Scott Tibbs
blog post
June 17^th, 2004

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Christians and government schools

Bruce Shortt pens a strong criticism of government schools, saying that Christians should remove their children from them.

He makes a good point. Education is a fundamental part of a child's life, and having that education come from a Christian perspective (either in a home school setting or a private Christian school) should be something all Christian parents should strongly consider.

There are many examples of government schools promoting values contrary to Christian values (such as school partnerships with Planned Parenthood), but even if one believes the education establishment's line that government schools are "neutral" on religious values, shouldn't Christian parents make sure their children are educated in an environment that supports Biblical values? Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Shortt's use of the term "government schools" is a subtle, but important, method of controlling the language in discussions of "public education". "Public schools" are much better described as government schools. They are funded by tax dollars, controlled by elected officials, and under restrictions and regulations set by state legislatures around the country. Education (meaning how to better run government schools) seems to be an issue in every political campaign. "Public schools" are a unit of government.

But Christians must be aware that removing their children from government schools may not make them safe from government control. Many in the education establishment want to take more control of private and home schools, despite the fact that those schools have consistently been statistically superior to government schools. Christians must be ready to stand up and fight for their right to educate their children as they see fit.