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This is the sixth article in our 10-part series of excerpts from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men.”  

The purpose of this book is to illuminate ten reasons for the frightening collapse in morality in America in recent years. Although America was built on the foundations of the education and discipleship system outlined in Scripture, we began abandoning these precepts in the mid-19th century in favor of a new church doctrine formally termed Pietism[1] that places a false division between what is deemed “secular” and “sacred,” effectively silencing the churches regarding social and political issues causing chaos and destruction in our society. But God speaks constantly on these same issues throughout the Bible, warning nations and people of unethical, unrighteous behavior and the consequences of rejecting His Law in our culture. Here is the fifth great concern.

 Grave Error #5

Don’t Tackle Public School Education

It’s too political!

Before we address this touchy subject, let’s first consider why topics like public education, same-sex marriage, gender issues, climate change, etc., have become “untouchable” in most churches. The obvious answer is that today each is deemed “political.” Does this mean that the Bible doesn’t address such issues or care about how men think and behave regarding each? Of course not. Then why are they off the table for discussion from the pulpit?                    

     We suggest that they were never considered inviolable until the government began taking control over each subject one-by-one beginning in 1979 with the creation of the federal Department of Education. Why did this happen?

 Then and Now - Priorities Matter:

The Early Church Fathers Focused on Biblical Education

 Within the first century of Christ’s defeat of Satan on the Cross and the coming into His kingdom, discipleship and education became the dominant methods of spreading the Gospel. In less than 70 years of Christ’s ascension, the entire New Testament was written, and many thousands of quotes and copies of portions of those books penned over the next 200 years have been preserved. Words matter, and the sheer volume of these fragments reveals how deeply God’s words were revered and how essential they were to the effective spread of the Gospel message. Thus, early Church Fathers exhorted their people to instruct the children from the earliest ages.

In 96 A.D., Clement I of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth:

“Let us instruct our young men in the lesson of the fear of God…. Let our children be partakers of the instruction which is in Christ: let them learn how lowliness of mind prevails with God, what power chaste love (pure love) hath with God, how the fear of Him is good and great and saves all them that walk therein in a pure mind with holiness.”[2] 

In 150 A.D., Justin Martyr—who is called the first great scholar of the Christian church—established catechism schools in Ephesus and Rome. In most cases, these schools taught not only theology, but also literary arts, mathematics, and medicine. Students learned both to read and to write the Scriptures.

The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) states, “As a result of this emphasis on Christian education, Christianity became the major influence in the Roman Empire. Early church Christians used the Christian school to impact the pagan culture around them. The New Testament churches made the school the connecting link between herself the apostle’s teaching and the real world.”[3] In other words, the Christian school was a major tool of evangelism used by our spiritual ancestors, those early church believers who “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)

Christianity spread like wildfire. Second-century church leader Tertullian chided Roman authorities with these words: “We have filled all you have—cities, islands, forts, towns, assembly halls, even military camps, tribes, town councils, the palace, senate, and forum. We have left you nothing but your [pagan] temples.”[4] 

ACSI adds, “Education in those early days was focused on the principle that the most essential element of learning was virtue. The early church fathers warned Christians of the poisoning effect of the cultural norms and practices of the Greco-Roman society of the day. They warned passionately against the church allowing herself to be drawn away from virtue and toward the pagan arts and pastimes found in contemporary theater and stadiums.[5] 

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

Pastor/Educator Dave Scarbrough wrote in his 2006 article, “EDUCATING CHILDREN—Education in the Early Church”: But just like any other freedom, there always comes abuses. It was during this time that the Roman Catholic Church began to emerge. Although Christians had been around since the death of Christ, this formal organization known as the Roman Catholic Church had not. It was not until the year 438 that Emperor Theodosius II established the name "Catholic Christians", which simply meant Christians that were part of the universal church. Prior to that, they were simply known as Christians, or people of the Way, and their Christian leaders were primarily concerned with doctrine… But as this new church age began to form, many of the church "leaders" started to have a different focus, and by 590 AD, the Roman Catholic Church began to take more control over the state government.”[6] 

This unfortunately led to the federalization of the church, creating a huge, centralized bureaucracy that took control over nearly all of life. The teaching of Scripture was confined to the Latin dialect which was understood by relatively few throughout the immense Roman Empire. Eventually the Church specifically forbade the translation of Scripture into any common language, believing that only Roman Catholic Church scholars were capable of correctly translating the Bible. This is diametrically opposed to the instructions given by the Apostle Paul in several of his epistles to make sure those letters were read and passed around among other churches. Thus, the result of the Church keeping the Scriptures hidden from the commoners  effectively promoted biblical illiteracy, enabling the introduction of many false doctrines.

A thousand years later, the Reformation appeared, built upon the persecuted backs of those who translated the Bible into common language. America became the most literate nation the world had ever known by 1795, led by the churches that placed biblically-based education and discipleship at the top of their priorities.

Where are those churches today when we need them so desperately?

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A Giant Leap Forward

In the late Middle Ages and leading up to the Reformation, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and others risked their lives to provide the common people with the Bible in their own language. Christian schools sprang up by the hundreds, and many met in secret to teach people to read the Scriptures in their native tongue. The spread of the Scriptures in the people’s native tongue would soon prove integral to the Reformation.  Toward the end of the Reformation, Christian schools were no longer uncommon in Europe. According to some historians, during the sixteenth century France had more than two thousand evangelical Protestant Christian schools, organized and populated largely by the French Huguenots.[7] 

But even amidst these successes, Martin Luther (1483-1546) warned: “However, even if the high schools studied the Scriptures diligently, we should not send everyone to them, as we do now, when nothing is considered but numbers, and every man wishes to have a doctor’s title; we should only send the aptest pupils, well prepared in the lower schools…. But where the Holy Scriptures are not the rule, I advise no one to send his child. Everything must perish where God’s word is not studied unceasingly ... I greatly fear the high schools are nothing but great gates of hell, unless they diligently study the Holy Scriptures and teach them to the young people.”[8]   Luther believed deeply that Christian schools would be absolutely essential for establishing a foundation for the church, saying: “When schools prosper, the Church remains righteous and her doctrine pure.... Young pupils and students are the seed and source of the Church. If we were dead, whence would come our successors, if not from the schools? For the sake of the Church we must have and maintain Christian schools.

… In my judgment there is no other outward offense that in the sight of God so heavily burdens the world, and deserves such heavy chastisement, as the neglect to educate children.[9]

Luther’s educational philosophy centered in the home, but he eventually supported state cooperation in education. He saw the state’s role as helpful with compulsory attendance and financing, but he still insisted on a fundamentally Christian education with the Scriptures at the center.

The reformers believed that the primary responsibility of educating children fell upon the church and parents (with possible infrastructure support from the state). Luther personally started numerous schools in existing churches. Congregations were expected to provide the necessary funding and oversight. Parents were also expected to play an important role, not only making sure their children attended class but also reinforcing instruction at home. Church leaders would shepherd the instruction process and assess a student’s progress by meeting with students and parents during the school year.

Luther believed that children should be educated as God-fearing, law-abiding citizens, and serving God also in every station of life. With that as the overriding principle, religion became relevant to the people. They were taught how to apply Scripture in all places and circumstances , and the entire world was blessed as a result.

Conclusion

Throughout history, God has shown uncanny patience toward His people. Even though we fail Him time and again, He still gives each successive generation the chance to repent and return. That opportunity exists for us even today. Let’s pray for hearts committed to restoring biblical education and discipleship once again in our land!

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This series is extracted from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men—Ten Grave Errors Tossing the Church To and Fro.”

 Available on our GTI website or Amazon.

 Endnotes