Contentious Days Call For Winsome Ways

Four years ago, I was elected Michigan representative for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Serving in this capacity is an honor and gives voice to dozens of other ACSI  schools in the state. Last month, I was asked to represent CCS and the state of Michigan at  a "Legal and Legislative Summit" in Washington DC. 

For two days, nearly 100 other ACSI state representatives and heads of schools from coast to coast gathered in a large conference room across the street from the Department of Education Building to be inspired by speakers addressing two topics: religious freedom and parental choice in education. These two topics are central to the parental role of "training up a child in the way he or she should go." (Proverbs 22:6) . :

Speakers included: Senator Ted Cruz, Michael Lindsay, President of Taylor University, and many others. Most notable of all, however, was an address by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, the Honorable Winsome Sears. 

What a great name..."Winsome".... it means to be likably persuasive as we represent the connection between the TRUTH we believe and the common sense of living. As a school, for instance, CCS advocates for religious freedom not because the Bible guaranties it (quite the opposite is seen in the Old and New Testaments). We defend religious freedom because our U.S. Constitution  has enshrined it from the beginning. So long as God grants us the freedom to live in this constitutional republic, we will strive to be winsome in defending religious freedom and the role of God-honoring parents in the lives of their children.

Winsome Sears is second-in-line to  Governor Glen Youngkin, whose political opponent Terry McAuliffe (then governor of VA) said in a debate: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they can teach..."  That statement alone sent droves of parents to the polls to defend their God-given authority in matters of K-12 education. The surprising win of Glen Youngkin and Winsome Sears has inspired millions of parents and many new gubernatorial candidates from Michigan to Arizona in  November's mid-term election.

After two days of inspiration in DC, it  was time for some perspiration as all of the ACSI leaders in attendance  walked UP Capital Hill (about five blocks UPHILL from the Department of Education building) to appointments with their congressional leaders. 

Most of my time on The Hill was spent in Bill Huizenga's office. It was an honor to be among friends who appreciate schools like CCS. We stressed that parental choice in education will always go hand in hand with religious freedom. 

As our nation strays further and further from its founding principles, churches and parents who believe God's Word "is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" are in a shrinking minority, but even if that is true they are constitutionally protected in this 250-year experiment we call The United States of America. 

The handbook and doctrinal statements of every ACSI school in Michigan probably include statements like the following. In many government-controlled schools, these beliefs are being replaced by the indoctrination of special interest groups:

• The Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." That notion is mocked as anti-science, but in fact, when science is properly defined the various theories of origins require just as much non-science (i.e. faith) to believe. Even so, for more than a century the flawed "science" of  Darwin was taught as fact. In recent years, the battle cry "Follow the science!" has never come with more reasons to doubt the agenda behind those shouting it.
• The Bible speaks of one race--the human race--and that no one group of humans matters more than another group. (Romans 10:12) Yet, it was Darwin's now-debunked theory of evolution that gave birth to the worst elements of racism manifested in our times. (As explained here.)
• The Bible says, "Male and female He created them," but that self-evident fact is currently being drowned out in the din of "gender fluidity" and a never-ending list of pronouns and "identities."
• The Bible says that humans are "image bearers" of God. created to have dominion over the earth. Secular classrooms, however, make no divine distinction between humans and animals (except when, in many cases, animal life is more protected than human life). Read further at Imago Dei. 
• The Bible says "marriage is between one man and one woman," but anyone who still says so in the public square will be canceled faster than Chick-Fil-A or Masterpiece Cakeshop.
• The Bible says God is the giver and sustainer of life.  "For you [God] formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb," but never has the beginning of life and the duty of protecting it been more contested in this nation. The current clamor is only new it its effort to remove parents from having a say in their children's life-changing choices.  
  

The CCS Mission Statement reflects a more Biblical model for education: Partnering with parents to equip students toward personal excellence and the pursuit of God's purpose for their lives. To the surprise of many in government, many of the deeply held religious beliefs outlined above are also shared by parents whose children do not attend faith-based schools. On such matters, we agree that parents have a God-given responsibility to protect the innocence of childhood. 

As we approach mid-term elections in a few days, continue to pray for those candidates who are willing to enter the political arena--especially those who understand religious freedom and parental choice in education. May God help us to be winsome as we take a stand and say NO to politicians and proposals designed to strengthen and lengthen their own control of culture, the government, and the next generation,

Tom Kapanka

[Note: The above post contains many links to support material. Click on gray and tan text for further reading or video samples.