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Christian Schools
 
   Whence and Whither Christian Schools?

After 27 years of ministering in Christian Schools, I am getting to a point in life where I spend more time looking back at the “good old days”, and have ever greater concerns about the future of church-based, fundamentalist Christian schools. I have begun reminiscing about where the Christian school came from, and what values drove it in its early years. It seems that many of those values have ceased to drive and shape the schools of today; but is that progress, or regress? What hope, if any, does the situation provide for the future of the Christian school movement?

I have not yet done any outside research; my information is mostly personal, and completely anecdotal. My experience has been as teacher and/or administrator in baptistic, church-operated schools in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. All the schools have at one time or another have been part of the AACS. Fairly limited exposure, huh?  That’s why I would love to hear your thoughts. What do old-time, school-founding pastors think of the changes in Christian schools? What do today’s pastors see as the role of Christian schools? What do parents and teachers and students and former students have to say about what they have seen over the years?

For the sake of convenience, I have made a list of some of the values that drove our early schools, and I have sorted them into 5 basic categories: Public Schools and Government Excesses; the Role of the Local Church; Social Values; Academic Issues; and Parents.  I hope to address each of these topics over time.  Here's a start:

 I. Public Schools and Government Excesses

 A. Sex education
Once upon a time, sex was an issue to be addressed by Christian parents to their children; and apart from some basic biological generalities it was not discussed in the schools. But as the sexual revolution grew from its roots in the rock-and-roll 1950’s into the psychedelic 1960’s and 70’s, public schools began to allow and even require sex education in its high schools. The invention of the birth control pill and the legalization of abortion added contraception and prevention of “unwanted” babies to the curriculum. In order to reach students in a “scientific” manner apart from their parents’ moralizing, much of the instruction was allowed in a relativistic, values-free manner. Eventually, public school began providing confidential health services such as handing out condoms or transporting girls to abortuaries. When AIDS came to the forefront, the government assumed an even greater responsibility to teach “safe sex”. The overwhelming public school philosophy was, “Teens are going to do it anyway; we ought to help them to do it safely.”

Church-going, Bible-believing Christians were appalled. They didn’t want the school teaching their children how to have sex, safe or otherwise; or even putting the idea in their kids heads that sex before marriage was an option. They didn’t want open discussions that might make it appear that “everybody was doing it,” creating peer pressure on their teens to have sex in order to be part of the crowd. Many wanted their children to be children, and as uninformed as they themselves had been for as long as possible—or to be able to avoid for as long as possible the mistakes that the parents themselves had made.

So they turned to Christian schools. While biology was still taught, so were values: man was made in God’s image; we are fearfully and wonderfully made; our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; flee youthful lusts. When all was going well, the peer pressure in the school was focused toward purity, and contraceptive methods did not need to be discussed. In my schools, when health class got to the chapter on human reproduction and sexuality, that chapter was skipped, or was sent home for the parents to go through with their children. Outside influences that promoted sexual activity (music, movies, etc.) were discouraged or forbidden entirely. And they all lived happily ever after.

In recent years, I cannot remember hearing any parent say that they are seeking out Christian school even partly to avoid the sex education in the public schools. Why has this issue gone away?
Is it because the public schools have gotten better at providing sexual instruction and health services in a manner less offensive to biblical values? NO. Things are far worse today in many public schools than we could have even imagined 25 years ago.

Is it because Christian parents are no longer concerned about biblical values when it comes to sex education? Maybe. If so, how did that change occur, and what should we be doing about it?
Is it because our Christian schools failed to provide the safe and pure environment and positive peer pressure that serious Christian parents sought, and they have turned to home schooling in hopes of achieving their goals? Probably. And the Christian schools are not going to win them back on this issue.

So where do we go from here? The answer is obvious to me: we must publicize the evils of the public school approach, and reestablish the Christian school as the safe and positive alternative. If it’s not too late.
 
 B.  Prayer, Bible Reading, and the 10 Commandments
Once upon a time, prayer, Bible reading, and the posting of the 10 Commandments were banned from public school classrooms as being unconstitutional.  The religion of Secular Humanism was used to force out all remnants of our Judeo-Christian heritage, and replace them with a refusal to recognize the vital importance of a spiritual life.  Read your Bible in school?--not unless you can prove that it is literature or history, but NOT religious.
 
Once upon a time, Christian parents wanted their children to pray in school.  Once upon a time, they wanted the little ones to read the Bible, and to be reminded of God's moral law as contained in the 10 Commandments.  Once upon a time, parents were insulted by the government's slapping them in the face, telling them that their faith was offensive and forbidden in the public sector.  And once upon a time, church members sent their children to Christian schools, where their spiritual values would be reinforced.  That rope of three cords--home, church, and school--would be a strong protection against the attacks of the Adversary.  (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
 
Aren't you glad things have changed, and Christianity is once again welcome in the public schools?  Aren't you thrilled that the Bible has taken its rightful place as the source of truth at the heart of the public school's curriculum?  Isn't it wonderful that the government is once again honoring the Christians instead of the atheists?
 
What's that you say?  Nothing has changed--nothing has gotten better?  Atheistic secular humanism still rules in the government schools?  Are you sure?  I had better check with some of the Christian parents I know who have their kids there....
 
They said it's not bad.  I must be an alarmist.  They suggested I stop living in a fairy tale.  The end.
 
 C.  Discipline
One of the requirements for my first Christian school teaching job was that I had to provide my own paddle.  Time was used during inservice to instruct us when and how to use the paddle properly to punish and correct students.  Discipline problems were handled promptly and appropriately, and none of my students ever were harmed by my using the rod to drive out the foolishness.
 
Public schools at the time were dangerous places.  Smoking in the rest rooms was commonplace, and drug use was on the rise.  Respect for teachers and administrators was on the decline, and teen violence against students and staff was becoming more common.  Parents looked to the church and its Christian school to provide a safe place for their children to learn.  Many also wanted the school to uphold the standards of correct behavior that the little ones were receiving at home.
 
The situation in the government schools has gotten worse.  Violence has turned to gun violence.  Gangs and drugs are taken for granted in many districts, and schools have turned to armed guards, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, transparent backpacks, and a separate tier of "alternative schools" to try to keep students safe.  Let's be honest here:  the public schools continue to respond to each new threat, in their best attempt to keep the classrooms safe--but the situation continues to deteriorate despite their best efforts.  I don't think anyone would argue that government schools are safer places today than they were 30 years ago.
 
But few would argue that Christian schools are even as safe as they were then, either!  Home discipline and expectations have crumbled; student respect for authority has diminished; entrance requirements have often been lowered; and most schools that I personally know of have lost the use of the paddle as a discipline tool.  I used to be able to say that I had never seen a cigarette butt in the bathroom of any of the schools where I ministered; and while that is still literally true, it begs the question of the sex, drinking, and drug use that was going on behind the scenes or off campus at those same schools.
 
External discipline serves two purposes in a school:  to build character by encouraging self-discipline; and to provide safety for the individual and the class by acting as a deterrent (or in the case of expulsion, preventive) measure.  Until our schools get back to effectively disciplining our students, we are doing little better than the public schools--closing the barn door after the horse has been shot.
 
Parents used to wonder whether the "hot-house" environment of the Christian school was too protective for their little ones.  I haven't heard anyone ask that in a long time.  Too bad.
1/2/08  My principal asked me to critique an article about the Advanced Placement program.  Here in New Jersey, many parents view Christian schools as prep schools, and sometimes apply pressure for schools to adopt any measure that might give the students an advantage when it comes to preparing for admission to college.  We don't currently offer any AP classes; should we?  Here is my response:  Is AP Compatible with Christian School Ministry?
6/21/10  Public Schools.  Don't get me wrong:  I am grateful to the public schools for hiring me as a substitute teacher, and I have met some wonderful people and had some good experiences.  I have encountered several Christian teachers and aides who have been called to minister in that particular setting.  Out of loyalty to my employers and the fear of being misunderstood, I have hesitated to post the following essay.  However, my experiences have convinced me more than ever that government schools pose a real danger to the biblical Christian upbringing of a child.  I know--some parents have no option; let this essay make them more aware of what kind of interventions they should be prepared to make with their children.  I welcome your comments in response.  Here's the essay.