Today on the Dennis Prager talk radio show, Dennis was musing about the differences between a secular, public school education vs. a religious education. He is not a Christian (he’s Jewish), but he was raised going to a private school (Jewish, I presume), and while he never realized as a child the differences between what he was learning and what his peers at the public school were learning, he now has, from the perspective of an adult, some interesting observations.
He has noticed that a secular education teaches children that the “evil” to fight in the world is found in society. We should be fighting racism, environmental degradation, poverty, etc.. In other words, the “evil” is “out there”.
A religious education teaches children that the “evil” to fight is found within themselves. First you fight THAT evil…and then you’ll be equipped to fight other evils.
I think he’s ALMOST got it right. The Christian would take it one step further and say that only Christ can conquer the evil (sin) found in each of us. He had to pay the price for our sin…death…in order to satisfy God’s Holy Justice. Now Mercy is ours…forgiveness through His sacrifice. Once that evil is paid for…we are free to move forward without sin mastering us as its slave…and we can bring love and healing to those around us. We can honor our fellow man, whether they are black, white, or brown. We can bring relief to the poor. We can take care of the world God created.
But it starts with the sin inside of us. To start anywhere else first is like trying to make a pizza with no ingredients. It’s just a pretend game…and not possible in the real world. (No matter how we Wemmicks stomp our feet and try to make it “so”!)
This week’s Treasure is the famous classic, Basic Christianity by John R.W. Stott. This is one of those books that simply belongs in every Christian library. It’s a “basic” book every well-trained Christian student should read before graduating.
Here’s a chance to get it free! How?
1. Share the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. (Buttons below to make it super easy!) Leave a comment saying you did!
2. Join Visionary Womanhood as a Google Friend! (Sounds dorky…but it’s actually TOTALLY cool.) Leave a comment about it!
3. “Like” VW on Facebook if you haven’t already! We’re trying to spread the word…and Facebook is one the best ways to do it.
4. Got a blog? Put our Treasure button on it! (C’mon sweet sisters! Share the treasure!)
5. Leave a comment about your own education as a child and how it affected your own world view.
Winner will be announced on Saturday! I hope it’s YOU! : )
About Wemmick Girl
I attended the local public school in our small (5,000 people) town. I grew up not giving schooling a thought in comparison to God. We attended church as a family faithfully every single week, and that was completely separate from the rest of life. Once I accepted Christ in high school, I desired to live for him but didn’t have the tools and still separated my “school” life and “church” life. Considering that our school was quite small, I think the cycle deeper into humanism was slower than in other cities, but it was still there. We had “Christmas” concerts with Christmas carols (gasp, nowadays…), sang “religious” music in choir, and could meet as Christians (FCA). However, my graduation speech was pre-read for “problems.” And, though I mentioned the Lord, I am certain that if it had said more than that, I would have been told to re-write that portion. If I re-read it now, I’d be ashamed that I wasn’t more bold. I did the best I knew how at the time, though! That was many years ago now, and I can imagine that even that school in that small town has since changed considerably.
Thanks for the chance to win this great book!
I have been homeschooled all my life and currently have two years left to go (I’m 16). I am so thankful to God for my wonderful parents who chose to homeschool my sister and me when they didn’t know anyone else who did and who stood firm even when they were mocked by family members. I’m grateful that I have the chance to help school my (soon to be) 7 younger brothers and sisters and that I can have a role in their lives instead of being separated from them all day.
Thanks to the Lord’s mercy, my worldview is being shaped by Scripture and how it tells us to live as Christians!
I would love to win “Basic Christianity”! Thank you for the generous giveaway!
I am putting the treasure button on my blog sidebar!
I shared on facebook.