Christians admonished to 'take ownership' of children's education

Part 1 of a 3-part series posted at OneNewsNow.com

An Orlando pastor who heads the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools says it's time for believers to stop disobeying God and take ownership of the education of our children.

Edward Gamble is director of the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools, based in Orlando. SBACS is sponsoring seminars around the country to train church leaders how to open private schools, in order to get children out of the secular public schools. Gamble says sending children to be indoctrinated by a secular, humanist institution is not biblical.

"Failure to do what God says is called disobedience. You can color it whatever color you want, but it's still disobedience -- it's rebellion," argues Gamble. "And when God's people don't take ownership of the education of their children, they're disobeying God."

The Southern Baptist official supports his argument with scripture. "[God] says very clearly throughout scripture 'I expect you to raise Godly seed' and 'Teach these things to your children,' He says in Deuteronomy. In Luke He says 'give a child the teachers you want him to have because when he grows up he'll look like the teacher.'"

Gamble says the major fallacy is that there is any such thing as an education that can be secular. "Scripture doesn't know anything about any part of our lives being secular," he states. "Everything's sacred."

According to Gamble, no child can spend 16,000 hours of his or her life between kindergarten and 12th grade doing anything and it not have a profound impact on who he is. "But when the messages are either abiblical or counter-biblical, why would you expect a child to grow up thinking biblically?" he asks.

He says "when God's people don't take ownership of the education of their children, they're disobeying God." He's right you know. Ultimately we are held responsible for the education of our children, both spiritual and secular education. We have the option of turning the eduaction of our children over to others, but we are still held responsible, and will be responsible for who we choose.