(A Christian Education:  Is It Worth It? continued)

  

As I watched a television interview on a recent evening, the topic centered on whether a father should be forced to pay child support for a baby he had fathered with his girlfriend. Since she refused to abort the baby, the father concluded— and was filing suit to prove—that he should not be held responsible for the child’s support. As the interview continued, his attorney argued that this “father” was responsible only for creating a fetus—a collection of cells that she had chosen to keep.

The interviewer then challenged the attorney, declaring that he would accept the idea that the fetus was a collection of cells and not a human being only “when you become the deity.” The attorney’s astounding response needs to be considered closely: “That’s the public opinion now that’s widely accepted, and it’s the law of the land.”

   Please, please, catch the attorney’s point—articulated clearly and succinctly. Since it’s a common and widely accepted belief that a fetus in the womb is just a collection of cells rather than a human being—and since it’s the law of the land—that’s that; subject closed. The result is new “truth” and new “reality.”

   I would be quick to point out that this incident is merely one example, but it seems to provide clear evidence of the commonly accepted notion that prevailing opinion can become, in effect, the “all in all.” And since strongly held and broadly accepted opinion has become so powerful and influential, the next logical step is to elevate that opinion from a mere view to the status of law and, at least for now, to the status of truth. We are seeing this notion played out in multiplied instances within our culture. It is further strengthened by the notion that not to move in this stream of thought is to be narrow-minded, intolerant, and ignorant.

   Your Christian school has a distinctive educational agenda that it is crucial to understand, an agenda centered on teaching and learning within a framework that has a biblical foundation. Such a foundation recognizes that there are timeless and unchanging truths that people need to understand and embrace. Your students in the Christian school are being immersed in that framework, which is designed to help in developing hearts and minds that embrace God and desire to pursue life from the perspective of biblical truth. Such an education is based on core biblical truths that will enable students to adopt or challenge opinions about every aspect of life. Social conduct and cultural responsibility are framed differently for the student who has been so educated. Knowing God’s Word and believing in its reliability provides the student with a plumb line to test those “broadly accepted views and laws of the land.”

   So, is it worth it? I am convinced it is—but for your own children and family, the call is one that you will have to make. The decision to continue your children’s Christian schooling bears a significant economic and time investment. Nearly everyone recognizes the importance of investing in the right materials for the foundation of a building. Regardless of what is built above the ground, the most significant and important investment is in what is poured into the ground—the foundation. Your child’s years of formal education are brief when seen against a lifetime, but that foundation is critically important.

   Be assured, the educators in your Christian school know the importance of those foundational years. Which would you prefer that your children live by—the changing perspective of public opinion and acceptance, or a deep understanding of timeless, biblical truth?