#7 Aren’t some Christian teenagers successful in public school?
Without a doubt. I am reminded of Daniel and his three friends standing firm in the face of opposition in a hostile land. These young men were ready for the challenges to their faith. In much the same way Esther was confronted with the challenge of standing against a culture that opposed her Lord. My response is, “If your child is a Daniel or an Esther, then he or she may be ready if he or she believes God is leading that way.” However, those kids are rare indeed. Also each parent must consider the amount of de-programming that must occur as his or her child is confronted with non-biblical teaching.
Daniel 1:19-20 - “The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” Will this be said of the students in your household and your ministry?
Consider this contemporary illustration. “At one point, Cassie Bernall claimed, ‘Mom, I can’t witness to the kids at Christian school. I could reach out to many more people if I were in a public one.’ I’ve never doubted that she meant what she said—that her desire to witness to others was a genuine one.” And so she died a martyr’s death at Columbine High School.
However, there is good reason for many Christian leaders to be sounding an alarm for the godless and destructive activities that are present today. Consider the events leading to the case of Fields vs. Palmdale School District in California. “Parents of elementary age schoolchildren in the Palmdale School District, California brought suit in the district court and alleged, that the school district violated their fundamental right “to control the upbringing of their children by introducing them to matters of and relating to sex in accordance with their personal and religious values and beliefs” by administering a psychological assessment questionnaire containing several questions that referred to subjects of a sexual nature.”
The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals --- “Parents of public school children are not possessed of a constitutional right, either under the Substantive Due Process Clause or the related right to privacy, to restrict the public schools from providing information on the subject of sex.”
A survey was conducted systemwide with elementary-aged children. Here are sample
questions. Children were supposed to answer “Yes” or “No” to questions including these samples:
8. Touching my private parts too much
17. Thinking about having sex
22. Thinking about touching other people’s private parts
23. Thinking about sex when I don’t want to
26. Washing myself because I feel dirty on the inside
34. Not trusting people because they might want sex
40. Getting scared or upset when I think about sex
44. Having sex feelings in my body
47. Can’t stop thinking about sex
54. Getting upset when people talk about sex
The court concluded, “Thus the right of the parents “to control the upbringing of their children by introducing them to matters of and relating to sex in according with their personal and religious values and beliefs” – the right to privacy here asserted – does not entitle them to prohibit public schools from providing students with information that the schools deem to be educationally appropriate.”
