by David Melton
I have questions. Why do the HD channels on my TV go squirrelly only during hockey games? Why do I always drip coffee out of my mug when I’m wearing a tie? I’ve got a whole list of them. You probably do, too. Some are so private they are for God alone. Others, we aren’t quite sure who to direct them to. But I have this particular question that has been bugging me, so I’m going to go ahead and ask you.
Why has there been a marked decline in commitment to Christian education in the past couple of decades … among us?
Not too long ago, in almost all of our churches, Christian education (K-12 and higher education) was a staple in our conversations. I know not all of the attempts at Christian schools were exemplary, but the need was there — on that we almost all agreed. But it’s not that way anymore.
This is perplexing particularly given the prevailing views of our culture have become stridently more anti-biblical. No question about that. Moral sin is not only epidemic, but almost universally embraced. It’s viewed as hate speech if you even say, “Wait a minute!” Nobody thinks our children and young adults live in a context that better supports godliness. It’s a full-blown cultural war against that. No place is that more evident than on the college campuses. I read it in industry briefings all the time. Binge drinking and drug use is out of control. Sexual assaults are the dirty secrets of the university system. High-tech cheating is now a game. “Education” has unquestionably come to be not only secular, but almost exclusively anti-Christian.
Hence my question. In these times, isn’t it logical, isn’t it incumbent that we value Christian education more than ever?