Category: education

To Repair or Replace the Foundation?

May 4, 2018


America has had two educational systems in our past. One foundation can be restored, the second foundation is beyond repair. The one on which we put our emphasis will determine the future of our nation.

The foundation of our original schools—Our country began with schools that included religious instruction. As settlers came to America, one of their first community endeavors, after constructing a church, was to start a school. They often utilized church facilities and local teachers who held the religious beliefs of the community.

The foundation of public schools—Because some of our founding fathers were Unitarian and considered themselves more “enlightened” than their religious counterparts and wanted schools that embraced the new humanistic thoughts of the day that were being discussed in the public squares of Europe and Prussia. They wanted these schools funded with tax payer money. Eventually, they found a willing elected official to help them—Horace Mann, who later became known as the Father of Modern Education.

Horace Mann ran for Secretary of the Board of Education in Massachusetts and in 1837 fulfilled a campaign promise to the Unitarians to build the first public school funded with tax payer money and without religious instruction. At first, the schools didn’t appear to be any different from the religious schools of the day, as most of the teachers in the 1800s and 1900s held strong religious beliefs. But as time progressed, humanistic teaching trickled down through the generations until we are at the point that it is unlawful to have any religious instruction in public schools.

It has taken decades, but the second foundation has eroded to the point where we as a nation can no longer ignore the broken condition of our public schools. Students who fail, cause our nation to be at risk as our citizens become less educated and less moral. Humanists tell us, if they just had more money, public schools could be repaired, but there is never any mention of utilizing that money to repair the cracked foundation by putting God back in our classrooms.

The spiritual battle is evident—If you want to see a violent reaction to the suggestion of reorganizing public schools, just mention, Charter Schools, Vouchers, or even our Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. These reactions are indications of a spiritual battle that is waging in the heavens. Public school defenders emphatically state that tax payer money should go exclusively to support public schools with no tax payer money used to educate the children in any institution that has religious instruction. We must reframe our argument and say, “Tax money should be used to educate the children of this nation in any manner the parents see fit.”

Let us pray that those who embrace Jesus will walk in the truth of Isaiah 58:12, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations…” It is not the time to despair because of resistance, it is the time to press forward in prayer. If we pray, in the not too distant future, we will shout in victory as foundations are restored!

Where are the Priorities in our Public Schools?

April 23, 2018

On Nov. 7, 2017, the “News Journal” published an article titled: In Delaware, 1 in 6 Adults Struggle to Read. That’s about 13% of Delaware’s population—an astounding number but not too off from the rest of the US. The article piqued my interest since I recently conducted a prayer conference call with intercessors across the United States. One of the women on the call from Delaware, requested prayer because Delaware is joining the ranks of California, Washington State, and Oregon in integrating gender identity and sexual orientation into their school curriculum beginning at the kindergarten level. There is a connection between the “extra” material and illiteracy.

First—educational priorities are skewed. Where is the Common Sense in sex education? Where are our priorities as a society when 24% of the nation’s students graduate from high school functionally illiterate? Should we not teach the children the basic fundamentals of reading, writing and math with maybe basic American history and civics thrown in for good measure? It will cost millions of dollars for new text books and supplemental material that includes gender identity and sexual orientation.

Second—a larger political agenda is revealed. When common sense goes out the window with education, there is a larger and darker agenda at play—a different social structure is attempting a gradual takeover. Remember God’s words to Able in Gen. 4:7, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it”

Third—future test scores will decline. Besides the fact that the students’ attention will be diverted from learning what they need in order to function in society—teaching “extra” material takes valuable time. Almost any teacher will tell you that there is not enough time in the day to assure that each student fully comprehends the basic material that needs to be covered for academic success. The article also said that one-third of the state’s third graders can’t read. It is a fact that reading levels are good indicators to project future poverty levels of the students once they are adults. If a student can’t read and do basic math by the time he/she reaches adulthood, they are most likely doomed to a life of poverty. So it stands to reason that if we want a prosperous nation, we absolutely must have students that can read, and read well.

The solution—prayer! It is important that we pray strategically for education—not just “throw a thought” toward the problem. The more we realize that any effort to change education will require prayer, the faster we will see the problem eradicated. Would you take a moment and pray for the Mountain of Education in America.

Here are a couple of points to pray:
Much of our curricula that promotes sex education and a global agenda comes from the United Nations. Pray that the source of the material that tears down our society will be revealed and destroyed at its roots. Pray Matthew 3:10 that every tree in our schools that does not bear good fruit will be cut down.
Pray that God would raise up people to rebuild the ruins of our educational system and would raise up to ancient foundations. Pray Isaiah 58:32