Christians and Education

There have been many conversations in recent days about a parent’s responsibility in education. They are extolled to be involved in the process and be engaged. While that is certainly true, what is the Christian responsibility in the educational affairs of the city or locale where they find themselves? For some, the response is to pull out of the state education systems in favor of private Christian schools. This is certainly a welcomed option and a good one but not accessible for every family and every child. Furthermore, even if a family makes the decision to remove their children from state-funded schools for homeschooling or private Christian education, there are still children that are still attending those schools and teachers still teaching in that system. What is the Christian’s responsibility to those who remain?

The reality of the moment that we find ourselves in is that we can no longer sit on the sidelines and observe or abstain from involvement. Christians have a responsibility to impact every sphere where God has placed them for God’s glory and the good of the people around them. In order to address this issue, I would like to think through it in two ways. First and I think this is where every Christian must begin, we must consider Biblically the position for the Christian, and then secondly I would like to think through the issue civically. What does it mean civically for a Christian to take their Biblical position into the arena of politics? Let’s begin with the first issue.

Biblically

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV)

Jesus’ gives his followers specific instructions about being salt and light in the world that he has placed them. He begins by pointing out the salt component. In the days of Jesus, salt was a preserving agent. Jesus has placed the church in the community to be a preserving agent for that community. When a community is itself and is true to itself, the world decays like rotten fish or meat, while the church can hinder its decay.[1] The church hinders the decay through the people who make it up. God intends the most powerful of all restraints within sinful society to be his own redeemed, regenerate, and righteous people.[2]

So the people of God have been providentially placed in their communities to have an impact not only in the church but in society. They are not to be passive but engaged in the ways that are provided to them by the society in which they found them. This may seem strange to think about, but the ways in which a Christian will be able to serve as a restraining agent against decay will depend on where they live. Even in light of this variety, the instruction to Christians remains the same, they must function as a restraining agent against moral decay.

Secondly, Jesus identifies Christians as people of light. What is it to be a person of light, who lets their light shine before men so that they see their good works and glorify God as a result of it? John Stott helpfully states, “It seems that ‘good works’ is a general expression to cover everything a Christian says and does because he is a Christian, every outward and visible manifestation of his Christian faith.”[3] So it follows that every interaction is an opportunity to speak to God’s glory and point people to the reality of Christ.

Abraham Kuyper famously stated, “There's not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Lord over all, does not exclaim, 'Mine'!” So if Christ calls us to be salt and light then it follows that we must make sure to be both salt and light in the communities where God has placed us.

Civically

            Seeing that Christ calls us to this exercise of being salt and light, what does that mean for us in the area of civic engagement and specifically as we think about education in our communities?

            First, would be a need for Christians to be informed. We should take the time to meet the teachers, administrators, superintendents, and school board members. We should learn who they are, where they have come from, and where they hope to go. This is not feigning interest for a political agenda but genuine care for people in our community. If we believe that everyone is created in the image of God and has worth, dignity, and value (Genesis 1:26-27) then we must care about those who are involved with educating the kids of our community.

            Being informed also means taking what happens in the classroom seriously. Parents should take the time to understand what is being taught in their kid’s classes. Non-parents should take the time to understand the curriculum. This may be difficult if you don’t understand the curriculum but this is where we rely on the friendships that we have built with those teaching students. Hopefully, we have built a loving rapport with them so that we are trusted allies of our teachers. We desire them to be successful but we also desire to know the truth of what is being taught in the classroom.

            Second, Christians have a responsibility to get out and vote for salt and light candidates. Being informed leads to knowing who to vote for and being willing to be vocal in regards to those people. With that said, Christians would do well to remember that the best of men are men at best. No perfect candidates for our elected school board exist and no perfect people exist. However, Christians have a responsibility to get out and vote.

            Finally, Christians will pray and seek out the Lord’s guidance on getting involved more in the political arena and the public square. Some Christians will feel the Lord guiding them to run for school board, others will feel the Lord leading them to get involved more in the schools other than running for an elected position.

Moving Forward

            Christians will need to pray about what level of engagement they will have in the world of education in their city. What is plain to see is that no engagement is not an option. Each Christian will have to pray for wisdom and direction from the Lord about what they should do but sit on the sidelines is no longer a choice.

[1] John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 59.

[2] John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 59.

[3] John R. W. Stott,      The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 61.

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