Dispatched From Home

In the 6th chapter of Deuteronomy, we find the admonition to parents to teach the principles of Scripture to their children; this underscores the responsibility of parents before God. We can read:
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

But, a sad verse just two books over illustrates that the Israelites did not pass on their collective faith and dependence on God.  Joshua came after Moses in leading Israel, then?...well, Judges 2 says:
8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

I was inspired by my conversation with Lauren Gideon from Classical Conversations the other day; that organizations champions classical Christian homeschool education, and was founded by Leigh Bortins, who, for a season, was heard on a radio program on Faith Radio.

Lauren contrasted the moral and spiritual perspectives of high school graduates who are affiliated with Classical Conversations with research conducted by George Barna and Arizona Christian University about Generation Z. She had written in a press release, "...parents report in a 2024 Classical Conversations survey that 92% of their Gen Z graduates believe that lying is morally wrong." As she noted, that contrasts with 60% of Gen Z adults in American Worldview Inventory by George Barna and ACU. She wrote:

Additionally, 95% of Classical Conversations graduates believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, and 92% agree that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, compared to only 21% of Gen Z adults who identify the Bible as their primary source of moral guidance, according to the American Worldview Inventory 2024.

The Washington Stand, in a recent article, noted that more states are adopting what is called, "universal school choice," empowering parents to choose the educational options that are best for their children. That includes the ability to educate their kids at home.

The article referred to a piece that was published by the editors of Scientific American; it said that " “children deserve uniform standards in homeschooling.”  The Washington Stand went on to say:

And what does this look like? The idea the SA editors had in mind is that “home­school parents could be required to pass an initial background check, as every state requires for all K-12 teachers.” SA is concerned that the growth of homeschooling is a “problem” since it’s hard to keep track of how many children are being homeschooled these days. “Some children may not be receiving any instruction at all,” they wrote. “In the worst cases, homeschooling hides abuse.”

In a recent interview, Tony Perkins of Family Research Council discussed the article with Michael Farris, who founded the Home School Legal Defense Association, and now serves as General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters.  The Washington Stand reported that:

Perkins asked, “[W]hy is the Left so threatened by parents leading their children’s education?” And more specifically, how should we respond to it all? Farris replied, the “editors of the Scientific American need a basic course in constitutional law.”

He continued, “The federal government has no jurisdiction to implement the kind of plan that they are calling for,” which happens to be “a very draconian plan.” Ultimately, it seems “their motive and their operational plan … would be just, on its face, unconstitutional.” Farris pointed out that one of the reasons for their argument is that parents who choose to homeschool often “teach their kids about creation as opposed to evolution,” which “is something, clearly, that people have the right to do.” And so, he added, for the editors of SA to have a problem with that says a lot about their motivations.

Farris did address the abuse charges; the article related...

...there are unfortunate cases of homeschool children who are being “seriously abused.” However, “The reality is, in the vast majority of cases like this … the government officials knew about the problems with the family long before there was ever any claim to be a homeschooling family.”

He also contended that, "the number of cases of sexual abuse of children by public school teachers dwarfs the number of any claim relative to homeschooling, just in sheer volume of numbers. … It’s just far, far greater.” Perkins noted that there is a “hatred for a biblical worldview," to which Farris replied that those who oppose homeschooling, “...want all children in America to be indoctrinated in their worldview, not the parents’ worldview.”

It's that same prevailing mindset, isn't it?  You have influential people and government elites who believe that they can better raise children than the parents to whom God has given that responsibility. No wonder you have the Governor of California who just signed legislation that undermines parental rights by mandating that school officials hide important information relative to their children's sexuality.  A parental rights bill in Florida was strongly opposed by LGBT activists and allies, and led to severe consequences for the Walt Disney Company. And, abortion rights advocates in Congress, under the guise of restoring Roe v. Wade, would favor legislation that would abolish a parents' right to give consent before their children could have an abortion. 

Last year, Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois introduced the Parental Notification and Intervention Act, about which she says: "This legislation would prevent abortion providers from performing abortions on minors until the minor’s parents have received written notification that their child has requested an abortion and until they have had a 96-hour window within which they can intervene. In Congress, I will always be a voice for the unborn and respect the rights of parents."

Be very aware that first and foremost, the Bible gives parents the responsibility before God to teach and train their children.  Now, I don't believe that excludes the role of the Church nor the ability of parents to contract their children's education to public or private schools - but ultimately, parents are responsible. 

We talk about "parental rights," which I certainly believe is a Biblical concept, and it ties in quite nicely with the philosophy that rights come from God, not government.  In an age in which so many look to the state for solutions to the societal ills we face, the Church has a chance to change the focus and to recognize the hand of God and the benefits of godly wisdom.