Baptist activists: Pull kids out of school

World Net Daily ^ | Ron Strom

[Jeremiahs Call]

Baptist activists: Pull kids out of school Resolution urges members to reject government education

Posted: May 4, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com A resolution that will be considered by the Southern Baptist Convention next month calls on the millions of members of the denomination to pull their kids out of government schools and either homeschool them or send them to Christian schools.

Introduced by a well-known leader of the SBC and a Baptist attorney, the resolution asks "all officers and members of the Southern Baptist Convention and the churches associated with it to remove their children from the government schools and see to it that they receive a thoroughly Christian education, for the glory of God, the good of Christ's church, and the strength of their own commitment to Jesus."

The authors use Scripture in the resolution to argue those Baptists who trust the public-school system with their children are being disobedient to God.

"Government schools are by their own confession humanistic and secular in their instruction, [and] the education offered by the government schools is officially Godless," the measure states.

Noting that "the millions of children in government schools spend seven hours a day, 180 days a year being taught that God is irrelevant to every area of life," the resolution says, "Many Christian children in government schools are converted to an anti-Christian worldview rather than evangelizing their schoolmates."

The measure is sponsored by T.C. Pinckney, a retired brigadier general who has been active in SBC leadership for several years, and Bruce N. Shortt, a homeschooing dad and attorney who holds advanced degrees from both Harvard and Stanford.

Shortt says the biggest problem he faces in pushing the resolution is that Christian parents are in denial about the dangers of government schools.

"At this point, there are many, many pastors and parents who need to be educated about our obligation to provide a Christian education to our children," Shortt told WND. "In time, most [SBC members] are going to understand better that the little red schoolhouse has really become the little white sepulcher, and it's a seething cauldron of spiritual, moral and academic mythologies."

Shortt says he when he talks to parents, he frames the issue very quickly.

"The issue is this," he said, "the government schools are killing our children morally, spiritually and academically. The question we confront as Christian parents is, how dead do we want our children to be?"

He says he views the issue as one of "spiritual blindness," noting that roughly 85 percent of Christians send their children to government schools.

"If you had a congregation where 85 percent of the people had a drug problem or an adultery problem, you'd hear about it from the pulpit," he said, "and yet in most churches right now, this is an issue that's not discussed."

The activist says he considers sending children to government schools as "the grossest kind of sin," saying Christians don't want to be confronted with the issue because it would be inconvenient and financially challenging to kick the public-school habit.

Both Pinckney and Shortt are involved in a ministry called Exodus Mandate, which seeks to educate Christians about the nature of public schools and encourages them to take their children out of that environment.

The resolution went to the SBC Resolutions Committee on April 29. That panel typically makes recommendations to the full convention.

Shortt says he hopes to get an up-or-down vote on the floor of the convention in Indianapolis during the event, which is slated for the second week of June.

"Whether it's voted up or down this time is really not the issue," he said. "What we have to do is simply get a hearing for the issue and begin the debate."

Shortt says a "liberal element" got control of the SBC in the '60s and '70s, but that conservatives began taking control in the 1980s. He says the new leadership repaired what he called the "theological damage that was done to the SBC," and now he is working to repair the "cultural damage." Part of that mission includes exhorting members to educate their children in a Christian manner.

"Much of the SBC leadership understands this issue now," Shortt said. "Jack Graham, who is the current president, is very supportive of Christian education."

Part of Shortt's goal, he says, is to see more Baptist schools started around the country to which members could send their children.

"It's a big job," he comment, "because we have roughly 42,000 churches affiliated with the convention and only 650 schools."

Though some homschooling advocates also shun age-segregated Christian schools, which they don't see as much different from government schools, the resolution includes the option of sending children to private, Christian institutions.

"There are people who feel called to homeschool," Short said, "and I think it's a wonderful thing if they do. I also think there are some parents who for one reason or another believe that they can't [homeschool] or would prefer not to."

Both Pinckney and Shortt plan to be at the annual meeting of the convention next month to argue for their resolution.

Shortt predicts if 10-15 percent of children are pulled from government schools, the "$500 billion behemoth" will be delegitimized and will collapse financially – both results he welcomes.

If the resolution were to pass, the attorney says, it would not only "send shockwaves through the Southern Baptist Convention," but other conservatives in other denominations would take up the issue and push similar measures.

Shortt says he hopes the resolution impresses on Christians the need "to focus on rescuing our children from Pharaoh's schools."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Strom is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.

[Jeremiahs Call]

Looks like some folks are finally waking up to what our kids are really facing in public schools. Whether or not this resolution is approved, it will make for some great debate!

[cyborg]

GOOD.

[kcvl]

bttt

[Sun]

You certainly can't blame them. Public schools are ruining their children's minds. We really need school vouchers in this country - and soon!

[CobaltBlue]

But who's going to teach them higher math and science?

[Trinity_Tx]

Holy Moly... This could get interesting if it passes.

[kms61]

Keep in mind that resolutions coming out of the SBC aren't binding on anyone. The call for a Disney boycott a while back was largely ignored, for example.

[Trinity_Tx]

As a home schooler, that has been a concern of mine as well. But there is a lot of curricula available, both secular and religious. Also, in many states, home schoolers may attend their local high school part-time, just taking specific classes.

I don't have that option here, so I'm hoping to find a good tutor for math when we get into trig. I'm strong in science, and actually look forward to getting beyond 4th grade stuff. ; )

[Trinity_Tx]

LOL true... I had a great trip to Disney World in Florida at the hight of the boycott, when that was a big No No. ;)

I just think it'll be interesting to see the debate it provokes, and how many *will* go along if it passes.

[Jeremiahs Call]

There are also co-ops where parents strong in certain subjects teach other homeschool kids from other families. My wife and I homeschool our 4 children and have seen some very good co-ops. Gives the kids a chance to be with other children, which they enjoy.

[taxesareforever]

Are those subjects taught in schools now? I wouldn't bet on it. Students need to be able to read to take those courses.

[antceecee]

I disagree. Look at the performance of Disney movies and other media. DISMAL. The stockholders certainly think so. The parks here in So Cal are not earning what they should. I think the effect of the boycott wakes up more than just Baptists. It is heard by all who believe in family values. The effect of the boycott may not have emptied the parks and the theaters, but it has had a financial impact.

[GeronL]

If you can do it. If you can, by any means, do it, you need to do it. It is a top priorty.

[dawn53]

About 10 years ago I read a column by Cal Thomas. He said if American's public school system was every going to be motivated to change, it would take a mass exodus of parents who saw the issues.

We homeschooled, but once our son was in 10th grade, we used this program offered by our local college.

He's getting high school and college credits at the same time. So his higher math and science are on a college level, but he seems to be doing fine.

Truth is a kid takes Trig in high school, then has to take it in college (unless they CLEPT it.

He didn't have Trig at all before his class this last semester, but he did fine, just maybe had to study a little harder than a kid who had had it in high school.

Sciences haven't been a problem either.

Social atmosphere is not a problem because he comes and goes from the campus and doesn't live there, and doesn't really have friends there, just acquaintances.

Big plus, he just turned 16 has 30 college credit hours, and we haven't paid tuition. I understand these programs are becoming more popular across the country.


Here's the link.

http://www.spcollege.edu/ac/dc/#DC

[Shery]

I publish a health newsletter to my parents monthly. I get a LOT of great comments. I've been doing a series on parenting, and I put in one issue the results of a study showing that kids who grow up in a religious household do better overall than the general population, with their children graduating from HS, going on to college, or being active in their communities in a good way at a MUCH higher percentage than the average. My principal requested that I take that out, in spite of the fact that in our military community a HUGE percentage are church-goers. It might offend someone. I was offended by her approach! Does that count? No. The parents have all stated that they wait to get my newsletter monthly as I have so many great ideas, articles, etc. Now I have to not tell them the truth so as not to offend the one person who might not have any faith! We have come a "LONG WAY BABY", and it's in the wrong drection!!

[okiedokie]

I talked to a friend whose daughter is in my son's 3rd grade public school class and we were concerned because their teacher has been absent over 60% of the school year due to her illness and the illness of a family member. Mostly non-certified substitutes have been filling in and the teacher is currently on a leave until the end of the school year. I received a call from the principal that I was not to talk to anyone in public about my son's class or he will suffer. I take that as a threat. Both my son and my friend's daughter have all A's, but my friend has been told her daughter needs summer school to catch up. What should I do? Independently test him? Homeschool him next year? I'm disgusted.

[Jonx6]

ping

[stainlessbanner]

bttt

[ladylib]

Maybe you should call the superintendent and school board members and tell them what the principal said. Tell them if you don't get any type of reply within a reasonable amount of time, you will go to the newspapers and the state education department.

A friend of mine had a dispute over scheduling of his daughter's classes. He called the principal and told him to rectify the problem, and if he didn't hear from him by 5 o'clock that afternoon, he was going to call the state board. He heard from him and the problem was rectified.

They threaten you, you threaten back. You pay their salaries. They work for you.

[ladylib]

Can you imagine if 42,000 Baptist churches had their own schools?

I wonder what the NEA thinks about this?