A Theology of Public Education

A while back I watched a short but insightful video featuring Dr. Carl Ellis at Reformed Theological Seminary. At first, when he stated, “All theology is contextual; all theology is historically and culturally determined,” I thought he was saying all theology was subjective. But that is not the case.

The point he makes is that the church has historically developed its theology in reaction to events of the world around us. As I thought about that, it made perfect sense. For instance, we have an Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed because the church was being forced to develop its Christology in the face of heresies about the person and nature of Jesus Christ. The same thing happened we saw the development of doctrines such as sola scriptura and sola fide as the Catholic Church sought to elevate the authority of the church and its traditions over God’s Word. Similarly, Protestant Resistance Theory developed in the 16th century as Christians sought to understand Romans 13 in the context of civil leaders to whom they were supposed to be subject to trying to murder them. And, not surprisingly, Protestant Resistance Theory is being rediscovered and further developed by the church in a similar context today.

Which brings me to an article on public education from Texas Monthly. It is a hit piece attacking anyone who does not want children to learn the atheistic propaganda being taught in government schools today. As we see examples like this showing us what the left is doing in government schools, many Christians are reacting by spending time developing a more robust theology of education, including the role of parents in education and if that parental role can be properly exercised by putting our children in government schools.

A friend of mine, Tricia Quintero, is one of the people subject to the attacks by Texas Monthly. She and her husband have their children in Dripping Springs ISD. In response to what she witnessed there, she ran for and won election as a school board trustee. I am glad she and others are warriors for Christ in this battle to purge the wickedness today that is pervasive in government schools across the nation. This is a battle all Christians should engage in, whether we have kids in public schools or not. The question in my mind, though, is whether the battle should be about fixing government schools or eliminating them.

Developing a better theology of education under fire I think will help the church answer this question. Although at the moment I believe the answer is settled. Christ is King over all people whether they believe in Him or not. Thus, any institution that does not allow Jesus Christ to be proclaimed as Lord and Savior is an abomination before God and is no place for our children–no matter what religious beliefs they or their parents hold. I’m not delusional and understand that we have a long way to go before we achieve the goal of eliminating public schools. Yet, given the current situation, it is a goal all of us should pursue.