Secular college-bashing by Christian parents is a dicey subject because of the immediate rhetorical reprisal: “You’re not anti-intellectual, are you?”
Education is one of the greatest gifts - particularly in the west. Americans probably have more at their fingertips - and sometimes literally around the corner - than most of the world.
But when these Christian parents are face-to-face with their Sophomore or Junior who blurts out at the Thanksgiving dinner that they don’t believe in God and have no interest in going to church this Sunday, it’s too late to worry about appearing anti-intellectual.
Illustration above: Christianity Today.
Dicey or not, the slaughter of the innocents at college campuses is not just exaggerated statistics by conservative Christian pollsters and pulpits. It’s as easy to observe by looking around and seeing it in our families or extended families or in the lives of our friends’ children and even the kids of clergy that we know.
A portal to heaven for today is that wise men still seek God and we must be so deliberate about including our offspring in our caravan.
In his book, What’s So Great About Christianity?, writer and educator Dinesh D’ Souza notes: “Children spend the majority of their waking hours in school. Parents invest a good portion of their life savings in college education and entrust their offspring to people who are supposed to educate them. Isn’t it wonderful that educators have figured out a way to make parents the instruments of their own undoing? Isn’t it brilliant that they have persuaded Christian moms and dads to finance the destruction of their own beliefs and values? Who said atheists aren’t clever?”
On this very topic of youth leaving the faith in his day, abolitionist William Wilberforce noted that it was rare that children “even receive some measure of religious instruction at home.”
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: A home life devoted to Christ without hypocrisy, continuous intercession and the deliberate teachings of Christianity is a consuming job - especially if there are several children in the family. While many good parents chase after ministry and/or careers, they may find that they’ve let the world’s educators and influencers steal their role for the intellectual and spiritual growth of their most prized gifts. Perhaps it might be termed “Slaughter of the Naive” or the “Slaughter of the Unprepared” versus “Slaughter of the Innocents.” Specifically, what might Christ say to us with regard to the position we find ourselves in today?
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever…When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
1 Timothy 5:8 (NASB), Job 1:5 (NASB)