Education has changed in my 30 years of experience. While I have stepped in and out of the classroom for over three decades, I have watched society, families and the schools all change. As we all know, probably not for the better. Yet, as with all jobs and careers, our hope and driving force does not come from within this world but is embedded in the One who created the universe. He still has a plan, brings life out of death, and brings order out of chaos! Trying to discuss the issues and problems found within our schools in a three-page article is like trying to describe the universe on those same three pages. Yet, we must be willing to address the issues and be part of the answer to our families, children, and communities as they continue to be destroyed and fall apart.
As with many of us pastors, we become bi-vocational. My choice to teach is not because I absolutely have to, but because I personally embrace the privilege of using my gifts and talents to minister Jesus in everything I do. A great place to affect and effect the majority of families in our communities is in the school system. That is why I teach and coach besides being a just a pastor. Before I left teaching the first time in 2005, I generally could assume most of my students were from semi-stable homes even in the poor, farming communities in which I taught. I could assume that most had the foundation and heritage of a church connection along with some Biblical truth. My expectation was that the school system was there with people who had a Biblical foundation and some sort of church attendance. You need to know I live in a very rural, semi-conservative area of the state.
Education has mostly changed because society and the family have changed. The moral compass has become an immoral one. The family unit has disintegrated. Many, if not the majority, of the students are from broken or unstable homes. Drugs and alcohol issues, as well as fatherless homes, are abounding. In many cases there are “children” raising children where the parents are as broken as their kids. The stability and backing of the parents is not always there as education is not appreciated in their chaotic and self-destructive lifestyles. I have found that the majority of families are no longer attending a local church and lack a foundation of Biblical understanding. Their world view is skewed by their broken-ness and pain. These attributes are further skewed by an escalation of paganism being embraced and practiced in their families and homes. Pagan worship entails the embrace and practice of witchcraft, new age practices, the focus upon “mother” earth, and a resurrection of “other” gods being worshipped. As the churches have lost their first love, Jesus and His truth, and the fervency to preach, teach and release the Gospel in its decay, a parallel decay of society is also exponentially growing. As I encounter new students, I generally assume they are from broken homes with very little Biblical foundation and, many times, are more into alternative religious activities than traditional Christianity.
Education itself has changed. Many of the traditional teachers with a strong faith or at least a heritage of Biblical upbringing, have retired. That generation has given way to a new generation of educators who have been brain-washed and equipped by the university system where socialistic and godless ideals are being perpetuated. Many of these new educators are just as broken as the kids they are teaching. Personal skills and being able to connect to mold the child are missing. As with much of society, an ever-growing sect of education is addicted to their phones, social media and other shallow, impersonal methods of communication. While this is not everyone, the numbers are growing. Along with that, there has been a change from a mantra of “separation of church and state,” to we are here to educate the whole child including the spiritual side. That may not be where you live, but it is growing. The university systems, educational systems, and even the medical communities are embracing alternative religious practices that are saturated with pagan practices. Probably the majority of churches in America would embrace, or are even oblivious to, the foundation of the “New Age” (really old practices) that are being released upon our society and world. The education system went from wanting to keep God out of the schools to bringing in the practice of other gods—or even the idea “we are gods” and must connect with the universe as we become gods. The systems want to teach the spiritual side of children but absent from Jesus Christ. Yet, it appears there is a floundering occurring as the systems are not quite sure how to move forward with the new agenda and being able to control Christian-ity at the same time.
I realize these are the symptoms of an ever-growing society that rejects Biblical truth and is embracing the lies and winds of demonic doctrines tossing people and institutions back and forth. Education and schools need believers praying and being the Gospel to an ever-darkening society. To be the Church means we are the moral compass and voice of truth every institution and family needs to encounter. The same old battles are still the teaching of evolution and sex education. But now the cost of US being absent from the conversation has escalated. Christians must be a counter-culture to what is happening in the education system both as educators and with our children. Our schools need Christians in the front of the room as well as students in the chairs. There may come a time when Christians can no longer be part of the process, but now is still the time to keep “fighting the good fight.”
Symptoms of a clueless and godless society, like the issues of gender, sex, evolution, pagan practices, etc., can be expected. As a Believer, I become a light in the darkness. I try to pray without ceasing. I strive to be consistent with my faith and be a living example of how Truth sets the captives free. I urge you and your children to become more serious about their faith. Grow in Spirit and in Truth! Now is the time to encounter the culture head-on, and not flee in fear. I challenge Christian educators and coaches to bring Jesus and His truth to school every day. Be wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove in all that you do. Parents, become active in your schools. Be a blessing to the teachers and other families in your community. Be a shining light into your school. Earn a “place at the table.” Discuss the issues and platforms being perpetuated in your district with your kids and other parents. Get your church to become more active than ever before. Churches as a whole are losing influence in our society—but yours doesn’t have to. I believe people, broken people, students, and families are drinking the pagan “Kool-Aid” they are being served because they haven’t encountered the true, powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ. We MUST give and live the Water of Life that they really need. BE bold and courageous in these times we are living in, for they are perilous and dangerous—but with God we are victorious!
People are being led to the slaughter and oblivious of the end game of the enemy. We don’t war against flesh and blood. The schools, their pagan practices, their embrace of perversity, and the lies the world believes are only symptoms of their depravity. They embrace the lies and have rejected the Truth. If we want to change the atmosphere, we must exchange the lies for the Truth. I know that the battle sometimes comes out into the physical realm. But our main battle is against the spiritual beings of darkness. Pray without ceasing. Then put some faith-action behind it and become involved. People are perishing because they lack spiritual wisdom and understanding. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit, we have access to the answers and His answers to every one of society’s issues. Your local school is a door into affecting and effecting many families in your area. We must be able to bring our faith with us as we and our children enter into the school buildings and classrooms. God’s word does NOT return void! I know we and our faith won’t always be welcomed, but it is ALWAYS needed! We must look past the mantras of the day and symptoms of a godless institution to the root cause of all these practices—THEY NEED JESUS! I am not saying to ignore sin and its proclamations. We need to stand firm, but people need a heart change! The only way for that is for them to encounter Jesus Christ! If you have any other questions feel free to call me at (715) 642-0229. Remember Jesus is coming back!
—Wayne North
SDB Church, New Auburn, WI
Wayne North lives with his wife, Kristine, of 32 years, their six kids, and three grandkids in New Auburn, WI. Wayne has been the pastor of Freedom Community Church since 2004. He has been involved in public education for over 30 years. Wayne has been called to equip the churches with Biblical truth and spiritual weapons found within scripture so the churches and their people are effective and powerful as God’s gift to a broken and decaying world. One of his passions is to bring the power of the Gospel into churches and people’s lives and watch God do miraculous signs and wonders through mission work and encounters like “Come Alive” conferences. Wayne enjoys fishing, hunting, and coaching.
