Christian and Government Responsibilities Concerning Education PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dr. John E. Russell Sr   

Introduction
I served as principal in four Christian schools, having helped found one of them. I am acquainted with two different curricula. In my opinion, the best is Accelerated Christian Education. They did extensive testing and found that a certified teacher did not necessarily teach better than an uncertified teacher or a non-degreed teacher. ACE students maxed the California Achievement Test at the end of their freshman year, which means that they placed somewhere in junior college level. McGraw-Hill was surprised and rechecked their scores!

All that to say this: government schools have failed miserably. They have not taught basic academic skills and they have miseducated students. They have not given students much-needed character training. (There are a few exceptions). They have also taught the religion of Secular Humanism.

Church schooling is good, but home schooling is best if the parents are self-disciplined and will discipline their children. Students need love and control in order to learn.

Usually, Christian schools charge less than half of what it costs taxpayers in tuition. (Unfortunately, those who send their children to private schools pay a "double tax" for their children's education.) The last figures that I have on Christian school tuition is $2000-$2500 per year. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, the

Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States amounted to $621 billion in 2011–12, or $12,401 per public school student enrolled in the fall (in constant 2013–14 dollars, based on the Consumer Price Index). These expenditures include $11,014 per student in current expenditures for operation of schools; $1,018 for capital outlay (i.e., expenditures for property and for buildings and alterations completed by school district staff or contractors); and $370 for interest on school debt.
Family and Church Roles
God commands the family and the Church to teach and train children. 

Moses taught

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV

Jesus commanded the Church to teach:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20, NIV 

Christians are to obey government
The LORD commanded Christians to obey govenment when it is performing its duty properly:

Let every individual be obedient to those who rule over him; for no one is a ruler except by God's permission, and our present rulers have had their rank and power assigned to them by Him. Therefore the man who rebels against his ruler is resisting God's will; and those who thus resist will bring punishment upon themselves. For judges and magistrates are to be feared not by right-doers but by wrong-doers. You desire—do you not? —to have no reason to fear your ruler. Well, do the thing that is right, and then he will commend you. For he is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid. He does not wear the sword to no purpose: he is God's servant—an administrator to inflict punishment upon evil-doers. We must obey therefore, not only in order to escape punishment, but also for conscience' sake.
Romans 13:1-5, NIV 

Government Roles
Government is not
1. To establish a national church.
2. To interfere with each citizen's right to practice his religions beliefs unless the practice of those beliefs threaten the life, liberty or property of others.

AMENDMENT I.
[The first ten Amendments (Bill of Rights) were ratified effective December 15, 1791.]
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Government has the responsibiliy to protect each citizen's
1. Life
2. Liberty
3. Property: 

AMENDMENT V.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation [Italics mine].

AMENDMENT XIV.
[The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified July 9, 1868.]
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws [Italics mine].

According to Amendments five and fourteen, the government has the responsibility to protect each citizen's life, liberty and property. The government should not teach and train children. 

If someone in the public sector does not do his job, he gets fired. The National Education Association should be fired and the government should get out of the education business. Congress should withdraw the NEA charter—they have done great damage to our greatest treasures—our children.

You may download my free ebooklet, A Christian Philosophy of Education at http://www.BusterSoft.com/JRCM or read it online.

© John E. Russell 2004-2015 

In Essentials: Unity; In non-essentials: Liberty; In all things: Charity—Peter Meiderlin 1626. 
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Last Updated on Friday, 04 December 2015 17:11