And how do I know that what God wrote is true? I have no need to look further than my own heart and the hearts of those around me. Pride is the mother of all sins and we can’t get past the first chapter of the great letter to the Roman church before we run into it.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Romans 1:18-23

Case in point from an article posted on Yahoo news of April 26, 2011:

A refreshingly simple new idea has emerged in the complicated world of high energy physics. It proposes that the early universe was a one-dimensional line. Not an exploding sphere, not a chaotic ball of fire. Just a simple line of pure energy.

Over time, as that line grew, it crisscrossed and intersected itself more and more, gradually forming a tightly interwoven fabric, which, at large distances, appeared as a 2-D plane. More time passed and the 2-D universe expanded and twisted about, eventually creating a web — the 3-D universe we see today.

This concept, called “vanishing dimensions” to describe what happens the farther one looks back in time, has been gaining traction within the high energy physics community in recent months. 

This is an amazing idea which has no basis in fact and is a gigantic stretch in an effort to figure out the origin of the universe. Later in the article, it says,

According to the theory, for the first thousand-trillionth of a second after the Big Bang, up until the moment when the universe cooled to an average temperature of 100 teraelectronvolts (TeV are actually a measure of energy, but energy and temperature correspond), it was a 1-D line.

Note that this theory happens after the Big Bang- something that also requires an imagination that must go “light years” beyond facts. Then we also had a new report from AP Science Writer Alicia Chang, on Wednesday, April 27^th: Scientists who reject creation by God must create their own reasons to support the false theory of evolution so they came up with the following:

The first stars that dotted the universe were not only immense, but probably also fast-spinning, according to a new study that sheds light on the nature of stellar evolution. These early stars died out long ago, but astronomers can get a glimpse of what they were like by looking at later generations of stars.

A team of scientists led by Cristina Chiappini of the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam in Germany reanalyzed data from the Very Large Telescope of a 12-billion-year-old star cluster. They found high levels of metal in the stars — a chemical signature that suggests earlier generations, perhaps even the first stars, were massive and rotated much faster than their present-day counterparts.

Speaking of large telescopes, you would think that the views of the universe through the Hubble Space Telescope would only declare louder that there is a God, but wait; men who deny God are not deterred from making up something that will allow them to avoid the truth.

Back in January of this year, AP Science Writer, Seth Borenstein wrote about a new finding of the earliest galaxy yet based on a smudge of light that they say existed 13.2 billion years ago. Funny, the article said that research had not been confirmed and some astronomers were skeptical, but they printed it anyway!

In fact, one of the co authors of this study said that he and his colleagues confused what may have been real light from billions of years ago and background “noise” from the process of looking so far away, so they redid the study and found a new galaxy that was more likely to be real than the previous ones.

Yes, I am not making this up; they are. As they refuse (suppress the truth) to look at God’s creation (plainly before them) and confess that there is a God that is great and awesome, their hearts grow hard and their minds come up with foolish ideas about how the universe came about. Sadly, the truth of Romans 1:18-23 comes to life right before our eyes!

When people with years of education and lots of letters after their name continue to suppress the truth, they are no more than stupid brilliant people. Let’s pray that Christian parents do all they can to make sure their children are not educated from that perspective by enrolling them in great Christian schools.

I’m not sure what brought it on but I found myself thinking about that day when I will stand before God Himself and be forced to give an explanation for my parenting. One thought ran to another and I remembered the well known passage that I would like to think that I have lived by: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I decided to go to the book of Joshua (chapter 24) and take another look at the passage and, as usual, received more from God than I was expecting.

In the first 12 verses, Joshua recounts to the people the faithfulness of God through His dealings, starting with Abraham and running through generations who were later brought out of the bondage of Egypt. God is purposed in His words (through Joshua) that recall the awesome power of God displayed in the plagues and other miraculous deliveries from Israel’s enemies. As God brought the Israelites out of slavery, I was reminded of how God brought me out of slavery to sin back in 1993.

Then in verse 13, He reminds the people that, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” Again, I was convicted to give thanks to God for how He has engineered blessings into my life and the life of our school, many of which I did not work for.

Then we arrive at the great conclusion and challenge from Joshua to the people: “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.”

He says that because all of the above is true about what God has done and Who He is, fear Him and serve Him! And by the way, put away those gods that you have been holding onto from your parents.

Gods from your parents? What does that mean?

It means that these Israelites were still holding onto ungodly idols that had been taught to them by their moms and dads. It made me think about what my kids have learned from me. What idols do I have that I have modeled worshipping to my children?

Well, maybe the god of material things. Maybe the god of appearance. Maybe the god of sports. Maybe the god of knowledge. I have quite a few gods in my cabinet. Maybe, by my example, I have trained my children to worship the same gods. 

Joshua then doesn’t exhort them to fear and serve God, but instead he says choose! Choose who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! And again, he goes back to mentioning the gods of your fathers. Make a decision! Either it’s the one true God who has loved and preserved you or it’s those worthless habits that you have inherited from your parents.

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

The response of the people was predictable. In a nutshell, they proclaimed that, in light of the faithfulness and greatness of God, it would be ridiculous for them do anything but serve the one true God.

Well, the end of the story is that they didn’t do what they said they would and, compared to where we are today, most Christian families are in the same boat. I am afraid that we as Christian parents want the God of faithfulness and power on our side, but we serve far too many other gods in our lives and are suffering the consequences.

In light of that comment, I want you to try to digest this quote from R.L. Dabney, the great nineteenth century theologian:

Wow, is this guy a little “over the top” or what? Well, Mr. Dabney was probably thinking about a few of these points gleaned from the Bible: 

• That it is the design of God that the family be the functioning means for creating and raising children.
• That children are a gift from God to parents.
• That children are absolutely dependent for care and nurturing on their parents and that the role of the parents is to educate their children toward a love and knowledge of God. (Ephesians 6:4)
• That we are absolutely not to do anything that would hinder children from coming to Christ. (Luke 18:6)
• That God seems to have a special compassion towards children, widows, and orphans.
• That people are more likely to come to God at a younger age while their hearts have not grown hard and cold to God and before they have fallen in love with the world (there’s those other gods).
• That the sharing of the gospel with the next generation will be done by our children. Therefore there should be incredible urgency and priority to train them and prepare them.
• That every parent will give an account of how they parented.

So maybe Dabney is not so crazy. Maybe we’re crazy for not taking parenting seriously enough! What’s getting in your way of pouring yourself into raising your children for Christ? Do you have an idol or god on this list? Are you too busy to do the job right because you……. 

• Need time for personal entertainment.
• Need time for your golf game or other sports.
• Have to work, work, work so you can get everything you want now plus have a secure retirement fund.
• Just need time away from your kids.

Or maybe you don’t have time to spend reading and learning about what the Bible says about all of life or don’t know what the promises of God are. Or finally, are you afraid to parent your child Biblically because you are afraid that your child will reject you or other parents will think that you are odd? That’s what Jesus called fear of man rather than God- not a good thing to try to explain to God.

Parenting is the most important job on the planet. Just imagine a world where Christian parents dig in and sacrifice everything to raise their children in a Christian way; it would be a world transformed.

Christian parents are doing something that counts for now and all eternity! I encourage you (and me) to do it with all of our hearts so that on that day that we give an explanation for our parenting, we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Imagine this scenario with me: you’re driving down the road and the speed limit is 70 miles per hour. You know it’s 70, but you figure that you can get away with 82 before an officer would ticket you. Lo and behold, you get pulled over and ticketed for 12 miles over the limit. Clearly, you have broken the law. But how might some people (not you!) look to escape the consequences of breaking the law on a technicality?

1. How do we know that the radar gun was working properly?
2. Was the speed limit sign posted properly?
3. Was the officer really able to hit my car with radar from that hiding point where he was parked?
4. What excuse can I come up with that will change the officer’s mind? Boy, I sure do wish I had a woman in labor in the car.
5. I am being targeted by the police because this is the third ticket I have received for speeding this month. There were 15 other cars going the same speed I was!

 Let’s go a step further. What if you could claim innocence because the Officer did something wrong? Here are a few that might be used. I’m not guilty of speeding because:

1. You scared me when you raised your voice to me while standing next to my car.
2. You have coffee stains on your uniform.
3. One of the lights has burned out on the police vehicle, so it wasn’t flashing properly.
4. You asked for the registration and license instead of the license, registration, and insurance.

Enough with the illustrations. Let’s look at our children. I have noticed a pattern in some young children of becoming very proficient at telling stories in a way that they think will dismiss their own guilt. Example: Student throws food in the lunchroom. Teacher tells the student that she saw him throw food in the lunchroom and the student denies it. Student then tells parents that the teacher is wrongly accusing them. Parent wonders why child is being picked on (now even the parent is thinking this way). Parent comes to school to defend the student. Student is questioned by the Headmaster. Here is the conversation:

Headmaster to student: “Did you throw the food?”

Student: “No.”

HM: “You never threw the food?”

Student: “No.”

HM: “Did you touch the food?”

Student: “Well, I did touch it.”

HM: “How did you touch it?”

Student: Motions with hand like he is picking up the food and throws his hand in a forward direction and opens his hand as if to release the food into mid-air.

HM: “That’s throwing the food.”

Student: “No, I kind of tossed it.”

HM: “That’s throwing the food. You are lying.”

Student: “Everybody else at the table was throwing food. Why am I getting picked on?”

HM: “So, you threw the food?”

Student: “This teacher is always yelling at me.”

HM: “So, you threw the food? I have five other students that say you threw the food.”

Student: (reluctantly and with hanging head) “Yes.”

I regret to say that this type of scenario is not uncommon. The example above is taken from actual experiences that I have had, and I could give you others. I appreciate that the kids are critically thinking about these things as they analyze every jot and tittle, but they are not thinking like Christians! We are all just too much like the world in this way.

The Christian mind remembers that a half-truth is still a lie. The Christian mind reports his version of an incident correctly. That is, the Christian does not tell the story with an inaccurate context of events intended to distort the judgment of the hearer. To do so is just a subtle form of deception, which helps a guilty person escape the consequences of his actions or supports his denial of the truth. Jesus had severe words for those who focus on the letter of the law but miss out on the spirit of the law (Matt 23:23). He also had words for those who think that what people say or hear on the outside is all what matters. He said that even the sins of the mind make a man guilty before God (Matt 5: 28). 

This kind of lying manipulates and twists the truth. In a 2004 survey by Deloitte and Touché, it was noted that 29% of the teens surveyed said “one has to bend the rules to succeed.” More alarming is that the same survey question came back at 20% the year before.

Allan Keyes’ book titled “The Post Truth Era – Welcome to the Age of Dishonesty” is another study of a culture (ours) that continues to slip and slide. Keyes says that people have become more skilled in lying than ever before. He says, “Even though there have always been liars, lies have usually been told with hesitation, a dash of anxiety, a bit of guilt, a little shame, at least some sheepishness.” Now, clever people that we are, we have come up with rationales for tampering with the truth so we can dissemble guilt-free.

Keyes goes on to say that when people behave in a way that conflicts with their values, they simply reconceive their values. That way, people can avoid thinking of themselves as unethical by redefining morality. Furthermore, the very term “lying” has been replaced with softer terms like “misspeak”, “spin”, or “poor judgment in the words that we used”.

I have observed another form of lying among young people that Keyes calls “recreational lying”. This is where a child completely fabricates stories and events to make himself more acceptable to his peers. Think about the implications of all of this: a society that is full of lies is a society in decline. So much rests on people being truthful and trustworthy in all areas of life.

Lying is nothing new to humanity – it started in the Garden of Eden – and it will continue until Christ comes again. However, we must confront this kind of thinking and have our minds renewed to think like Christ. In a day and age where a man asks what is meant by the word “is”, we will need to be on guard to make sure we are training our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

First, however, we must be honest with ourselves. Have we as adults been honest with others and ourselves? Are there certain things in our lives that we are good at lying about, or are we excusing our sin based on some technicality? Certainly, we must remember that God sees it all and that there are consequences for every word we have spoken, deed we have done, and thought that we have had! Let’s get our hearts and minds right in all areas of our lives before we try to teach and model right living to our children. I am glad that we serve a patient and forgiving Father.

Before we look at a Christian Worldview, we have to define the term worldview. A worldview is almost as simple as it sounds: how a person views the world (or life). The term gains a fuller meaning when we add that a worldview is how a person thinks about all of life based on the sum total of all that they have learned and been exposed to.

That means that a person’s worldview will be shaped by the parenting he received, the teachings of a particular religion or church, all of his formal education, all of his life experiences, and more. Certainly, we can conclude that every person has a worldview of some kind. That worldview leads a person to make big and small decisions throughout every day, and drives their actions and emotions in every area of life.

You may easily conclude that a Christian Worldview is one that Christians have, and you are correct. Using the Bible as our guide, we can say that a person who has a Christian Worldview will think and therefore live in accordance with Biblical teaching.

Now the reason the term “Christian Worldview” is being used more frequently is because those who profess to be Christians, and therefore by definition would have a Christian Worldview, are not thinking and living in accordance with Biblical teaching. Many church leaders who have been silent on the matter for many years are being forced to admit that there is a major disconnect in the church. That is, Christians do not speak, think, or live like Christians. This recognition of inconsistency between professed faith and real life has been unearthed repeatedly by hundreds of surveys done from in and outside church circles for the last twenty five years.

How did the American church get to this point? There are many things that the church itself has or hasn’t done over the last 50 years that has borne this fruit: false or twisted doctrines, refusal to challenge fruitless professing Christians, refusal to make church discipline a healthy part of church life, gospel messages that are not Biblical, and more. But one of the most devastating things that the church has failed to do is confront the constant assault of non-Christian thinking when it sees this anti-Christian thinking showing up in our church members.

The combination of weak teaching from the pulpits of America and the refusal or inability to refute, rebuke, and warn against non-Christian thinking has resulted in the majority of professing believers being no different in their worldview than the average non-believer. In fact, in a study done by The Barna Research group back in 1984, only 9% of those who said they were born again believers said “yes” to the following questions: 

1. Do absolute moral truths exist?
2. Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
3. Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
4. Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
5. Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
6. Is Satan real?
7. Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
8. Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

The trend has not improved. The barrage of ideas, pictures, teachings, and messages that come through all avenues of media and communication continue to shape our thinking.

Think for a moment how you thought about your reaction to seeing a fully nude person in a movie 25 years ago and how you react now? How about filthy language or obscene jokes? Have you learned to think that it’s really no big deal? How about a few of these worldviews compared to a Christian Worldview? Which one do you have?

Non-Christian Worldview on working: My job stinks and I get what I can out of my company.

Christian Worldview: I am thankful that I have a job and I’m going to work as hard as I can to build up the company and make my boss look good.

Non-Christian Worldview on money: I earned it and it’s my money and I’ll do what I want with it. I hope to make as much as I can so I can retire early and enjoy life.

Christian Worldview: I am thankful that the Lord has enabled me to make this money. I know that it is His money, so I need to think about how I can best use it for His Kingdom. If I can ever retire, I would like to spend my time serving others.

Non Christian Worldview on educating children: I pay my taxes and I’d be foolish to throw that money away by not using the government school system.

Christian Worldview: Children are a gift from God and I will do whatever I have to in order for my children to receive education from a Christian perspective daily. 

Turning back to the truth…….    

There is no doubt that God wants His people to think and act like the Bible says they should think and act. But where do we start?

Our school has a simple motto that may be helpful to you as you focus on developing a Christian Worldview. In the high school, it is called, “hearts changed, minds renewed, lives engaged.” For the elementary and middle school, we made it even more simple: “heart, head, hands.”

For child or adult, the most critical factor in developing a Christian Worldview is a heart change. That is, every person who has a true Christian Worldview must have a heart that loves God and desires to obey Him. Unfortunately, no human being can grant or create that heart change- it must be done by God Himself. Yet, that doesn’t mean that parents must wait for the heart change before we begin to train the mind.

According to Romans 12:2, all of the thinking of the mind must be renewed by the constant teaching of God’s Word. As God’s Word is used to teach a Christian Worldview, God may be pleased to change the heart of a person and call that person to faith in Jesus Christ. Christian parents are faced with the mandate of raising their children in “training and instruction of the Lord.” That means that the home, church, and school must be constantly feeding the child’s mind with instruction that supports solid Biblical teaching (see our brochure on “Why Christian Education?”).

Finally, with a heart changed to love God and a mind renewed to think like a Christian should think, it follows that a person will have a great desire to engage lives for the good of others and the glory of Christ. Engaging lives doesn’t just mean sharing the gospel but it means serving others, putting others first, doing acts of mercy and kindness, taking the time to listen to hurting friends and acquaintances, and so much more. This is a person who has a true Christian Worldview.

Why is this so important? If the only reason to have a Christian Worldview was because God has commanded it, that would be enough! But there is so much more. Think of the effect on our country, our government, and our laws if instead of 9% of “born again” believers having a Christian Worldview, we had 9% who didn’t have a Christian Worldview and 91% who did! And then there is this: a life that has a true Christian Worldview is the most joyful and full life a person can have.

A Christian Worldview in the American church is at an all time low, but there is hope. God has a history of showing His power in the midst of weak people who desire to glorify Him by loving Him with all of their hearts, minds, and strength. May He give us the grace to desire Him as the deer pants for the water in a dry and desolate land.

Those questions revealed a reality that I see weekly in our school families: many—not all—dads are essentially absent from the daily interaction and training of their children. As our faculty sees more and more of the consequences of a family operating with the father being absent, we have changed the traditional meaning of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and used the acronym to mean Absent Dad Disorder.

There are several symptoms of ADD:

• Children who are inappropriately craving affection, especially from men. The child does not process it—they do not know what they are doing—they are just attempting to fill that void that should be filled by their father.
• Children who are not behaving properly. These children are not getting the training and discipline that they need from a man.
• Children who are physically aggressive towards other children and/or even their mom. I am not a psychologist, but it seems that the child is simply releasing frustration or anger that is below the surface.
• Children who have little discipline in their life, manifested by the fact that they struggle to stay on task at school or do their homework at home.
• Children who no longer have any respect for what their parents say, because they have received a message for years that they are not important enough to get on Dad’s schedule for attention.
• Mothers who are exhausted. So much could be said about ADD hurting your marriage, although we are focusing on the children in this letter. Dad, your wife is being run into the ground! She is trying to fill the role of two parents and she cannot do it. Even if she could be two parents, she cannot be a man. God has created men to be the leaders in their households and has given men special tools to get the job done. Ephesians 6:4 is speaking to fathers when it says to bring up the children in the training and admonition of the Lord.
• Mothers who are the spiritual leaders of the household—and let me tell you, they hate that position. God has wired them to be led, not to lead. Yet they are trapped between their Biblical responsibility to love and support their husbands and a desire for you to be the father and husband that God has called you to be.

Now let me make a couple of exceptions to those who are doing the best they can. First, if you are a single parent, I do not even understand how you get anything done. What a difficult situation! Second, if you are a man who has a job that causes you to be away from home or work for long hours, and it is the only job you can get for your level of training, no need to feel guilty. In those cases, you must trust that the Lord will watch over your family and while you do the best you can.

But you have to be honest. If you are working long hours and traveling, because you want to make more money than you really need, or you just do not want to be home, because you get more satisfaction in your job, you are guilty of neglecting your God given responsibility, and you need to make a change. You are not going to be able to see the complete picture of how the ADD is hurting your child, because it is a slow process of degradation that will not be seen until you have a problem.

Does your family have ADD and you want to do something about it? There is a cure and a hope. Let me give you an idea that will change your relationship with your wife and children: sit on the couch and read the Bible for thirty minutes with them. Is that it? Yes, that is it. Only thirty minutes of your day. Can you stop work thirty minutes sooner? Yes. Can you leave the golf course or tennis courts thirty minutes earlier? Yes. Can you choose to shut the television off or put down the newspaper for 30 minutes? Yes.

Here is what will happen:

• When you are dead-beat-tired at the end of the day, God will give you the strength to do it.
• Your children will believe that their dad thinks the Bible is important.
• Your children will know that they are important to you.
• You will have opportunities to talk with your children about things that they are thinking about.
• God will change your heart and give you a joy that you did not know was available, and many more things will begin to happen that will be a blessing.
• Are you afraid of reading the Bible because you do not know it well? Start with the book of Matthew and just take it one step at a time. God will give you guidance.
• Your wife will cry with tears of joy.

Dad, go home. They have been waiting for you.

Recently I have observed an increase in the level of interaction between some of the boys and girls at the elementary school level with the boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in mind. There have been some phone calls made and notes passed, and yet nothing really serious has happened. Even so, the fallout from this kind of interest and behavior has been clearly seen, as some of the kids are rejecting others, breaking off friendships, and making “who likes whom” a focus of attention.

The pattern becomes more sophisticated as it continues in the middle school years and is in full bloom by the time the children hit high school. I would like to attempt to persuade you that the elementary level of “who likes whom,” and the middle school level of “who is going out with whom,” are not simply innocent and cute stages of life through which everyone must go. As informed Christians professing to glorify the Lord in all things, we need to see if any of this behavior brings glory to God and evaluate the effects of it on our kids.

A brief look at the teen dating model and its consequences will show that it is the world’s model, not Christ’s, that we are so accustomed to. Dating is more for a boy and a girl than just spending time together. It’s a lifestyle that involves attitudes and values. It’s a heart thing! Matthew 22:37 says, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” The first love for our kids is to be Jesus. Our Creator’s plan for our lives is really what we should be directing our kids to focus on; the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever!

Romantic male-female relationships are designed by God to be special and singular. The world’s model of dating is one in which you try out many opportunities until you find the one that makes you happy. This type of dating results in a pattern of many broken hearts and bad memories – some of which are detrimental to the intimacy intended for marriage later in life.

Interestingly, even the non Christian world is beginning to realize that frequent dating is not healthy. The following are excerpts from an article in the September 8, 2005 Wall Street Journal¹ that cites two studies not written from a Christian worldview but nonetheless conclude:

• Teens who date a lot don’t have a higher likelihood of developing healthy adult relationships. Instead, their romances in their 20s are likely to be more troubled.
• Teens who dated only one or a few people, and formed relationships of more than a few weeks, emerged in their 20s with closer and more-trusting romantic ties than those who had more numerous and fleeting dates.
• Unmarried teen girls who settled down with just one partner at 16 or 17- and were still unmarried at 21- are more likely to be eventually married by ages 22-25.

Many, including Christians and non Christians, think that dating is just part of the teenage experience. However, putting adolescent boys and girls together leads not only to the emotional experiences that often tear at our children’s hearts but also to sexual experimentation. Think back to your teen years: were you told by a boyfriend or girlfriend in your teen years that he/she loved you? Did he/she eventually marry you?  Where did that relationship lead? God wants us to act and think differently. These are matters of the heart. Philippians 1:9-10 says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

The goal for most kids in boy/girl relationships is that they are primarily interested in what they are going to get out of the relationship. Sometimes popularity, comfort or pleasure is what a teen gains emotionally or physically. That’s not the kind of love that God would have us live out. That’s choosing what feels good for self rather than what is good for others and pleases God.  Parents must be honest and Biblically discerning about the real motivation that lies behind the thoughts and actions of our children. Do love and sincerity motivate the boys in these relationships?  Matthew 22:39 says, “And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

There is a great book on the subject entitled I Kissed Dating Goodbye, written by Joshua Harris. I have little space here, so I will make a few points and urge you to buy the book. The book is about waiting and preparation, and it debunks and rejects the typical idea of dating and applies a Biblical grid to it. You don’t have to agree with all of his points, but it would behoove you to take a good look at them. Josh Harris says, “Let’s not do what feels good, but instead do what is good.”  He encourages us to look at all of the damage caused by typical worldly dating in the lives of teens and to replace that energy and time with a time of focused preparation for all of life, including preparing for the special relationship of marriage. The book challenges our teens to realize they have no business taking another person’s heart if they are not ready to make a lifelong commitment to that person. He says that if you really love someone, you’ll be interested in that special person’s long-term needs rather than your short-term desires. He exhorts the teen to look at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God. That way, the person is positioned to receive God’s best for them.  God has something better for a teen than futile worldly dating!

I have two lists for you from the Josh Harris book that are without the further explanation that is needed, but due to lack of space, you’ll just have to get the book to learn more.

The seven habits of highly defective dating are:

1. Dating leads to intimacy, but not necessarily commitment.
2. Dating tends to skip the “friendship stage” of the relationship.
3. Dating often mistakes a physical relationship for love.
4. Dating often isolates a couple from other vital relationships.
5. Dating, in many cases, distracts young adults from their primary responsibility of preparing for the future.
6. Dating can cause discontentment with God’s gift of singleness.
7. Dating creates an artificial environment for evaluating another person’s character.

If you are like me, you read those and said amen, I’ve done that before and amen, I see that over and over again. Now here is the refreshing Christian view – five important new attitudes:

1. Every relationship is an opportunity to model Christ’s love.
2. My unmarried years are a gift from God.
3. Intimacy is the reward of commitment; I don’t need to pursue a romantic relationship before I am ready for marriage.
4. I cannot “own” someone outside of marriage.
5. I will avoid situations that could compromise the purity of my body or mind.

Some of you won’t agree. Some of you agree but are saying, “My child would never go for this.” You are absolutely right. If they have been trained by the world to think like a worldling, they will not want to kiss dating goodbye. But, you are the parent, so….. be the parent! I can’t tell you how often parents tell me what their child will or will not do, so that’s what they (the parents) do. We parents have to take a stand for the Lord and teach the tough things that need to be taught! God will honor that.

Some of you are happy that you don’t have teens yet, so you think you don’t have to be concerned. Wrong!!!!!! The reason that we are struggling with our teens and worldly dating and relationship views is because of what they have been taught since Kindergarten. How foolish is it of us parents to allow our child to be taught worldly thinking about male/female relationships and then go to God when our child is 16 years old to beg that He will help our child behave like a Christian when he/she is alone! God will not be mocked!

Boys must be taught that they are not to get physical with the girls and that, instead, girls are to be honored and respected. Little things such as holding open a door or helping carry something for a girl are proper and good. The children need to be taught that having an opposite sex relationship is something that is for later in life as you get ready for marriage – something that is also extraordinarily special to people and to God. Boys and girls calling each other on the phone (especially in elementary school) is inappropriate in most cases. We need to teach that people are not possessions that you can trade. Instead, we need to teach them to show real love to one another by helping one another to succeed where they are in life (a student) and to honor God.

What are our kids being taught through what they see and hear daily? What are they watching on TV? How about the movies? You and I both know that women are often portrayed as sex objects and trophies. What about at home? Dads, do you treat your wife as the queen of the household? Do your kids see you treating her with great care and affection? Do you realize that everything they see is teaching them how to treat their wives one day?

Every year of our lives we are learning and recording permanent records in our minds. I played the worldly relationship and dating game when I was young and things may seem to have worked out OK. My wife and I have been married for 27 years and have a great marriage – but there is more to the story than what you see. Frankly, I am ashamed of many things that I have recorded in my memory regarding male/female relationships from many years ago before I was married. I have prayed that God would remove some of those memories, and He has been gracious, but some remain. In God’s purposes, He often allows us to experience and remember things so we can learn from them and pass the lessons on to others.

If you went through the same pattern of worldly dating when you were young, you don’t have to pass it on. You can start afresh with your children. By God’s grace, you have the power to go against the tide of our culture and raise up children who are truly happy and bring glory to God. We have great promises from God that He will be faithful if we will trust and obey Him.

I hope that this article has given you some food for thought. Better yet, I hope that you have been convinced that boy/girl relationships in the third, fourth, or fifth grade are yet another battleground for the spiritual struggle for our kids’ hearts. In life, the devil is not kept out of your child’s life by locking a door. We must get after him with all we’ve got and then root out the unbiblical thinking in our kids.

 ¹Shellenbarger, Sue (2005) The Case for Going Steady: Studies Say Teen Dating Habits Affect Marriage Skills. Wall Street Journal, 9/8/2005.

1. The new high school GPA requirement to have 100% of the tuition covered will now be 3.7. Those who achieve this level receive what will be called The Zell Miller Scholars award. This is a huge change from the previous 3.0 GPA requirement. I believe that the main purpose for the higher GPA is to reduce the preponderance of grade inflation (to get the 3.0) that has been taking place in the public schools for years. This had resulted in many years of students receiving the HOPE Scholarship who really shouldn’t have received it. The consequences of giving the HOPE to thousands of students who were not prepared for college have included the need for remedial high school level courses in college, high dropout rates, and the waste of millions of dollars. Raising the GPA requirement to 3.7 makes it very difficult for teachers to inflate grades because it would have to be so blatant. Also new is the requirement to score a 1200 on the reading and math portions of the SAT. Together with the 3.7 GPA requirement, many students who previously received the full scholarship will not receive the funds to pay for the entire tuition.
2. Students who receive the Zell Miller Scholar award (100% tuition paid) will have to maintain a 3.5 GPA in college to keep the award. This is also a huge change because studies show that 75% of the students who receive HOPE lose the HOPE by their senior year because they have not maintained a 3.0 GPA under the old HOPE system.
3. The Standard HOPE will now pay only 90% of the tuition. Many students will not be able to afford the out of pocket cost and will not attend a 4 year college.
4. Remedial classes will no longer covered by HOPE. Many students will not be able to afford the out of pocket cost and will not attend a 4 year college.
5. In order to qualify for the HOPE, a more rigorous high school class schedule will be required. Beginning with the class that will graduate in 2015, students will be required to take at least 2 courses in advanced math, science, foreign language, AP classes, or IB classes. For the class of 2016, 3 classes will be required, and for the class of 2017 and beyond, 4 of these classes will be required in high school.

What does it mean for Cherokee Christian High School Students?

Here at Cherokee Christian, we give grades that are truly earned so this will not affect us at all. We already offer all of the courses that will be required by HOPE in the future years. We continue to prepare our students not only to get into college, but to succeed in college and keep any scholarships they have earned.

For those families that choose a standard of education less than CCHS, they should not be surprised if they have to pay thousands of dollars for remedial classes or, worse yet, the entire cost of college tuition should their child lose the HOPE.

The value of a Premier Scholastic education at Cherokee Christian High School is great. Yes, it is a substantial dollar investment, but parents will find it wise to invest now rather than pay dearly later.

Barna has spotted what he has called six megatrends- all of which are having a devastating effect on the church. Here are some of the megatrends excerpts and my comments in italics:

The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
What used to be basic, universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a large and growing share of Americans–especially young adults. For instance, Barna Group studies in 2010 showed that while most people regard Easter as a religious holiday, only a minority of adults associate Easter with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other examples include the finding that few adults believe that their faith is meant to be the focal point of their life or to be integrated into every aspect of their existence. Further, a growing majority believe the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God’s presence or power, but not a living entity. As the two younger generations (Busters and Mosaics) ascend to numerical and positional supremacy in churches across the nation, the data suggest that biblical literacy is likely to decline significantly. The theological free-for-all that is encroaching in Protestant churches nationwide suggests the coming decade will be a time of unparalleled theological diversity and inconsistency.

There is nothing more destructive to true Christianity than the removal of truth or the ignorance of truth. Jesus is truth and His word is truth. The truth about God and man is found in the pages of scripture and without it, the Christian life is impossible. We must teach Biblical truth to the children 24/7 and that of course, means Christian schooling.

Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
Despite technological advances that make communications instant and far-reaching, Christians are becoming more spiritually isolated from non-Christians than was true a decade ago. Examples of this tendency include the fact that less than one-third of born again Christians planned to invite anyone to join them at a church event during the Easter season; teenagers are less inclined to discuss Christianity with their friends than was true in the past; most of the people who become Christians these days do so in response to a personal crisis or the fear of death (particularly among older Americans); and most Americans are unimpressed with the contributions Christians and churches have made to society over the past few years. As young adults have children, the prospect of them seeking a Christian church is diminishing–especially given the absence of faith talk in their conversations with the people they most trust. With atheists becoming more strategic in championing their godless worldview, as well as the increased religious plurality driven by education and immigration, the increasing reticence of Christians to engage in faith-oriented conversations assumes heightened significance.

Faith comes by hearing, and that hearing is through the supernatural hearing of God’s word (Romans 10:17). Furthermore, God uses the good fruit of Christians to be a sweet smelling aroma to the lost. The rising generation must be taught not only to share their faith, but to be seen as credible witnesses to the living Jesus working in and through them. This trend must also call us to question the validity of the faith of so many professing Christians because we are told that “faith without works is dead.”

 Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.
When asked what matters most, teenagers prioritize education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a back seat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to achieve their dreams. Among adults the areas of growing importance are lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements. Those dimensions have risen at the expense of investment in both faith and family. The turbo-charged pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection. The deeper thinking that occurs typically relates to economic concerns or relational pressures. Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and simplicity are rare. (It is ironic that more than four out of five adults claim to live a simple life.) Practical to a fault, Americans consider survival in the present to be much more significant than eternal security and spiritual possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial approach to faith has become a central means of optimizing our life experience.

Barna may not have the will to say it or he is just missing the point. What does the Bible call it when you place more importance on this life than the next? What does it mean when people choose to believe the practical things they can see and do over and above the things that are unseen? What is the common denominator for lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements? The answers to the questions I raise are all related to money issues and is representative of people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ.

The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
Our biblical illiteracy and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making discerning choices for fear of being labeled judgmental. The result is a Church that has become tolerant of a vast array of morally and spiritually dubious behaviors and philosophies. This increased leniency is made possible by the very limited accountability that occurs within the body of Christ. There are fewer and fewer issues that Christians believe churches should be dogmatic about. The idea of love has been redefined to mean the absence of conflict and confrontation, as if there are no moral absolutes that are worth fighting for. That may not be surprising in a Church in which a minority believes there are moral absolutes dictated by the scriptures.

Books have been written on the subject so I can’t make a comment here that will do this justice (no pun intended). However, the bottom line is that we have had decades of “don’t be judging” which have lead us to the point of spineless Christianity. We have got to get back to knowing what the Bible says and then doing what God calls us to do- even if we don’t fit into the modern day trends of our culture. Oh, we so need a resurgence of church discipline where courageous Christian leaders lovingly confront members of their flock who are living ungodly lives!

The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.
Christianity has arguably added more value to American culture than any other religion, philosophy, ideology or community. Yet, contemporary Americans are hard pressed to identify any specific value added. Partly due to the nature of today’s media, they have no problem identifying the faults of the churches and Christian people.

In a period of history where image is reality, and life-changing decisions are made on the basis of such images, the Christian Church is in desperate need of a more positive and accessible image. The primary obstacle is not the substance of the principles on which Christianity is based, and therefore the solution is not solely providing an increase in preaching or public relations. The most influential aspect of Christianity in America is how believers do–or do not–implement their faith in public and private. American culture is driven by the snap judgments and decisions that people make amidst busy schedules and incomplete information. With little time or energy available for or devoted to research and reflection, it is people’s observations of the integration of a believer’s faith into how he/she responds to life’s opportunities and challenges that most substantially shape people’s impressions of and interest in Christianity. Jesus frequently spoke about the importance of the fruit that emerges from a Christian life; these days the pace of life and avalanche of competing ideas underscores the significance of visible spiritual fruit as a source of cultural influence.

With the likelihood of an accelerating pace of life and increasingly incomplete cues being given to the population, Christian leaders would do well to revisit their criteria for “success” and the measures used to assess it. In a society in which choice is king, there are no absolutes, every individual is a free agent, we are taught to be self-reliant and independent, and Christianity is no longer the automatic, default faith of young adults, new ways of relating to Americans and exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith are required.

This is where Barna is not only wrong, but he contributes to the problem. His suggestions of how the church needs to have a “more positive and accessible image” are not helpful. In fact, it has been the efforts of the church to be more positive and accessible that has led it to remove things like accountability and tolerance! Fundamentally, the Bible teaches that it is God who draws people into the church and saves them; it is a supernatural work, not the work of men. I believe that God would have us simply and profoundly revisit His word and believe and do what it says. I believe that that would change the world.

 You can see the entire Barna report at http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/462-six-megathemes-emerge-from-2010

My letter does not cover all of the issues that would have to be resolved and due to limited space, those issues will be discussed if and when the leaders of public education have a heart to do it. The letter is here in the blue ink below…….

There has never been a better time for our local school board to do something bold and brilliant for the education of Cherokee County children.

No matter whom you speak to, all agree that there are tremendous funding challenges that will last for years to come. Where will the money come from?

There is a significant option that can be placed on the table if all parties agree to consider the welfare of this young generation (and our country) before all other interests.

I propose that the public school system in Cherokee County outsource the education for as many children as possible to the local private schools and save millions of dollars in the process. How?

Presently, Cherokee Christian Schools, American Heritage Academy, and Lyndon Academy have about 600 seats that are not filled with students. The buildings are already built and the staff in place to do the job.

Based on the published 2009-2010 budget from the Cherokee County School District, the county receives for each student about $546 from the federal government, $4,709 from the state, and $7,852 from the local government (total of $13,107 per student).

If Cherokee County would pay $5,000 per student to outsource education to a local private school, the county could keep the local money ($7,852 per student) and be way ahead. In fact, if the county did this for 600 students, the county would have $4,711,200 of revenue in the budget that they would not have to expense. This is not insignificant and if you look at the savings that could be accrued over a ten year period, it is more than $47,000,000 (that’s millions).

And there is more. According to the published school budget, the county paid another $127,000,000 for various costs associated with building needed facilities. That’s another $3,342 per student or about another $2,000,000 per year for 600 students. Not having to build classrooms for 600 students could save the taxpayer $20,000,000 over a ten year period and reduces overcrowding. Now we are up to $67,000,000 in savings over ten years. So, why can’t we do this? What are the concerns?

Concerned about quality? Outsource to only SACS accredited schools, just like the county. Outsource only to schools that have higher national and SAT test scores and lower crime rates than the county schools. Worried about tax dollars going to religious schools? Let the parents decide if they want secular private or Christian private and the county will not be accused of directing children to a religious education.

Some may say that I was motivated to write this as a scheme to increase enrollment in my school. Yes, I want greater enrollment, but that is not the issue here; the issue is doing what is right for the taxpayers and the students.

There are other factors to be considered such as which students go to the private schools or how to hold private schools accountable for the taxpayer’s money. Those questions need to be answered, but only after this question is answered: do our county leaders have a passion to make this idea of saving millions work? Do something bold; do something brilliant for the children and the future of our country.

For 12 years taxpayers in the state of Arizona have enjoyed the unique privilege of designating how part of their state income tax can be spent. Credits are available for purchase and installation of water conservation systems, for donations to various kinds of non-profit charities, and for donations to public school extracurricular activity funds.

But the largest single benefactor of the tax credit law has been private school scholarship organizations, where donors can receive credit for up to $1,000 in a single calendar year. Although there are caps on each of these credits, a taxpayer can donate to multiple options in the same year, such as both the public school extracurricular credit and the private school scholarship credit.

On November 3, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up a challenge to the tax credit law that could having far-reaching effects on private and Christian school education throughout America – and your prayers are being coveted for that case.

In the years these credits have been available, over 30,000 students have received private school scholarships. In recent years, the amount awarded in scholarships has exceeded $50 million per year. A 2009 study by an independent economist, Dr. Charles North, revealed that in the first 10 years the private school scholarship program has saved the state of Arizona approximately $186 million over what it would have paid to educate these same students in public schools.

Opponents of the private school scholarship program have often alleged that only students from privileged families are receiving these funds, but a recent report from the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (ACSTO), the largest of the scholarship tuition organizations, reveals that over 65% of its scholarship recipients would qualify for aid under a means test identifying the neediest students.

Of the nearly 70 scholarship tuition organizations (STOs), many have been formed to serve particular kinds of schools: Catholic, Adventist, Lutheran, Christian, Jewish, and independent secular schools, as well as special STOs for Montessori and Waldorf schools. Some STOs serve special populations such as Native Americans. Many other STOs serve all schools in a particular geographic area. Taxpayers are completely free to choose which STO they will donate their money to.

In February 2000 several Arizona taxpayers, with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit in federal district court alleging that the tax credit violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. They claim that a constitutional violation is created because religious schools participate in the program along with secular schools, and that because some of the largest STOs, such as ACSTO, provide scholarships only to students attending religious schools, the government is therefore somehow favoring religion.

After bouncing around in several lower courts, this case will finally have its day in the U.S. Supreme Court on November 3. There are two separate issues at stake: whether or not these taxpayers have the “standing” to challenge a law that does not force them personally to contribute to religious causes; and whether or not these scholarship contributions violate the Establishment Clause.

If ACSTO prevails on either or both of these issues, the implied benefits to religious freedom in this nation are tremendous. Plus, thousands of families in Arizona will continue to be free to choose private schools for their children.

Steve Yarbrough, an Arizona state legislator and director of ACSTO, shared the following prayer points with The Presidential Prayer Team looking ahead to November 3:

• “Pray for our legal team and the others involved on our side. Pray for Jeremy Tedesco who prepared our reply brief. Pray for David Cortman of Georgia who will argue for us. Pray for the three other great lawyers on our team. Pray for Paula Bickett arguing for the state of Arizona. Pray for Tim Keller of the Institute for Justice who has been vital to this process from the beginning.”
• “Pray for the Justices that they will be wise and true to the Constitution and to the opportunity for thousands of students and the benefit of saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Pray that when the decision is finalized, whether based on standing or Establishment Clause principles, it will become the beacon for freedom and school choice throughout America.”
• “Pray for all of us at ACSTO who have carried this banner, even when it has been lonely and heavy during the past 12 years of litigation, because we have been blessed with a generous outpouring of God’s grace and mercy. There is much to be thankful for and much to pray about. Prayer remains a powerful weapon in our arsenal. Thanks to all who stand with us.”

Dr. Tom Askew has been an educator in both public and private schools for 36 years, in Hong Kong, Germany, Georgia, and Arizona. He is currently the director of The Christian Teaching Academy, a staff and school development resource for the Christian schools of Tucson, Arizona.

Reprinted from http://presidentialprayerteam.com/issues