The truth is everything is fair game now except the Constitution, Christianity, and capitalism. If you studied the Founding Fathers, you saw that they set up the country on these 3 principles and wanted to turn out good citizens by teaching these themes.
Today's student hates capitalism, believes there is no God, and doesn't see the Second Amendment, yet swears the Forth Amendment says babies can be murdered and there is no 9th and 10th Amendment. There are students today that long to mimic Venezuela or Cuba. No one has even told them why their Che T shirt is an abomination.
China is a communist hell hole, yet they seem to be here to brainwash our youth? What possible thing could we learn from Confucius that we couldn't learn from Jesus Christ? This reminds me of the little red books the Beatles flashed around back in the day. Did anyone ever tell them of the millions he murdered? Does Bernie understand the millions Stalin killed and all the world misery he caused?
If these Confucius Institutes are like some "women's studies" classes, then so be it. They can waste their time and money if they choose to, but if it is more sinister, they need to be shut down and the people sent home. Frankly I don't trust it. The Chinese know less than George Washington, I'm sure. If they draw pictures of flowers all day, well, that's their choice. How do we study Mohamed and Allah, Buddha, Confucius, and others, and leave out Jesus? Copying the life of Jesus would be more constructive even to a non believer than any earth bound man.
I don’t particularly cotton to the idea of trying to teach a “secular Jesus.”
Go long or go home. Preach the gospel, not a philosophy.