Is Christian Education in the Dark?

As Christians, it often feels like we are being ganged up against like the lone person. Especially when we talk about public education.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, Christians have a clear sense of right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. But we freeze up in a room full of parents or teachers or principals who think differently than us. It seems obvious to everyone else but you that schools should teach sex education to fourth graders.

Or write curriculum based on critical race theory. Or tell kindergarteners to choose their gender. The fact that you see all of this as crazy wrong makes you the odd one out… and that makes you feel crazy.

So what should a Christian do about public education? How can we share the good news of Christ in an educational system that so vehemently disagrees with what we believe?

The Purpose of Education

God has given us education for a reason.

In Romans, Paul writes to the Christians in Rome: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

Our educational system should teach our children not only how to live in society, but how to be wise. It should be filled with the Spirit as it teaches our children how to discern God’s will. But we all know that our current public education system has strayed from this purpose and Christian education as far as possible.

In fact, the word education comes from a famous metaphor, Plato’s allegory of the cave. This is literally where we get the word education.

This is a story of five prisoners sitting in a cave staring at one wall. They can’t turn around and they can’t move. A fire burns brightly behind them and casts light on to the wall at which they look. But the prison guards move in front of the fire, casting shadows on to the prisoner’s wall. With nothing to look at but these shadows, the prisoners soon build a life around these shadows. They name them and develop personalities for them. They pretend that these shadows are real people. Soon enough, the prisoners believe that these shadows are living and real.

Until one day, one of the prisoners escapes. The prisoner sprints outside of the cave and for the first time sees the sunlit world. He sees trees and rivers. Animals and other people. He sees real life!

Education should likewise illuminate the world around us, helping us see things as they truly are… revealing what’s right, good, true, and beautiful.

But right now, our public education system is casting shadows for us to look at all day long – pretending it’s the real world.

Our country needs Christians who have the Holy Spirit working in their lives to stand up for what they believe and let the light of truth into our schools, communities, and culture. We need Christians who care about public education to go to our school boards, our classrooms, and our city councils to boldly ask our leaders to do what is right.

Will you be part of the seventy-five percent that conforms to the group? Or will you be the sole participant of the Asch experiment willing to declare what you know is true?

Charlie Kirk is an American conservative activist and radio talk show host. He founded Turning Point USA with Bill Montgomery in 2012 and has served as its executive director since. To learn more about Turning Point USA, visit the website today!