Yesterday’s Decisions Lived Today

Part of the series Friendship With The World
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-04-21.

Once engaged, compromise has a sinister way in taking us further and further from the truth, until it is no longer recognized as true.

We often refrain from being honest because we do not wish to offend those who need to hear the truth. Opinions expressed in this blog are intended to offend those who would advance anything, other than the truth, in order to benefit themselves.

Bible Reference: 2 Cor. 2:17

Isn’t it amazing how seeming innocent decisions can bring about such lasting negative changes? I have two examples of how commitments from years ago eventually led to disappointment. Proverbs 29:18 states that “where there is no vision, the people perish”. Failing to consider the future when making decisions is bound to create problems. Seeing the future through man’s limited vision rather than God’s eyes will lead to bad decisions, guaranteeing failure. In both instances, the decisions appeared to gain initial positive results, even though the path taken could be considered a compromise, from a Christian perspective. In both cases, money rather than wisdom was at the forefront and in both cases, it eventually led to disaster or impending disaster in the Christian community. Both involve money and education.

Many years ago, I stood against accepting government funding for home education. I clearly saw how short term gain would eventually lead to long term pain, but I was vilified by those of short term vision who thought that a little bit of money would only help home educators. Nobody seemed to understand that money meant the introduction of competition between potential providers and that this competition would eventually divide the home education community along sectarian lines in keeping with whom the parents would be associated. Nobody foresaw the sinister introduction of blended programming and the confusion that would introduce in the home educating community. Most certainly, nobody understood that eventually, increased levels of funding would be associated with increased levels of state programming that would result in the normalization of programming initially shunned as antagonistic to biblical directives. Between the lust for more money and/or more power as well as the perpetuation of ignorance on behalf of both providers and parents, this simple little decision to get a little help has resulted in nearly every home education provider unashamedly offering some version of state programming as “choice” in direct opposition to biblical directives.

Today, there is little difference between those who claim a Christian faith and those who would advance a more secular approach in home education. I believe it is safe to say that those in the secular crowd are not the ones who moved into the Christian camp. The Christians have compromised their faith. The future of traditional, Christian home education in this province looks bleak, not because of government threats, or impending regulations, but because of the home educating community’s willingness to be friends with the world, even when we have been warned that doing so would put us at enmity with God (James 4:4). I do not so much blame the parents as I do the providers claiming a Christian faith while violating biblical principles in the pursuit of money, power or private kingdom building. Unlike what one provider told me last week at the home education conference, I do not believe this is an issue that is up for interpretation. Compromising biblical directives has never been an option, if following God’s will is our desire. Doing so, if not immediately, will ultimately result in negative consequences. The present state of the provincial home education association has demonstrated what a compromise here and compromise there will do. Initially created to escape state programming, it eventually started defending that little bit of money. Today, every “choice” is presented as legitimate or simply ignored without considering how this will erode the very things it should be defending. Without vision, who is taking care of the sheep?

Next week, my second sad example of money and education.

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