekly to “pray around a school” since they wouldn’t allow us on the campus to visit our students. We very obediently walked outside the schools property (on the sidewalk) and privately prayed for the needs of the students we knew as well as the teachers, administrators etc. About a month into doing this we were stopped by a security guard who told us that the principal was going to charge us with something and have us arrested. Do you know what we said… “go for it. Call the cops now. We will all gladly be arrested for praying.” Of course this broke the ice… we didn’t get arrested and after a few more months and some e-mails… we got a regular prayer request update from the principal.
I share that story to acknowledge that God is bigger than the supreme court. He is bigger than the school board and he is bigger than the ACLU. It is out responsibility as leaders and parents to model to our children that God is a part of the school. He is a part of our school day, everyday. There’s a bumper sticker on my office door that says “As long as there are tests, there will always be prayer in school!”
Here’s my point. On the macro “law level” of setting policy and re-interpreting laws to fit today’s culture, you areright… we don’t have many choices. But on the micro level, we are commanded and called to love God, love people and make disciples. There is room for peaceful cival disobedience. There is room for parents to legally get elected to school boards. There is room for school boards to institute policies that are friendly to religious expression without threatening minority positions. Since when is America ruled by the minority? How come such fundamental questions to American society are not left to the ballot but to judges?
As a parent and a believer. I believe your responsibility is to put your kids in the public school system. I presume either you or your spouse stays home to do this with your children. Would that ministry be better suited to extend to all the children in your kids class than reserved exclusively for your kids?
I am vehemently opposed to this desire to pull evangelicalism out of the public square and into private expression. To me… the issue boils down to that one fundamental question we all have to answer… who am I in Christ and why am I here on this earth. As parents, our mission is clear. If, as the Clinton book title so proudly says, it takesa village to raise a child… why is it that you don’t try to change YOUR village.
To me, the story about the 1990 ruling is a farce. I’m not worried about macro-legislation so much as I am worried about the kids right in front of me. I may not be able to change the lives of the millions of chilren in the public arena… but I can sure try to change the lives of those who live in my neighborhood. To hide my children in self-imposed exile for the sake of setting a standard is ill-advised at best and faithless at worse. Again, whose children are they? (Thankfully, we both agree that they aren’t the states!)
You said “Maybe we’re not as far apart on this as we might appear!”
We can respectfully disagree here. My position is that there is no room in Scripture to constitute seperation from the world. Your kids aren’t any better than anyone elses… put them in the nearest school to you.
I absolutely and vehemently think it is wrong to homeschool an adolescent… unless they have special needs. I have seen case after case after case of completely destroyed adolescents. Utterly clueless to the world and receiving a terrible home based education. As if all learning in high school was in books! Ha! I’ve been sugar-coating this… if I were the president, I would outlaw homeschooling beyond the 7th grade.
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