Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Especially for Parents and Grand-Parents

    “Back to School” is a phrase that sets off a variety of responses and emotions.  Parents, teachers, students, coaches, and retail store owners all have different views of what a new school year means.  Whatever the viewpoint, no one disagrees on the importance of education.  Learning is an essential part of what it means to grow-up, mature, and become a productive member of a family and community.  We foresee our children growing into adults that are mentally and physically competent, economically stable, ethically balanced, and for Christian families, biblically grounded in truth.  

  We are blessed to have schools, institutes, and colleges of many types, all with essential facilities and even luxuries, especially when compared to other countries. In America, students start school at an early age and can attend until high school graduation.  After which, there are many options for college, career, or military pursuits.  American teachers have college degrees and professional training.  Beyond the academics, schools provide meals, technology, music, and sports programs.  Additionally, there’s a robust home school movement that provides the most authentic opportunity for parents to be involved in their children’s education. Communities rally to support their local programs as they strive to inspire students to success.  However, what we often take for granted is not true in many countries, where facilities are meager, teachers often have only a high school education, students may not attend past age 13, there’s no extra-curricular activities, and there are limited opportunities for further education beyond high school.

   Over the years, I have had the opportunity to teach, preach, and speak in Communist, Muslim, and third-world countries, all of which allowed me to see a variety of educational settings.  In Bangladesh, I saw children go to school carrying a bucket, which served as a book bag and lunch pail as they went, and once they arrived, was turned over to become their seat for the day.  Village schools in the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea were small block buildings with only basic resources and no technology.  I taught overseas at a school where the power went out every day, sometimes for minutes but often for hours.  I taught at a Chinese university with facilities that would rival many American campuses.  I spoke at a Christian school in Malaysia that was highly desired by Muslim families because it offered an “American” style of education.  In each country, I met students of all ages who desired to come to America to further their education.  While American schools have many challenges, we are blessed to live where education is the “gold standard” of opportunity and remains the envy of millions around the world.

   However, the last few years have revealed the dark underside of many educational settings.  What’s been revealed are theories that pervert the meaning of life, the distinctions of gender, the value of faith, and the definition of family.  What’s been shown is an intent to not just educate students, but to indoctrinate them in un-American and ungodly belief systems.  This reality, combined with many cultural oppositions, means Christian parents must intensify their diligence to know what is being taught to their children and who is teaching them.  

   It’s important to remember that among its truths, the Bible has much to say about education.  Training and learning are regular themes throughout the Scriptures.  This emphasizes the importance of parents to prioritize the educational opportunities that are available at church.  From nursery to adulthood, there are many opportunities to learn about truth from God’s word.  To ignore church education is to willingly contribute to a child’s “miss-education,” causing them to miss truth, miss reality, miss God, and miss Heaven.

   On Sunday, August 28 we will celebrate “Back to School” in the morning service.  It’s an opportunity to remember, reflect, and recognize the importance of education, not just from a vocational or social perspective, but most importantly, from a biblical perspective.  This will be an opportunity to hear a biblical answer to the question, “What does it mean to be well educated?”  Education holds great potential, but when not understood correctly nor applied properly, it becomes an empty promise that leads to a hollow future.  Thankfully, God’s Word provides the essential answers.  Our responsibility is to understand and apply those answers so that we maximize the potential of what education can and should be for our children.


 - Dr. Harlie Miller, Executive Pastor


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