ChristiansUnite Forums

Christians need Exodus from 'Pharoah's system'
Minister says 3 of 4 kids lose religious beliefs at public schools


Exodus, according to the dictionary, is "a going out, departure or emigration," or "the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses." Now there are Christian leaders who would like to add another definition: "The mass departure of Christians from the public school system."

Chaplain E. Ray Moore of Exodus Mandate, whose goal is to "encourage and assist Christian families to leave Pharoah's school system," said there's an urgent need Christian parents must understand.

"Based on statistics, there is a 70-to-80 percent chance that a [Christian] child will abandon the church and their faith in a public school career," Moore told WND. The bottom line, then, is Christian parents need to lobby their pastors, pastors need to lobby their denominations, and their denominations need to start programs creating and operating public schools.

"We think probably 75 percent of the Christian churches could provide, and have the financial resources to provide, a Christian education for children, if they saw it as a necessity," said Moore, who has endorsed a move building among Southern Baptist churches to do just that.

Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has called on Southern Baptist churches to expand into K-12 education, making it available for families whether they can pay a private tuition or not.

Now a resolution prepared for the denomination's annual meeting by Voddie Baucham, a pastor with a national teaching ministry and the author of "The Ever Loving Truth," and Bruce Shortt, a board member for Exodus Mandate and author of "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," endorses Page's suggestions, and calls for more.

"Dr. Page's call for more Christian schools is the beginning of the 'exit strategy' that Dr. [Albert] Mohler has urged be developed. If the SBC and American Christianity are to survive in any culturally relevant way, we are going to have to repent of our unfaithfulness in the education of our children. And we need to do this sooner rather than later," said Baucham.

His resolution, submitted jointly with Shortt for the 2007 SBC annual meeting, is intended to expand the debate among Christians about creating a parallel school system, only one that includes biblical truth as part of an education.

"Dr. Page's bold recommendation demonstrates how far the debate over how we educate our children has moved since 2004. This is because Christians and others find it increasingly difficult to avert their eyes from the metastasizing spiritual, moral, and intellectual pathologies of the government school system," said Shortt. "Southern Baptist churches and the SBC's institutions must get about the business of creating a new public school system – one that is 'public' in the sense that it is open to anyone, but controlled by parents and churches, not bureaucrats and politicians."

The SBC has considered related proposals at its conventions starting in 2004. Baucham and Shortt co-sponsored a resolution in 2005 that produced Resolution No. 1, On Educating Children, and in 2006 Pastor Wiley Drake, second vice president of the SBC's Executive Committee, sponsored an "Exit Strategy" resolution in the California Southern Baptist Convention. Mohler, a leading SBC theologian, also has endorsed the idea of an "Exit Strategy" from public schools.

"We're trying to help them see the consequences, challenge the corporate church, and awaken [people] to the crisis [at hand]," said Moore.

A difficulty is that many Christians do not take the biblical command to "train up your children in the way they should go," to include education, or at least not on the same level as the Bible teaches "Do not steal," he said.

"This should be part of their witness, along with Bible study, faithful attendance, and tithing," Moore said. "That's what we're teaching. That's sort of made us a little different. We're teaching this as part of biblical obedience."

And he said the Southern Baptists' action, while good, is just a starting point.

"We believe that Bible-based denominations will eventually come to see this, if they take the Scriptures as authoritative," he said. "If they believe Scripture is the Word of God, if they hold to the orthodox creed and believe the Bible is the Word of God, those denominations will come to this."

"There are many denominations that no longer hold the Bible as the inerrant teaching of God," he said. "They're not going to see this need. The public school is their religion."

But, he said, "There are tens of millions of evangelical Christians who will see this. We hope to see other denominations begin to have this debate in their general assemblies, synod meetings and national conventions.

"The Assemblies of God, the independent Full Gospel churches, the Missouri Synod Lutheran churches, Wesleyan churches, Missionary Alliance…, when you start adding those all together, there will be 20, 30, maybe 40 million people involved," he said.

The SBC alone has 16 million members belonging to 42,000 churches in 1,200 local associations and 41 state conventions.

"We teach it as a command. When believers see it that way, it does change how they respond," Moore said. "They usually find a way to do it."

Moore told WND that for the most part, there would be nothing simpler than Christians creating a parallel school system.

"The resources are there," he said. "Church buildings lie fallow five days a week, so the buildings are there. The people are there. The children are there. Budgets are in place in churches. In many cases there are Christian public school teachers who could come over. Everything is there, in place, available, right now as I speak."

Add to that the availability of Internet, satellite and other course options, and there you have a school, he said.

"But they do not have a biblical theology and the will to do it," he said.

There are some changes brightening the horizon. Christian schools are growing up to 5 percent a year, homeschooling is growing at rates up to 15 percent, he said.

"The Southern Baptists are setting the pace in debating this critical issue," Moore said. "Other denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in America are also having this debate. It is our prayer and hope that this debate will take place in all Bible-based denominations over the next few years and that both Christian parents and the institutional church will come to understand clearly the urgency of rescuing our children from the government schools."

The actual SBC resolution makes that clear:

"Whereas, education is not theologically neutral, and for generations … [children] have been discipled primarily by an anti-Christian government school system.

"Whereas, the fruit of our government school habit is unregenerate children…"

"Whereas, in light of government school curricula, court rulings, and the influence of the NEA, parents cannot satisfy the criteria for the education of Christian children set forth in Resolution 1 by educating Christian children in today’s government schools; and

"Whereas, article XII of the Baptist Faith and Message states, 'the cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people'; and

"Whereas, continuing to fail to repent about our unfaithfulness in the education of our children will lead to justified charges of hypocrisy.

"BE IT NOW RESOLVED that" churches "heed Dr. Page’s call to create more Christian alternatives to the public schools;" and "expand Christian education."

Those Christians who work now in government schools should be applauded, the resolution said, and encouraged to "labor as missionaries to unbelieving colleagues and students" in the "dark and decaying government school system."

At this point, it is far past time for Christians to plan, organize, and execute methods to remove our children from the fire and never send them back. I think that every real Christian in the country would participate with labor, money, and resources if they understood what's really going on.

We really need to forget about even giving the public schools a second chance. This is not a new battle or a new problem. It's been going on for years, and it appears that the devil is going to have his way with public schools. Every last one of us can help and participate in some manner, with or without health or money. We can and should do this for GOD and our children. If we can't make some sacrifices for our children, we really aren't worth much - PLAIN AND BLUNT!

All of us can do something, even if we are very poor or ill. We can teach, volunteer time, make things that the Christian school in our neighborhood needs, and do a million different things for GOD and our children. IN FACT - this might be the revival that Christians in this part of the world desperately NEED! We need to make sure that GOD is given the proper place, respect, worship, praise, and PRIORITY in our lives, our homes, and in our schools. We can restore a real education and make the things of the LORD the foundation for everything we do.

If this is done, our children will do better in every area, including academics.  Brothers and Sisters - think about this! - don't we all need this? This is a drastic need that would involve tremendous satisfaction for those having a part. I'm not talking about pride and bragging, rather of working for GOD and our children. If this isn't worthy of the greatest EFFORT RIGHT NOW, what is? Do we give our children to the devil to raise, or do we remove our children from the fire?

I, for one, am poor and ill, but I can immediately think of hundreds of things that I would and could do. I can type, make lesson plans, make handouts, do phone work, and help in any other way that GOD allows me to. I'm ready and willing to start right now, and I know many other people in my same circumstances who would work and volunteer in any way possible for the rest of their lives. I also know Christians who have been blessed by GOD with wealth, good health, and many other things that would be needed. I'm convinced that GOD would provide ways for books, building materials, teachers, and everything else that was needed if enough Christians simply stood up and said - GOD PLEASE HELP US! - LET'S DO THIS!

Don't we have to do this? Can we sit back and do nothing any longer? Will GOD continue to bless us if we leave this work UNDONE? We don't deserve the blessings of GOD now, so what would we deserve if we give our children to the devil? It really is JUST THIS SIMPLE!

Brothers and Sisters, I'm asking every Christian to start praying about this every day, talk to other Christians, talk to your pastors, and start looking for leaders who can organize, lead, and manage a NATIONAL MOVEMENT for CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.

(Small Note: YES - we can even build in methods to prevent corruption and misappropriation of GOD'S resources for such a project. If we all pray, GOD will help us.)

Love In Christ,
Tom



Proverbs 14:26 NASB  In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.

I am glad that you mentioned this. Even the private Christian schools can be made more affordable so that parents can more easily afford them. Our desire should be in spreading God's word and raising up Godly children not in finding more ways to make more money. There are ways to make even the private Christian schools more affordable for all if we just take that step and put God's work as our priority.