The Well-Being of Our Children
Most of America’s children are educated through the public school system. Many Christian parents have become increasingly dismayed at the fact that public schools are becoming more and more hostile to Christians. We are seeing what appears to be indoctrination of our children into socialistic mindsets instead of educating them on facts. Social agendas, especially in the area of human sexuality, have become normalized in some school districts. In California, even kindergartners are taught about homosexuality and other LGBTQ issues.1 In other districts, students and teachers have been punished for not using generic pronouns rather than “him” and “her.”2 Requests for the accommodation of transgendered individuals are now being forced in the school environment.
Shockingly, we have now moved on to teaching our kids to call on ancient (and demonic) gods for help! On March 10th, Fox News reported on the following proposed CA curriculum.
“The California Department of Education has proposed an ethnic studies ‘model curriculum’ that includes, among other things, chanting the names of Aztec gods in an attempt to build unity among schoolchildren:
“Included in the draft curriculum is a list of ‘lesson resources’ with a chant based on ‘In Lak Ech,’ which it describes as ‘love, unity, mutual respect,’ and ‘Panche Be,’ which it describes as ‘seeking the roots of truth.’
“The chant starts with a declaration that ‘you are my other me’ and ‘if I do harm to you, I do harm to myself.’ Before chanting the name of the Aztec god Tezkatlipoka, [pronounced tez-khut-luh-POW-kah] the text reads: ‘Seeking the roots of the truth, seeking the truth of the roots. . .”3
City Journal’s Christopher Rufo also commented. [His entire commentary is excellent, by the way, and can be read in its entirety here.]:
“Under the guise of ‘equity’ and ‘empowerment,’ activists within the public education system have developed this radical new curriculum in order to transform California schools into factories for left-wing political activism. They have recast the United States as an oppressor nation that must be deconstructed and subverted through politics. The curriculum’s vision statement makes this aim explicit: it presents education not as a means of achieving competency, but as a ‘tool for transformation, social, economic, and political change, and liberation.’”4
You can watch a video of the children doing the chant here. God, help us!
All of this is very concerning to Christian parents. There are many Christian private schools, but they are expensive and beyond the reach of many families. Home-schooling is an option for some, but it is challenging, especially when both parents work outside the home. Our public school system needs an overhaul.
Nancy Huff has been a contributor to Give Him 15 in the past. She is an educator with a mission of equipping believers to pray strategically for the cultural mountain of Education. In an article written for Intercessors for America, she explains why she believes we have this problem in our schools:
“Our forefathers came to America for the expressed purpose. . .to worship a personal God according to the dictates of one’s conscience. For generations, those founding principles were taught by Christian teachers in our classrooms. Biblically-based moral teaching changed in the mid-1960s as lawsuits on school prayer and Bible reading yielded rulings from the highest court of our nation, the Supreme Court. Teachers and administrators, often godly people, fearful of arrests and lawsuits became silent in the classrooms. At that point, America’s education changed. . .”
(If you want good resources on praying and acting in the education mountain, Nancy has authored Taking the Mountain of Education: A Strategic Prayer Guide to Transform America’s Schools. She often leads prayer groups to pray at key educational locations across the US. Currently, she serves as the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network (HAPN) lead prayer coordinator for education. You can find this book and others she has written to help us pray for the mountain of education here.)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on March 17 that his administration will seek to prohibit the teaching of “unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory” in the state’s schools, saying he is looking to reform state’s school curricula to “expressly exclude … critical race theory” because it “teaches kids to hate their country.”
He continues: “There’s no room in our classrooms for things like critical race theory. Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money.”
Gov. DeSantis noted that in Florida, federal money from the latest COVID-19 relief bill would be used to push civics education “with foundational concepts” as opposed to “unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory.”
“We’re releasing a $106 million proposal to make Florida the national leader in civics education,” DeSantis said. “We will invest in actual solid, true curriculum, and we will be a leader in the development and implementation of a world-class civics education.”6
“For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:12 NHEB)
Pray with me:
Lord, our children are on Your heart today. We repent on behalf of America for allowing great sin to be ushered in. We (the church) were asleep on our watch, and the enemy made great advances in education. The roots of education in America were strong in You. You were honored by our Founding Fathers in every way. They actively sought Your involvement in their lives and in forming a strong future for America. They knew the education of future generations had to be established on Your word if we were to be a nation of wisdom and prosperity. Without You, that is not possible.
Then, satan came in with a different plan. Those who did not know You, Father, rose up and sought to champion a God-less cause. Because believers did not stand against the plan to remove You from public education, our schools are a mess. Our children are being indoctrinated in abominable practices, even calling on demons to “help them be kind and accepting of others!” Your Word is not honored in our schools; they are darkened by humanistic thought and action. Father, forgive us.
We ask You now to light a fire within us. We must shine Your light brightly in this dark place of education, doing everything possible to turn it back to a system that honors You. Regardless of how far our education system has turned from You, we know You can reverse it.
Give us the necessary leaders and strategy to repair this. Bring a revival of such proportions that it generates the necessary willingness and determination to reform this ungodly mess.
Give us breakthrough, Lord. Give us wisdom, influence, and favor for the task ahead. Be glorified in our schools. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s decree:
We decree that our children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be their peace. (see Isaiah 54:13)
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1 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-oct-16-la-me-gay-schools-20111016-story.html
2 https://time.com/5721482/transgender-students-pronouns-teacher-lawsuits/