Debate Ensues About Christians and Public Schools
Despite Douglas Wilson’s claim that education is a clear-cut issue, people shared passionate responses to his post. Theologian Owen Strachan wrote numerous responses plus a lengthy blog on the topic. “With respect, I believe that Wilson is out of bounds here,” he posted on Dec. 1. “[Christians are] not bound by legalistic dictates; we live in the freedom of the gospel.”
“I went to public school and became a Christian,” Strachan added. “While many Christians may do otherwise (my own kids are not in public school), Wilson is wrong to tell believers that they necessarily sin if they send their kids to a public school. The gospel is better than legalism.”
Wilson responded, “Yes to gospel, no to legalism. Absolutely. I just believe that Christian kids should be brought up in that gospel, and not in state-sponsored legalism…perverse legalism.”
In his essay, Strachan emphasized that not all public schools are the same and that “many Christians serve in public schools with a gospel focus.” He wrote, “The Lordship of Christ does not mean that we eject from the world and create a parallel Christian universe. [It] means we engage our world with God’s grace and truth, doing so not from a posture of fear or antagonism, but faith and love.”
Strachan acknowledged, “There are indeed many bad secular ideas taught in a good number of public schools.” But he said Christians have freedom to rely on their conscience regarding “gray areas” that aren’t mentioned in Scripture. “Instead of the One Perfect Model that we must labor to put everyone under,” Strachan wrote, “we have a better option before us: we can live in the freedom of the gospel.”
In response, Texas pastor and teacher Timothy Hammons posted, “Owen, your view of the public schools with Christians as principals is overly idealistic. Yes, Christians are there, but we can say very little and have little to no influence. The overwhelming Woke culture rules the day.” Hammons urged Strachan to “spend some time in the public schools as a [substitute teacher].”
Is Public Education Sinful?
On social media, some people defended Douglas Wilson’s take on public schools. “It is sinful to send your children to public school in our day,” wrote Utah Pastor Brian Sauvé. “[Our church] would discipline a member on this point. We built a Christian school that doesn’t charge tuition to remove any excuse. Barring custody issues, all of the children in our church receive a Christian education.”
The issue is “not complicated…just hard,” Sauvé contended. In most cases, he wrote, “It is simply a sinful neglect of your positive duties as a parent to send your children to America’s public schools.” The pastor added, “Should a Christian government retake the schools and adequately reform them, it would become permissible.”
In response, someone asked Sauvé, “Who gets disciplined? The father? With what sin is he charged?”
“For all their talk of SPHERES, watch them now OVERRULE a father,” the user said, “who may have his own reasons for this decision based on HIS home and HIS wisdom Extra-scriputural binding. Run from this sort of pastoral overreach.”
