Education Matters

Help Protect Parental Education Rights

2009-10-23T10:07:00.005-05:00

UN Petition for the Unborn (and Family Rights) has been relaunched; one million signatures are sought. This petition not only seeks to protect the rights of the unborn, but also the rights of parents to educate and protect their children in the way they see fit. "Family-rights proponents highlight the Universal Declaration's recognition that 'Parents have the prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.' The push in the West to allow homosexual propaganda in schools even against the wishes of parents would be in violation of the Universal Declaration."

Add your name to the more than five hundred thousand signatures already in place to the petition to protect these important values worldwide.

Join Efforts to Save the Children

2009-10-02T02:24:00.003-05:00

Donna Garner

Join efforts of thinking people who are writing to their state boards of education to ask them to contact the White House and the U. S. Department of Education to protest the hiring of Kevin Jennings as the Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Tell your education leaders something like this:

I know you want to keep our public school children safe and healthy. Kevin Jennings’ post at the Department of Education did not require legislative oversight nor the vetting process used in the Senate for other appointees. Undoubtedly, Kevin Jennings would never have made it through such a vetting process because of his extremely troubling background.

While Jennings was a teacher at Concord Academy High School in Massachusetts, a 15-year-old sophomore student came to Jennings and told him that he was having homosexual sex with an older man. Jennings by law should have immediately reported this incident of child abuse to Child Protective Services and/or to the police. Instead, Jennings, who is now in charge of the USDOE's Safe Schools initiative, encouraged the boy to continue the relationship with the sexual predator but to "use a condom."

At first Jennings denied the allegations about his conversation with his 15-year old student until FoxNews uncovered an audiotape in which Jennings admitted that he told the boy to "use a condom" in his activities. The Washington Times (9.28.09
-- http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/28/at-the-presidents-pleasure/ ) and other news agencies have reported the same illegal behavior on the part of Jennings.

Kevin Jennings is a homosexual and is the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an advocacy group that is trying to push their agenda into our public schools.

Jennings led discussions at a GLSEN seminar in Massachusetts where he guided young teens on how to perform dangerous homosexual perversions. At the seminar, GLSEN handed out a document to the students called the "The Little Black Book" which was a pornographic homosexual how-to-book that included a directory of homosexual bars.

It was Jennings' idea to push GLSEN programs into the public schools by framing the issue as one of "safety." In a New York City church on March 20, 2000, he said:
"Twenty percent of people are hard-core fair-minded [pro-homosexual] people. Twenty percent are hard-core [anti-homosexual] bigots. We need to ignore the hard-core bigots, get more of the hard-core fair-minded people to speak up, and we’ll pull that 60 percent [of people in the middle] over to our side. That's really what I think our strategy has to be. We have to quit being afraid of the religious right. We also have to quit — I’m trying to find a way to say this. I’m trying not to say,(a profanity), which is what I want to say, because I don’t care what they think! [audience laughter] Drop dead!"

Jennings continued:

"In Massachusetts the effective reframing of this issue was the key to the success of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. We immediately seized upon the opponent's calling card - safety – and explained how homophobia represents a threat to students' safety by creating a climate where violence, name-calling, health problems, and suicide are common. Titling our report 'Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth,' we automatically threw our opponents onto the defensive and stole their best line of attack. This framing short-circuited their arguments and left them back-pedaling from day one."

The GLSEN agenda is anything but “safe.” In fact, sexual perversion of any kind is terribly unhealthy and can lead to early death.

The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that men who have sex with men (MSM) and persons exposed to HIV through high-risk heterosexual contact accounted for 82% of all cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in 2006.

The Federal Drug Administration reported on 7.10.09 (http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/BloodBloodProducts/QuestionsaboutBlood/ucm108186.htm ):

Men who have had sex with men since 1977 have an HIV prevalence (the total number of cases of a disease that are present in a population at a specific point in time) 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first time blood donors and 8000 times higher than repeat blood donors (American Red Cross). Even taking into account that 75% of HIV infected men who have sex with men already know they are HIV positive and would be unlikely to donate blood, the HIV prevalence in potential donors with history of male sex with males is 200 times higher than first- time blood donors and 2000 times higher than repeat blood donors.

The medical statistics do not lie, and I could give you countless other medical indicators that show the destructive nature of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender activities.

Kevin Jennings’ “Safe Schools” initiative is built upon exactly those unhealthy activities that are disastrous for students.

Please express your displeasure to the White House and to the USDOE about the hiring of Kevin Jennings and do everything you can possibly do to keep Jennings’ “Safe Schools” initiative away from our public schools.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Garner
Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

Lay, Freeman Not Guilty!

2009-09-17T23:49:00.001-05:00

Susan Myers

Praise God! People all over the state and country prayed. More than three hundred people cheered, waved banners, and let their thoughts be known by megaphone in the streets, and the courtroom was packed as Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman walked into the Federal court in Pensacola, Florida. The evening of Thursday September 17, a judge found these two brave Christians not guilty in connection to contempt charges for allegedly violating a judge's order against promoting school prayer.

Constitution Day Battle

2009-09-17T11:58:00.003-05:00

Susan Myers

Today, 222 years to the day that our nation’s Constitution was signed, the future of religious liberty is on the line as never before! Is Christian conduct to be criminalized?

Matt Staver states, “The ACLU will observe the day seeking to destroy the Constitution by jailing two honorable men over a simple prayer. Liberty Counsel will observe Constitution Day defending freedom.”

Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman of the Santa Rosa County school system in Florida are appearing today, September 17, 2009, in a day-long hearing in federal court (before the same judge that sat on Dr. and Mrs. Hovind’s case) on charges of criminal contempt, the penalty for which includes $5,000 in fines, six months in jail, and the probable loss of their retirement benefits.

Their crime? Praying before a meal!

The ACLU bullies mean to make Christians fearful of expressing their faith in public settings. If the ACLU wins, millions of Christians will be cowed into silence.

Liberty Counsel urges us to please pray! This case is about prayer, and Matt Staver believes that “ultimately prayer will make the difference.”

He asks the following:
(1) Pray for their clients, Frank Lay and Robert Freeman.
(2) Pray for the legal team.
(3) Pray for the Lord to give them wisdom and even the words to say in court!

I am thankful for the show of support from fifty-four members of the U.S. Congress, including Florida’s Representative Jeff Miller. Their letter includes the well-documented statement: “The tradition of offering prayer in America has become so interwoven into our nation’s spiritual heritage that to charge someone criminally with engaging in such an innocent practice would astonish the men who founded this country on religious liberty.”

Tremendous Response to Petition Against ACLU!

2009-07-10T17:37:00.001-05:00

Susan Myers

Thank you for your participation. Liberty Counsel now has over 86,000 signers to petition to stop ACLU’s latest tactics to suppress the free speech rights of students and teachers! They are asking for at least 14,000 more to have the most impact. Make sure you have signed the petition and then pass on the news to others!

ACLU: Just How Bad Is It?

2009-07-08T12:47:00.006-05:00

Susan Myers

In American Civil Liberties Union’s actions, have you noticed that they stridently demand that students and teachers be “protected” from the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer, the Bible, evidence for creation, and the Ten Commandments at the same time as they force pornography, sodomy, and LGBT upon the public school system?

These horrible perversions that we wince at as adults are being forced upon our children. Here are just a very few examples: Schools pressured into restoring student access to gay Web sites! Government pressed to stopping the funding of abstinence education. School officials threatened into not telling students’ parents about their gay lifestyles! Students taught to frighten school officials into sanctioning gay dates at proms! Same-sex marriage argued over majority opinion in the courts. Abortion equated with birth control for students! Schools mandated to have mixed sex education classes. School districts manipulated into ending teacher drug testing.

Effective manipulators of our founding principles, ACLU lawyers—these “great defenders of liberty”— seem to be purposefully defiling and destroying the future of our country, not only its laws but our educational system along with real children and young people.

Why is that? The truth is summed up in a quote from their own founder, Roger Baldwin: “We are for socialism, disarmament and ultimately for abolishing the state itself…we seek the social ownership of property…and the sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal.” If they can enslave the future citizens of our country while they are young to sin at its most vile and also strip them of the enlightening truth of God’s Word and the Gospel and the power made available through prayer, they have no will to be free and no sight to realize the fact.

What can we do? Educate ourselves and then reveal the truth about this deceitfully named and subversively active group to others. We must protect our children and urge others to protect theirs. Intercede on our country’s behalf, and support organizations that are fighting for our rights and the future of our country.

Liberty Counsel is seeking "to mobilize at least one hundred thousand citizens who will stand against the ACLU and its despicable actions." Identify yourself as being against that insidious agenda. Expose and defeat it. Place your signature on this national petition and the Liberty Counsel promises that you will be "represented in official court briefs, memorandums, and other documents on cases involving attacks by the ACLU on our religious freedom and traditional values."

ACLU Stoops to New Low! Express Outrage By Signing Petition!

2009-07-07T19:07:00.001-05:00

Susan Myers

I have watched the typical scenario of ACLU running over the rights of students and teachers in a small public school district play out in our community. Just driving through Santa Rosa, Florida, you couldn’t help but notice the signs begging citizens to pray for the students in Santa Rosa County—they were everywhere during the school year, on businesses, on lawns, on church signs. Later, I was excited to see the courage of school faculty and students, as they stood for what was right! You can read the news accounts of different actions in the litigation section of Current Issues on this blog.

I was wondering what the next step would be when I received this latest alert from the Liberty Counsel. The ACLU is now contending that the Consent Order signed by beleaguered school officials earlier in the year extends to forcing employees to give up their rights to free speech and free exercise of it even after work and off campus with the broadest of applications! And it even demands that school employees actively prevent students from exercising their freedom of religion! Liberty Counsel states, that "if the ACLU gets their way, Santa Rosa employees will have to give up their faith in order to keep their jobs."

This despicable Consent Order must be defeated! If the Santa Rosa case is allowed to stand, other school districts will be likewise bullied. Give courage to others by standing with the CEAI teachers and administrators in Santa Rosa, Florida.

I urge you to take your stand with Liberty Counsel and the rights of Americans against the ACLU's attacks by signing this petition. We thank God for the vigilance of this organization and others like it and pray that God will again grant victory and vindication for the religious rights in our country and school system.

Special Alert

2009-07-03T00:13:00.002-05:00

Donna Garner

The National Education Association (NEA)—the nation’s largest teachers’ union with more than three million members—could be poised to vote on a brazen endorsement of gay marriage at its annual convention in San Diego this weekend, according to sources attending the convention.

NEA members obtained a draft of a proposed business item that declares the organization’s support of legal recognition to same-sex couples, which would amount to an endorsement of gay marriage and civil unions. The draft proposal also goes so far as to openly declare support of efforts to “repeal any federal legislation.” This appears to be a reference to the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents states from being forced to recognize same-sex unions performed outside their borders.

The draft version also declares that the NEA would support efforts to oppose constitutional amendments—a less-than-subtle reference to measures like Proposition 8, a law in California recently upheld by the state’s highest court, defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

NEA caucus members could vote on the issue as early as Friday.

Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said this represents an adult, political agenda that has nothing to do with education or a child’s best interest.

“This is especially egregious when you consider that teachers in California contributed more to support the traditional, man-woman marriage amendment than they did to defeat it,” she said. “If the NEA is so brazen to use its resources to push government-sanctioned same-sex unions—and oppose voter-supported traditional marriage laws—this would unnecessarily alienate a large portion of its members, not to mention contradict the viewpoints of a majority of the public whose tax money funds public schools.”

Sissy Jochmann, (from Moon Twp. PA) leader of the Conservative Educators Caucus of the NEA, said this action item is not what’s best for future generations.

“Over the years, we’ve been involved in the union to be a voice for conservative values we believe in. We know that even though we’re a small group, we represent a much larger group of teachers throughout the country.”

Jeralee Smith, a founder of the Conservative Educators Caucus, said the focus needs to be on education, not politics.

“I believe if the union could get out of the far left agenda and just focus on education that it would be a great boon to society,” she said. “But I believe it tears society down with some of the efforts that it extends.”

TAKE ACTION
Contact the NEA pressroom at 1-619-525-6377 and ask them to reject any proposed business items calling for legal recognition of same-sex unions.

You can also contact the NEA state affiliates through their Web site.

Assessing Worldviews

2009-07-02T17:11:00.007-05:00

Susan Myers

The media—the broad entity of TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, and now the Internet—that forms public opinion and behavior in our country, is the focus for this article’s prayer challenge. There is no doubt that this force has blurred the lines between right and wrong, Christian and non-Christian, and right and left in our country. The discerning Christian has been able to detect a growing liberal bias in the media for the last several decades. Surveys of journalists have amply demonstrated this fact.

However, if you have been paying attention in recent months, then you are well aware of how blatantly open mainstream media has become in pushing their humanistic and socialistic agenda: Besides using the power of the media to get liberal candidates elected and deliberately advancing the abortion and homosexual/ LGBT causes over majority public opinion in public schools as elsewhere, they have pressured governmental bodies and officials into taking power away from other duly elected bodies simply to remove logical thinking from science teaching in public schools. Further, they have blacked out major news (like that of the widely attended TEA parties) to stifle American citizens’ opposition to the current socialist swing in government. Much is done to discredit Christianity. Vocal Christian (and logical-thinking) public figures are persecuted while liberal leaders are endorsed wholesale, with reporters even openly stating that “Obama is sort of God.” Gains for humanism and socialism are celebrated, regardless of the disenfranchisement of citizens involved. The list goes on and on.

We certainly need to pray for newscasters and networks—for truth to triumph, and for individuals in the media to come to Christ. We also need to pray for discernment for the public—an understanding of what is true and what is not true.

However, let us also examine ourselves. Do you and I have a Christian worldview? Instead of carelessly assuming that, of course, we know what is biblical and right, why don’t you take the PEERS test from the Nehemiah Institute (named after the prophet in the Old Testament who led the charge to rebuild a fallen culture) with me and see how we rank. As this ministry states, “Key to Nehemiah’s work was ‘inspecting the walls.’” Taking this test with your family or class can be the first step toward rebuilding our Christian republic. Do we really have a worldview that is true to God’s revelation in His Word in regards to education, as well as politics, economics, religion, and social issues? Or have we slipped into a compromised Christian, secular humanist, or even a socialist worldview in one or more of these areas? Think with me as we read these words penned by Thomas B. Polluck in the 1800s.

"We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought"

We have not known Thee as we ought, Nor learned Thy wisdom, grace & power;
The things of earth have filled our thought, And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us faith to know Thee near, And grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not feared Thee as we ought, Nor bowed beneath Thine awful eye,
Nor guarded deed and word and thought, Remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know Thee near, And grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not loved Thee as we ought, Nor cared that we are loved by Thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought, And feebly longed Thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart To feel and know the love Thou art.

We have not served Thee as we ought, Alas, the duties left undone,
The work with little fervor wrought, The battles lost or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might, For Thee to toil, for Thee to fight.

When shall we know Thee as we ought, And fear and love and serve aright?
When shall we, out of trial brought, Be perfect in the land of light?
Lord, may we day by day prepare To see Thy face and serve Thee there. Amen.

We all need to evaluate our understanding and our practice. Have we been lured away from the Lord by the siren call of entertainment and worldly programming? Let us fall in humility before our Maker and pray for His mercy and grace. This weekend especially, I hope you will take time to pray for yourself along with other Christians for forgiveness of our sins and the neglect of Christ’s Person and purpose. Then pray for the unsaved and for our nation to return to its foundations and be liberated in mind and spirit.

Once we realize exactly where we are in our understanding, may we take the next step to firm up our biblical foundation and worldview by vigorously studying our Bible, using the materials offered by the Nehemiah Institute, and reading books like the new Ultimate Proof of Creation by Dr. Jason Lisle (available on CSE's Web site), which point out the correct viewpoint and reveal the logical fallacies people believe when they look at life apart from God’s truth. Let us be free from the world’s illusions.

May we think and live and speak up in such a way as to be beacons of truth and life in our society. God’s Word tells Christians that “ye are the salt of the earth [a purifying, preserving influence]; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). Let us heed this warning, ask God to purify and empower us; then impact our world, rather than letting the world (including the media) influence us.

Second Weekly Prayer Challenge—Our Military

2009-06-19T01:33:00.005-05:00

Susan Myers

Prayer—are we praying for our military? Our wonderful defenders have certainly been used to bring about the liberation of millions. Young people with an eye to the future are enlisting. Educational incentives and employment opportunities, in addition to our armed forces’ patriotic contributions, make the service attractive to those emerging from high school.

However, there are concerns for thinking parents and citizens. Just to mention a few: UN directives interfering with national freedoms, recent threats from countries such as North Korea, growing religious restraints on Christian chaplains, and increasing pressure to succumb to moral dangers. Muslims even feel free to attack our military recruiting centers in our homeland and it almost goes unnoticed.

Our servicemen deserve special seasons of prayer. They stand between all of us and our national enemies. Will you stand between them and their enemies—the flesh, the worldly influences, and the devil as well as the physical dangers they face? Consider setting aside one day a week to remember those you know personally and locally, as well as all the military, including officers, military bases, and chaplains. We thank God for answers to prayer such as the recent upholding of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. But how can we expect to see God work if we don’t continue to pray, and pray specifically?

Remember that many young soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are still in their formative years. Their education is continuing in the classroom, in technical training, and in life. Do they have a firm foundation, salvation in Christ and a solid belief in God’s Word? If so, that will stand them in good stead. However, if evolutionary teaching has weakened their faith in the Almighty and the Bible, doubts can easily triumph.

Chaplains are reporting claims of atheism among enlisted men and women as never before. George Washington in addressing his troops at Valley Forge on May 2, 1778 took for granted the Christian character of his men: “While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion [Christianity]. To the distinguished character of a patriot, it should be our highest glory to laud the more distinguished character of [a] Christian.”

God gave our country freedom in response to the cries of believing citizens and soldiers. They certainly trusted in His power. The lives and eternities of our present servicemen as well as the freedom of our nation have been and will be affected by this and succeeding generations’ understanding or ignorance of the truth. If we as a nation do not believe in Jesus Christ and are not on the Lord’s side, how can we expect God to defend us or give our troops victory as God did for King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32:6–8?

Pray each week for good chaplains, the freedom to do the work God has called them to, and courage for Christian servicemen to powerfully witness to others while they live victoriously each day. Work to put material into military hands that will sweep away the roadblock of evolution and give real answers to build them up in the faith, giving them the backbone they need to defend themselves and our country in this crooked and perverse world.

2009-06-03T13:24:00.001-05:00

Pray that Texas Governor Perry Will Veto HB 4294

There is a struggle in Texas right now over who will oversee education. The blocking of the reappointment of Chairman Don McElroy of the State Board of Education by liberal senators in the state legislature and the present attempt to strip the SBOE of authority (and thus citizens of input into that properly elected body) are the result of efforts by the media, egged on by organizations who are dedicated to keeping evolution in the science classroom and creationism out. Why do organizations such as the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network put so much time, effort, and money into this state and this particular fight? Any person or organization whose purpose is to ensure accuracy and give students a good education—enabling them to think on their own—weakens evolution’s hold on the mind of students and they know it. They also know that Texas is key to educational issues in the rest of the nation.

So how does this struggle in Texas affect the rest of the nation’s public school children? Texas and California are the two most influential states for education in the United States. California leads in being the first to push issues like homosexual teaching into public school curriculum (next year introducing this even for kindergarteners without recourse for objecting parents). Texas leads in educational accuracy. Texas’s current textbook adoption process results in more accurate and educationally excellent materials. Many states—and possibly yours—schedule their textbook adoption for the year following the Lone Star State’s because they realize that many factual errors in new educational material will be caught and corrected during this time. Their work keeps educational publishers accountable (each uncorrected error accrues a fine) and saves all states the time and money (months of analysis per textbook and digitalized materials by trained eyes) to ferret out inaccuracies and weaknesses of pedagogy.

Current Situation: HB 4294—which would place digitalized textbooks in Texas classrooms, bypassing the public hearings and careful scrutiny of the SBOE textbook adoption process—has been sent to Governor Perry’s desk. This would effectively end the benefits given not only Texas, but all states, of accountability for publishers and the impetus for them to correct errors. Help him see the influence of Texas in education issues nationally and ask on behalf of yours to continue this process of excellence.

Take Action
Pray for this issue and urge Governor Rick Perry to veto the measure of HB 4294. Ask him to maintain his state’s role as leader in textbook excellence for the sake of Texas and all states.

National Standards, National Tests, National Indoctrination!

2009-06-01T10:41:00.004-05:00

Donna Garner

[Washington Post announced federal government's plans to create national standards and testing. Education specialist, Donna Garner shared today her insights on the federal government’s massive intrusion into state affairs.—Susan Myers]

What a hoax! The federal government is going to create national standards that lead to national tests that lead to national indoctrination of our children, and Arne Duncan is trying to make it look as if this whole idea has "bubbled up from the states." Nonsense. He has put out the word to the states that if their states do not sign onto the national standards, bad consequences will follow; and the idea that the states pushed this idea is bogus. It has been the Washington bureaucrats, Obama, and Arne who have pushed this entire scheme to gain control of every public school child in this country.

What is amazing is the breathtaking speed at which this is moving, in hopes that the American people will not notice until it is too late.

I am so proud of the Commissioners of Education in Texas, Alaska, Missouri, and South Carolina who are smart enough to recognize "a red herring" when they see one. These people need to be congratulated for their wisdom and for their courage.

To show what a "red herring" this idea of national standards/national tests really is, please notice that the issue of whole language vs. phonics is not even going to be addressed in them. To ignore the empirical reading research that has been done by the National Institutes of Health that proves that phonemic awareness and decoding skills are the key to becoming a successful reader is a crime in itself! This further shows that nothing good will ever come out of the national standards/national tests movement if the one thing upon which we actually have solid scientific and medically based education research is going to be ignored.

"Or whether students should be drilled on math facts"—In other words, the national standards are not going to require students to learn those "terrible" math facts that produced the greatest mathematicians and scientists in the whole world! What good are national standards if they do not guide the public schools into the teaching of real math and real science?

Every person in America should voice outrage because the largest percentage of students attend the public schools, and whatever those students learn or do not learn impacts the entire future of our nation.

Educate Yourself

2009-05-27T11:49:00.004-05:00

Susan Myers

The need for prayer for our country cannot be seen by Christians as simply an annual event. We need to continue in vigilant watch for our nation all year long. One simple but effective way would be to continue using the National Day of Prayer's suggestion of praying for one of the seven important entities—government, military, media, business, education, church, and family— in our nation each day. The first of these is government. Our leaders are in dire need of the prayer God commands us to give for them (Romans 13:1–2). Personal knowledge of people and issues adds fervency to prayer time. Evaluate your understanding of local education leaders. Do you know the names of your local board of education? Do you know who your superintendent is? Do you have a local textbook committee, or is the instructional material selected at a state level? If so, are the members elected or appointed? Who is on your State Board of Education? What is your chairman's name? This week seek to educate yourself on government as it relates to public education. Find out when and where your school board meets. Follow issues in the newspaper or on their Web site. Attend meetings as a concerned citizen. Educate others in your area. Lead in praying specifically by name for these leaders. Ask God to grant them wisdom, both in seeing issues correctly, and in right steps of action. Support them where you can and give them encouraging feedback as well as helpful insights on issues. Public figures need affirmation and like to feel they are representing their constituency. If they only hear from liberal voices in their area, they feel pressure to bend to their agenda, feeling wrongly that it is the dominant one.

As you know, the federal government has increasingly insinuated itself into what our founders intended to be a local and state affair. Thus we need to realize their importance in leading the nation in education. I was encouraged to hear about H. Res. 397 submitted May 4, 2009 in the House of Representatives. This is something to read and cheer about. Perhaps this is a result of our national prayers on our leaders' behalf. How about calling or e-mailing the sponsors of this resolution "affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as 'America's Spiritual Heritage Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith." Take the time to look through this document and educate yourself and others regarding this sampling of ways in which the Christian faith has been acknowledged in our country's three branches of government throughout our history. Thank God for His hand in our past and praise Him by singing or reading the little-known last stanza of our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner. "

O thus be it ever when free men shall stand

Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation!

Blessed with victory and peace, may the Heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Intercede for our present and our future, threading a theme of trust and praise through your prayers. Encourage yourself and others in what the Lord has done for us as a nation. Pray that we all—citizens and government leaders alike—will be pricked in our hearts with the realization of how much we owe the God Who has been so minimized, vilified, and ostracized in our society today.

Education Matters!

2009-05-26T16:08:00.007-05:00

Susan Myers

Abortion restraints lifted…sexual perversion promoted…financial bondage multiplied…terrorist nations placated! The news brings additional shock waves, it seems, every day—resulting often in a sense of paralysis. The importance of education issues, such as the struggles over science in Texas between the media, legislature, and the State Board of Education can easily be overshadowed. Why should we pay attention to the schooling of children when it seems we can’t draw a breath between cataclysmic attacks? As with all things, the Bible is our Guide in this matter. Let us see what Paul warns are two of the greatest dangers of the church in the last age—the falling away from truth and acceptance of false science. Surprising? Perhaps, but here it is. “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith” (1Timothy 6:20–21).

What is this verse saying to us? Positively, we—like Timothy—are commanded to keep that which is committed to our trust—the truth (as seen in the preceding verses). God is truth and His Word is the absolute measure of it. On the other hand, we are not to accept profane and vain babblings and false “science.” Evolutionary teaching is just that. Profane and empty, it falsely labels itself science, is only supported by lies, and opposes God. Imbibing it puts a person in danger of erring concerning the faith, because evolution removes the basis for true learning. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Evolution’s claims of purely naturalistic causes deny God—damaging the faith and consequently the life of the unwary hearer. Allowing feelings, convoluted reason, and professed authorities who oppose God to guide us keeps us from true knowledge and costs dearly, on earth and in eternity.

Therefore, we cannot afford to ignore the creation/evolution issue in education. God holds us responsible for our young people. We must take action in our own children’s education. We must teach them the truth and shield them from evolutionary teachings. Furthermore, in America, we have responsibility, as “we the people,” to guard our country and its future. The majority of children in the United States are in public schools. Education forms beliefs about all of life, including church, family, business, and government. Those beliefs influence behavior which determines the future—our future, as now we see all too clearly.

At a pivotal time during probably the gloomiest hour for America’s revolutionary cause, Thomas Paine rallied the colonists with an article containing the words: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Our days are no less critical. Let us determine to shake off any paralysis of soul and accept a commission of active duty.

In future articles we’ll cover specific educational impact and issues as well as actions that can be pursued. But first of all, let each of us decide that we’re going to do something—that we are going to work on what we can change—our thinking and our actions. Let us seek the resolve, courage, and insight we need from God.

“Lord, by Your grace I resolve to deepen my study of Your Word since it is the only source of truth. Teach me to love Your wisdom. Instead of fearing what is happening around me, cause me to fear You. In the days ahead, strengthen me to educate myself about the creation/evolution subject. Open my eyes to the specific actions You want me to take. Give me boldness to protect myself, my family, and all in my realm of influence from falling away from the truth and accepting science falsely so called. Awaken other individuals across the nation to do the same. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Our Purpose

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Whether we realize it or not, education affects everyone’s worldview. Statistics vividly show the correlation, and the Bible distinctly teaches this. What people believe about the creation/evolution issue is foundational to everything else they believe, and beliefs dictate actions. Since education— especially teaching about origins— is such a powerful influence in people’s lives and shapes the next generation and our country’s future, we want to make it easier to follow what is happening in that arena—giving impetus to our prayers and direction to our actions. Specific legislation and education news, state by state (as well as nationwide), need to be addressed. The new “Education Matters” column and blog written by Susan Myers, coming soon, is designed for this purpose. Gain access to this from CSE’s Web site. Links to news articles and laws under consideration regarding education will be posted. Questions and comments are welcome. Florida and Texas will be highlighted initially, with eventually each state having its own page.