CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND THE ISSUES A Paper Presented
to
Professor Ivan Dahl
Center for Learning
Department of Education
University of North Dakota
February 9, 1981By
Dr. Gordon Silcox
Bible Baptist Church and Schools
East Grand Forks, Minn.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Demand For Christian Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Where is The Authority For Christian Schools? . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Accreditation and Certification of Christian Schools . . . . 5
The Conflict That Rages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
In Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
INTRODUCTION The present rate of growth for Christian schools in America is phenomenal.
Every seven and one half hours, a new Christian school opens for instruction.
That is three and two tenths (3.2) schools per day. It is apparent that
countless thousands upon thousands of communities which have never had a
private Christian school now have one. It is also evident that many parents
are concerned enough to pay taxes levied for the Government schools and
then pay tuition to send their children to the Christian school.
What are the issues which have led these parents and churches to operate
Christian schools? The obvious fact is that it is not just a preference,
it is instead a conviction: A conviction born out of a desire to be faithful
to the Christ which saved them; A conviction also born out of an under-
standing of the Word of God.
We shall address a few of the many issues: The issues that are becoming
battle grounds between the private Christian school and the Government-
funded school. Our prayer is that this brief paper will help you to under-
stand why Christian parents and educators are concerned about these issues.
Dr. Gordon Silcox
Bible Baptist Church
Bible Baptist Christian School
Northland Baptist College
East Grand Forks, Minnesota
The Demand For Christian Schools It was Thomas Aquinas who attempted to reconcile Greek philosophy
with the Scriptures. This concept was brought into some Christian thought.
Aquinas divided reality into two realms: that of the sacred and the
Spiritual, and that of the secular and the material. Aquinas attempted
to understand this with human reason. Here then began the mad rush to
judge all by human reason. Is human reason a reliable source? Let the
Scriptures speak:"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the
law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and
night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf
also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
(Psalms 1:1-3)So to the Believer in Christ, the material and the Spiritual cannot
be separated, and all ground is Holy ground to the Saint of God. Whether
we eat or drink we are to do all to the glory of Christ. "Whether there-
fore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
(I Corinthians 10:31)
To the believer in Christ, the claims of Christ are total. His claims
are not limited to the confines of a church building. Jesus is Lord of
all, and that includes the educational process. All learning then centers
in Jesus Christ. For Christian parents to turn their children over to
a secular educational system is unthinkable. Man was created to glorify
and serve God in every area of his life. To demand that Christians stay
in their own territory is merely asking us to contain our interests and
convictions to life itself. God claims priority in every area of life.
For our life is Christ and Christ is our life, and there is no separa-
tion from our faith in any aspect. "Train up a child in the way he should
go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)2
Where is The Authority For Christian Schools? Does the Christian have any higher authority than the State to which
he can claim the right to Christian education? Yes, Our authority rests in
the Scripture. The following command is found in Ephesians 6:4: "And,
ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord."
The Bible also says,"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished
in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians
2:6-8)Jesus Christ is Lord of the Christian's life and family.
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36)"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)Jesus Christ is the ruler over every realm of our lives. Humanistic
Philosophy declares man as central. The fact is, however, that man is
far inferior to God and His wisdom. To the Christian, the authority to
educate his children rests in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His
Word. There is no higher authority. The New Testament Church and its
educational system is under the Lordship of Christ. The State and its
educational systems are also to be under the Lordship of Christ."By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me
princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth."
(Proverbs 8:15-16)For the State to say it is above God is to say that the State is
God. Civil government exists only because God has ordained civil govern-
ment, but government is never to exercise authority over God or His
People. Jesus is Lord. To unify all things under the State or man is3
to create a bureaucracy of humanism. Jesus is Lord! The assumption
that elite men must control churches and their schools is man believing
he has authority over Christ, He does not. The authority to operate
any system in this world rests in Christ and His Word. Anything other than
this is a usurpation of Divine authority as set forth in the Word of God.4
The Accreditation and Certification of Christian Schools The word accreditation comes from "credo". Certification comes
from the Latin word meaning certain and means to verify. Both words
have a Biblical connotation. The two words imply a verification, a
declaring that a thing is true, by the lord (master) of those who seek
accreditation and certification. For a Christian to seek those things
from the state is to then declare the state to be lord.
This thought brings us to a vital question. Is the state God's
appointed agency of accreditation and certification? Does the Christian
have any Scriptural right to challenge the state's claim to accredit
and certify a church or Christian school? The answer to this question
is important.
Today we see that many state and governmental agencies claim the
right to accredit and certify. They claim that a church or school
has no valid status until the government agency renders its stamp of
approval. They also want their stamp on the Christian school teachers.
If we as Christians resist their efforts, we anger a very powerful
humanistic state. Yet if we surrender to their demands, we then anger
a more powerful and Sovereign God.
When we turn to the Scriptures we find a clear answer. In Scrip-
ture it is God's Law-Word which accredits or certifies. The prerogative
of accreditation or certification of both church and state is the Lord's."And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments
is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And the
scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth:
for there in one God; and there is none other but he: And
to love him with all the heart, ..., and with all the soul, and
with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as
himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
(Mark 12:29 & 32-33).The Bible does teach obedience to civil authority: "Render therefore
to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." (Romans 13:7).
But God is always to be given the pre-eminence: "Then Peter and the
other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
(Acts 5:29).5
So it is evident that we who were redeemed cannot allow men to
control that which belongs to the Lord. The [local] church and the Christian school
are not the property of the state, but are the Lord's and can be surren-
dered to no man. It is a pagan principle to say that the state is God
walking on this earth. Jesus is Lord!6
The Conflict That Rages Are we in a literal conflict? Does a battle really rage over the
issue of state versus Theism? Let us hear from those who differ with
the Christian Philosophy of life:
"Historic Christianity is our real enemy". John Dewey
"The state will tolerate no other Gods before it." Erik Von Leddin.
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8) commands the Christian
to be militant. No, the Christians are not the persecutors. They are
the ones who have given their lives for their militant stand for Christ
and His Word. We do not take up literal arms. Our weapons are not carnal,
as II Corinthians 10:4 bears out. Our weapon is the Sword of the Spirit:
The Truth-God's Truth. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Ephesians 6:17).
A real war against Biblical faith is under way all over the world.
Civil governments are almost totally in the hands of humanists, whose hatred
of Christianity is intense. There is a concerted effort in the United
States to put the state in control over the [local] Church and the things of God.
A real war is in progress. It is a war designed to control, dismantle
and eliminate Biblical faith. It is a well-planned war. When local
governments launch a campaign in unison against churches and schools
across all 50 states, it is no coincidence. It is a well-planned offensive
designed to control and license these institutions.
The price of resistance is high, in money, effort and abuse. But
"the battle is the LORD'S". (I Samuel 17:47).
This battle is more than political or legal: it is theological.
The issue is Lordship. Who then is the Lord; Christ or the state;
Christ or Caesar? This is a repeat battle which began in the early
Christian era, between the early churches and Rome. "Lord" means the
sovereign, proprietor, absolute authority, God. Jesus is Lord.
(Philippians 2:11). The issue is Lordship. We Christians are not our
own, but have been bought with the price of Christ's blood. We there-
fore serve, obey and seek to glorify God in all things. (I Corinthians
6:20). We do not live by ourselves, but are God's property. This is
the crux of the conflict which rages over who would control us. To the
Christian, the answer is plain: "Jesus is Lord!"7
In Summary The Christian School movement is growing so rapidly that at the
present rate, by the year 2000, Christian schools will have succeeded in
surpassing all other types of schools, in student enrollment. Humanism
will then fail. So today, humanists are forced to view Christian churches
and schools as a very real threat.
The next few years will witness countless court room battles. It
is a life and death struggle. Theism and Humanism cannot peaceably co-
exist. It is a battle to the death. Who will win, the churches or
Caesar? The answer is found in Jesus' own words: "And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16: 18)8
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