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What the Bible says about Demise of Higher Education
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Homeschooling has become the most viable alternative to public education over the past several years. Concerned parents, watching standards—scholastic, moral, and cultural—tumble in their local schools, are turning to traditional curricula taught in the home by a parent to give their children a better education and environment. Whereas homeschooling used to be equated with liberal, hippie, granola-munching types, the movement is now predominantly conservative and Christian.

Adding values education to a hemorrhaging public school system is a last-ditch tourniquet, a triage procedure to save a wounded and dying institution. It may staunch the flow, but it will not keep the patient from expiring. Why? The answer is simple: A person, group, or institution cannot teach what it does not possess. At best, the public schools should be reinforcing values that have already been taught.

Character education must be taught in the home. If a child riding the bus on his first day of school does not already possess the basic values of right and wrong, he is already set up for failure. A five- or six-year-old child should already know and practice such fundamental values as respect for authority, courtesy, honesty, respect for property, respect for life, responsibility, etc. They are not difficult for a child to understand, especially if they are reinforced by their parents' examples. The Bible is full of exhortations and examples to parents to guide their children (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9; I Kings 1:1-6; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:1-4; etc.)

The parents should be supported in their responsibilities by the churches. However, this is happening too infrequently in this country. American mainstream churches are so busy doing "outreach," "political action," and other time- and resource-wasting activities that they are neglecting to teach Bible-based character from their pulpits. In attempting to include groups the Bible wholeheartedly rejects unless repentant, they have watered down Christian virtue into one word: tolerance. I challenge pastors and preachers across America to find that word in the Bible. God is never happy when religious leaders shirk their duties (see Malachi 2:1-9; Jeremiah 2:8-13; 5:30-31; II Peter 2; etc.).

As with all matters of morality and character, change must begin with the individual, and from there it spreads to the family and beyond. It cannot begin in a liberal public school system that will not recognize God, truth, biblical standards, or even this nation's founding virtues. As the song says, "Let it begin with me."

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Public Schools and Teaching Character

Romans 1:18-22

Statistics show that the more education an American citizen has, the more likely he will support such human perversions as abortion and homosexuality. How can this be? These perverse activities have been repeatedly proven to be destructive. Simple logic suggests that the more educated and informed a person is about homicidal or suicidal behaviors and lifestyles, the more he resists supporting and condoning such actions. But these "well-educated" people who support self-destructive perversions are swallowing the lies of self-serving teachers. They have not honestly pursued truth in their endeavors to learn!

According to data provided by The Gallop Organization regarding attitudes toward abortion always being legal in the U.S., the higher the education a person receives, the more pro-abortion he is. Concerning attitudes toward the legality of homosexual relations, the more institutionally educated a person is, the more pro-homosexual he is.

Could it be that these institutions of higher learning are not teaching people the truth? Would academia wave the banner of knowledge and wisdom, yet flagrantly and consistently lie to its disciples? Obviously, the answer is yes! They are distorting the facts of life to promote their agenda, and their students love to hear their lies.

For the most part, teachers of higher education choose to ignore proofs of the existence and sovereignty of God, instead willingly embracing and promoting unsubstantiated and untrue knowledge. This enmity toward God by the academic community has produced tainted fruit on a grand scale. Mental and physical anguish are the real fruit of such perverted human activities as abortion and homosexuality.

Paul explains to the church of God in Rome about this same attitude existing in his day. Its origin is the rejection of God as the only reliable source of truth. Truth is only obtainable through a relationship with God. Teachers are duty-bound to teach truth, yet many neglect this responsibility, teaching "alternate lifestyles," evolution, and tolerance of sin because they have little or no relationship with their Creator. King Solomon, the wisest of the wise taught,

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked. (Proverbs 2:6-14)

Truth and wisdom are viewed in this world as major liabilities to the successful pursuit of the lusts of the flesh. Most TV programs and major motion pictures promote lying as an acceptable way to not "hurt" someone's feelings, to "get out of" a scrape, or to "protect" someone from mental anguish. In reality—in truth—lying breaks the ninth commandment, and therefore lying is sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Lying always does harm, only tangles the web, and does nothing to protect anyone.

Public education today is a tool used by those who reject truth to promote their own agenda on a massive scale. Most higher education seeks to re-educate its disciples with false, humanistic propaganda. Maybe it is time more parents take the education of their own children into their own hands and teach truth whose source is the God of the universe.

Martin G. Collins
What's With Education Today?

2 Corinthians 11:4

Paul speaks here of "whom we have not preached." A person can preach in the name of Christ, but they may preach the wrong Jesus. He can make references to God yet be completely off the track.

The apostle uses a bit of sarcasm here. He does not want the Corinthians to "put up with" that false teacher at all. We have to be very careful about what we allow into our minds.

Many church members turn on radio and television preachers they know do not have God's Spirit, yet they listen to them, knowing such preachers are teaching a false message. They justify it by reasoning, "Well, every once in a while, I get something good out of it." This requires a very blunt response: That is stupid! Foolish! By doing this, they are putting themselves in the line of fire! It is asking to be deceived! We must be especially cautious about what we allow into our minds because whatever we take in is capable of producing a faith, that is, a belief. A faith or belief does not have to be true!

And we act on what we believe. We do not say to ourselves, "What this preacher is saying is stupid, idiotic, and dumb. I don't believe it. I think I'll do it." No, we act on what we believe. The danger for us lies right here. Because if what we believe is not right and we are acting on it, we will reap the consequences. Whatever we sow, we reap (Galatians 6:7). We must be careful about what we let ourselves hear and read.

All of us have been impacted by this danger before our conversion when we were absolutely defenseless. We did not know; we did not understand. But now we are aware that this principle is a very pervasive influence, and when the information we take in is false, it is not good because its roots are sunk in the sinful world and Satan the Devil, not in God!

So, we must be careful, recognizing that it has already affected us, especially those who have gone through school in the last few decades. Those of the older generation escaped a direct, frontal attack from our teachers simply because we went through school when the changes were only beginning to be made. What we were taught has not affected the way we behave nearly to the extent as has happened to the younger generations.

Senior citizens are blessed to have escaped the worst of this evil influence in their formative years. It did not enter the public school systems until they had finished their schooling or nearly so. The current worldview being taught had an insignificant impact on their minds. But they are still affected by it because it is all over television and the Internet. We are being drowned in it through entertainment and politics. We must be ever vigilant about what we allow in our minds!

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Wisdom of Men and Faith


 




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