Posted on 12/03/2004 1:06:08 AM PST by nickcarraway
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Frustration with public education seems to be growing among the nation's Southern Baptists, with supporters of Christian schools and home schooling arguing that if God is absent from the classroom then their children should leave, too.
``What has happened is not so much that the Christians are leaving the public schools as that the public schools have left the Christians,'' advocate Ed Gamble said.
Gamble is executive director of the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools, an Orlando, Fla.-based group that supports the more than 600 Southern Baptist schools created in the past eight years.
``As the public schools have become increasingly secular and increasingly intolerant of things Christian, people who are openly Christian have said, 'I guess they are not part of our team anymore,''' Gamble said.
The number of conservative Christian schools grew by nearly 11 percent between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, to 5,527, according to the U.S. Department of Education's latest statistics.
At that rate, Christian schools are growing faster than private schools as a whole, and have increased their share to nearly 1 in 5 private schools in the country.
Earlier this year, a resolution proposed at the national meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention -- which guides the nation's largest Protestant denomination -- urged parents to withdraw their children from ``officially Godless'' ``government schools'' in favor of religious education.
While the measure was rejected, interest in faith-based schools has continued to spread among Baptists at the state level, particularly in Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, California and New England, according to Exodus Mandate, a Columbia, S.C., group that promotes private, Christian and home-school education.
A recent resolution promoting Christian schooling easily passed the Missouri Baptist Convention but was quashed in committee at the Tennessee Baptist Convention meeting in Sevierville last month.
The Missouri resolution talked about the ``inherent dangers of secular educational philosophies that now permeates America's public education system'' and affirmed ``the importance of systematically training ourselves and our children in the ways of authentic, biblical Christianity.''
``What we are saying is that God has given us some very specific commands that we are to train our children in the ways of the Lord, not in the ways of the world,'' said the Rev. Roger Moran, of Troy, Mo., the resolution's author and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee.
That means teaching creationism over evolution, that life begins at conception, and that homosexuality is immoral, as is sex outside of marriage. But it is more.
``It hits everything, when you realize the reality of life is (that) life was created by God and the entire universe is his creation. Therefore, everything has meaning and reflection on his nature, whether it is math or history or science. Two plus two equals four because God created them that way,'' said Glen Schultz, who heads the Baptists' LifeWay curriculum program for church-based schools and homeschoolers.
The Tennessee resolution came one step short of asking Baptist parents to pull their children from public schools.
``I wanted to be positive in promoting Christian education. I didn't want the resolution to be portrayed as attacking public education,'' said the Rev. Larry Reagan, of Dresden, who wrote the measure.
But the Rev. Mike Boyd of Knoxville, outgoing president of the 1 million-member Tennessee Baptist Convention, worried about the divisiveness of the issue.
``It was not wise, is all I am saying,'' added the Rev. Grover Westover, of Whiteville, chairman of the resolutions committee.
Reagan's resolution would have promoted more ``Kingdom education'' schools following LifeWay's lead. Schultz said the program has reached some 150 churches since 1996.
``We encourage our members to pray for this ministry and we encourage the promotion of an adequate system of Christian schools,'' Reagan said.
Boyd agreed there were ``some serious issues in the public schools'' to resolve but said the focus should be on supporting the teachers working in them, including many Baptists, and parents.
``Historically, Baptists have been pretty staunch supporters of the public school system, and they still are,'' said Gamble, who was not surprised to see the convention resolutions fail.
``But this is a bottom-up movement, as it is a bottom-up denomination. This is not a movement that is being led so much by pastors as it is being led by moms and dads who are frustrated.''
``And some day, I don't know how long it will be, most of the kids will be educated in Southern Baptist schools or in their homes.''
The Baptist church does not "dictate" anything to their lay persons. They do not presume such authority.
They merely advise. They research and present conclusions.
All Baptists are free to pursue their lives in any manner they deem personally appropriate. As Baptists we all seek to please God and become more Christ-like. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is personal, one-on-one. There is no church "authority" interpreting the Bible for us.
There is no such thing as an absence of values in any institution. When Christian values are scrubbed from the schools they are replaced by a new system of values, I call them educredos. It is absolutely a creed, a system of beliefs about the value of materials to be taught.
The SBC is simply stating that the public schools have become a place hostile to Christian religion by advocating the superiority of educreed over Christian beliefs.
The SBC, and all churches, have a duty to alert their faithful to the dangers facing their families.
For those who have had any sustained experience with higher-level administrators within the public school system they will recognize that indeed they operate on faith. The administrators truly believe that their system of values are the ones all children need to be taught. They believe it with passion and religious zeal.
Yet the educators are operating entirely on faith, because there is no evidence that demonstrates that their faith is in any way superior to the Christian faith.
The rise in crime, divorce and every negative social behaviour over the past 40 years is directly proporational to the removal of Christ from the publis school system and the implementation of the new religion of public education.
I do not wish to homeschool, but I must because I refuse to allow my children to be further harmed by the clerics of apostasy who teach children their parents religions are false and only the Truth is allowed within the schools.
300 years ago these educrats might have been hung for heresy. They are promoting that our children be doomed to hell (which is where they go when they abandon Christ).
What would you do if you knew a group of people were using the power of the government to try to send your kids to hell?
The time has come for Christians to arise and cast off all insitutions that would lure their children away from Christ,
Jesus Christ said "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." -- Mathew 10:34
I agree with you all 100%! I get it, I believe homeschool or private school is the answer. I am a homeschooler and I do not regret it one bit, I tuly love my children and make the sacrifices necessary to ensure they are not subjected to immoral behaviors on a daily basis.
The question is, what about those who are unable to do either?
Personally, I'd rather see you as a homeschooled, atheist, conservative than a public schooled, (so-called) Christian, liberal.
No I don't Hate you, I certainly do PITY YOU!
Look in yourself and you will find the Lord.
That's the only thing there is to do. Get the Parents involved in the School Districts, in the Curriculum that is being taught. The Socialist, Communist have taken control of our schoold. The ACLU, a part of the attack to remove all vestigas of Christianity from our lives, to get between our children and us their parents.
Why? They want CONTROL of our children, they want to promote Homosexuality, Social Religion controlled by the State, ETC, ETC, ETC. They want to control every aspect of our lives. Better known as Slavery. We have to just look across the Atlantic to see our future. The turmoil in Holland and Sweden, against the Muslim who are murdering people for criticizing the Muslim religion.
The Euthanizing of children up to 12 years old because of body defects or other medical maladies. This is with and without the consent of the parents. The last person to promote this practice, was Adolf Hitler. I ask you where are the Socialist trying to lead us?? Take a look:
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=954
The 'state' (Nero) HAS control of 'their' children......
(:(
Bump to read this weekend.
LOL
You owe me a new keyboard (now that my morning coffee sprayed out of my nose all over it after reading your comments).
Give it up, while you still have your sanity.
Can I stop pulling my hair out?
My apologies to you, my FRiend for not catching this thread this morning.
I agree with you completely. In our case public school meets our means and needs. Homeschooling, as you and I have discussed, is not in the best interest of our daughter and private school is out of the question financially - unless I go back to work full-time. Instead I stay home and we searched and found a great school district.
the teachers know they do not have to hesitate to call or send home a note and one or the other of us (usually both) will be there for parent teacher days.
I have the utmost regard for those who homeschool their children. But I have an even higher regard for the homeschoolers who understand that not all people are capable of doing it.
I trust you mean to say, "some" public schools. While many do what you are saying, not all do, and if more parents would participate in the education of their children far less would be doing so.
Keeping track of what the publik screwls are doing to your kids is far more costly and time-consuming than many would believe, IMHO.
I'm extremely interested in why you hold that opinion - in all seriousness and no sarcasm being used.
Please don't make such blanket statements, considering you don't know everyone with a child in public school.
Please, enough with the broad brush. Not all public school systems are the NEA controlled socialist communes you are trying to present them as.
I am home every day to supervise my daughter when she gets home from school. My 6 year old 1st grader, who is in 2nd grade for reading and math, handed me all of her homework to double check, less than 20 minutes after she sat down to do it. Her only error, a forgotten "s". Not too shabby, for a government schooled child who you claim is going to need more help at home than she gets in school.
I think that is well-stated. My kids are very small right now. I can tell that homeschooling is probably not for us. But I really, really want to send them to a Christian private school. I may have to rob a liquor store every few weeks to do it, but as a hard shell Southern Baptist I figure I'm just doing my part. :)
I'm in favor of vouchers for poor people. I wouldn't wualify, but I think they are an important part of real education reform. I doubt Bush will use the political capital to seem them implemented in a meaningful manner.
"Frustration with public education..."
The frustrations arise because...public schools no longer educate...they "liberally" indoctrinate
Demonstrating condom use is much more fun and less boring than trying to
get the kids to learn geometry, don't cha' know...
There may not be no "excuses" to you - but there are many valid reasons to others.
On the whole, I have little disagreement with you. But with a bit of effort and research, the good ones can be found. It took me some time and effort, but I found one, and we moved to another state because of it.
You and I have discussed this numerous times. You know how I applaud you and other homeschoolers. You made the right decision for your children and yourselves. I made a different decision, but one I feel is just as right for my child and our family.
This does not mean that if things start changing to where it is not the right thing, I won't make changes to what I think is the right thing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.