Danger and opportunity in a time of national flux
Even for those who lived through the upheaval of the 1960s, these days are proving to be a time of unprecedented political and social confusion. Almost by definition then, this is not only a time of great danger but also a time of great opportunity.
The danger: Religious liberty and Critical Race Theory
Of course, the personal and societal dangers of a time like this are many and are keenly felt by all. Here, however, I would like to focus on one issue in particular, as it seems to me to be one of the most consequential and most pressing. That issue is religious liberty … especially religious liberty in the light of a new and militant ideology that seems to be dominating the public landscape. It goes by several different names, including Critical Race Theory, Cancel Culture, or just “wokeness.” Indeed, it is an ideology that, by its own admission, sees the Church as a force for evil in the world and has committed itself to the harassment and social marginalization of Christian people and Christian organizations.
Not surprisingly, the last year has seen an avalanche of books, articles, and podcasts trying to explain what this alien ideology really is and why it is so dangerous. So much so, that I am going to assume that you have at least a rudimentary understanding of it and not take the time to explain it here. (Should you need a primer on this issue, I would point you to a new book by Voddie T. Baucham, Jr. entitled Fault Lines.) Instead, I would like to call your attention to a newly produced Bible study resource: Christians in a Woke World: A Call to Courage, Confession, and Love by LCMS pastor Rev. Paul Dare. It is, in short, a theologically sound course, designed to help both pastors and their parishioners grow in their understanding of this new circumstance in which we find ourselves and to help give us the biblical foundation to respond faithfully to it.
Though it is a topic that can be challenging to grasp, Pastor Dare has packaged his study in such nice bite-sized pieces that it will allow even those with a modest educational background to make sense of it all. Pastors, as you are planning your fall and winter adult education program, I would urge you to seriously consider using this timely and well-crafted resource. In my view, it will help you and your people understand the modern world into which we are called to carry the Gospel.
The opportunity: Educational choice
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
As I mentioned earlier, this is not just a time of real danger, it is also a time of significant opportunity. One area in which this seems to be especially true is in the arena of educational choice. With many families having experienced prolonged COVID-related frustrations with public schools and with growing concerns about the content of public education (especially as related to political and social indoctrination) many are searching for educational alternatives. For the first time, many parents are actively exploring other options, including homeschooling and church-affiliated schools. In that process, however, many are discovering that they are economically trapped by the current state funding system. They’re finding that they are allowed to access the dollars the state has allocated for their child’s education only if they make “the right choice” of schools—that is, only if they choose one of the secular schools of the public education system. Not surprisingly, this has triggered a great deal of interest in parental choice proposals which in one way or another allow state-collected education dollars to “follow the child” to the school, religious or non-religious, private or public, of the parents’ choosing.
Recently, Rev. Greg Seltz, the Executive Director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., wrote what I think is a helpful commentary on this topic. In it, he contends that when it comes to education, parents need to know what is being taught to their children. Since all education is conducted within a moral, philosophical worldview, it is important that parents have the right to know which worldview it is that guides the teaching in any given school and that they have the freedom, economic and otherwise, to choose a school that operates from a worldview which reflects their own beliefs.
He goes on to say,
“Parental Choice” assures parents of all economic circumstances, of all ethnicities, that they will have the resources to give their children a quality education of THEIR CHOOSING. [It assures parents that] if schools boards won’t listen, if unions wish to do whatever they please, even when against the majority of parents’ wishes, parents will have the choice [of taking] their educational dollars [and going] elsewhere. Then, and only then, will issues of sex education, dress codes, pronoun usage, who uses what bathroom, and what locker room is available to whom, [cease to] be a political football. …. A virtue-based, moral-based education is what our children need now more than ever. We, especially as Christian parents, need to reclaim that authority and exercise that mandate for our children and grandchildren. Educational freedom is a … need whose time has come.”
Read additional commentary here.
The good news is that politicians are responding to the demand that equal treatment be given to the educational choices of all parents, and, in fact, many states have adopted new funding mechanisms that make this possible. However, here in Minnesota, the Governor and others have blocked all meaningful choice proposals for the past two years. All of which means that parents and other concerned individuals need to be resolute in making their current elected officials aware of their concerns and their desire for equal treatment. They also need to be active in supporting candidates for office that will promise to actively promote real parental choice in Minnesota.
In the end, the government’s current refusal to honor the choices of parents who desire a religiously grounded education for their children is a clear infringement on their religious liberty. Indeed, in recent years the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly and forcefully stated that the Constitution gives states complete freedom to treat the choices of all parents equally, no matter which school is chosen, religious or non-religious. Lord willing, that will soon be the reality here in Minnesota.
In Christ,
Rev. Fred Hinz
fred.hinz@mnsdistrict.org | 507-317-9634
LCMS Public Policy Advocate
Minnesota South and North Districts
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod