Michael Wagner – Page 18

Trusting The Devil To Tell The Truth!

Part of the series Friendship With The World
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-04-28.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death.

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: Prov. 14:12

Last week I provided an example in keeping with Proverbs 29:18 where it states that “when there is no vision, the people perish”. Initial good causes devolved into greater and greater compromises resulting in an undesirable end, that would have prevented the decision from being made, had there been some initial vision. The second example I want to give involves the slow but deliberate dissolving of private schools. Although this story involves my recollection of what took place with a few private Christian schools, it is probably safe to imagine that this has occurred across the entire spectrum of private schools.

Following the secular revolution of the seventies, private Christian schools began to appear across the province. Some grew to be quite large, even having multiple campuses. In the early eighties, an incident that occurred in a public school led to the formation of a Committee On Tolerance and Understanding which resulted in private schools being accused of being intolerant and not understanding of secular values, since the values being taught were, supposedly, biblical. At this juncture in time, Christian schools should have opted out of public funding in exchange for greater autonomy in decision making, but as they had become accustomed to having financial help from the state, most determined to exchange the Christian curriculum they were using for the secular state programming. The beginning of the end had started. Once the state programming was being used, a question was asked as to why private schools were accepting significantly less money than their public counterparts if they were using the same programming. I believe private schools in Edmonton were the first to form alliances as alternative schools within the public system. This provided the same funding as the public schools which had promised to respect the faith and autonomy of the private schools. Perhaps a good move that saved private schools, but at what cost?

Today, private schools are being vilified as anti Human Rights and Charter of Rights, as they still have references to certain behavior as sinful. Faced with a choice between maintaining their Christian integrity or continuing with the funding associated with any other state educational institution, private “Christian” schools are easily choosing to forsake the way of the Lord in favor of the way of funding. Very few Christian schools remain true to their faith in this province today. Most are using, even advancing secular state programming as virtuous while at the same time purporting to be preparing students in a “Christ-Centered” environment for the “Kingdom of God”. Somebody must have forgotten to read the part of the Bible that states that friendship with the world is enmity with God!

Two thoughts come to my mind, here. Firstly, one has to question the intelligence of those who would make a pact with the devil and then be surprised that he did not tell the truth! Secondly, as most parents have no idea how antithetical the secular programming is to biblical values, one would have to question who is taking care of the sheep, when the wolves are on full time staff?

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.

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.

True Colors

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-04-14.

Truth is the first casualty of compromise? What part of James 4:4 do we not understand?

Bible Reference: 2 Peter 2:18-22

When Faye & I attended our first home education convention in 1988, there may not have been more than fifty people in attendance, but no one would have even considered following the public school curriculum, as it was the very thing we had determined to escape. We all knew that a government intent on removing every vestige of Christian faith from all of its programs, would not direct our children to God or His Word. As a veteran high school biology teacher, my Christian sensitivities were constantly assaulted by the overt attempt to make all things related to the real God of creation, superfluous superstitions, denounced by scientific facts and data. I had pulled my children from that influence, so it made absolutely no sense to bring that garbage home and to continue the secular assault on them. Not everybody agreed with my determination to reclaim the responsibility for the training of my children, but I had their respect. Then it happened! As the realization that the new Alberta School Act’s directives for home education began to be understood, resourceful school boards discovered that expanding boundaries could also yield increasing income. Boards starting enticing people to register their children with them with promises of varying amounts of cash. Money had entered in as a consideration in determining which board to register with, ushering in the age of buying and selling children under the guise of education. Home education started a long and painful descent back to the vomit from which it had escaped not that long before. Today, to the best of my knowledge, there remains only one home education provider that does not and will not encourage or provide state programming and accreditation and it is associated with one of only four accredited-funded private school that does not, in like fashion, provide government programming. What’s worse, is that many private Christian schools and home education providers advance the use of Godless, secular, state programming as reason to send children to their institution. How does that feel?

While taking a walk one day, Faye & I noticed a rather odd thing. The Schubert Cherry starts out with green leaves, like every other tree, but eventually, it’s leaves turns purple, making it a much desired ornamental tree. What made this particular tree outstanding was that both of us saw the one branch that had not turned purple, as odd. Considering that green would normally be the expected color of a tree, why would we perceive the only branch that had remained true to its original color as the weird one? Then it hit us. The only uncompromising green branch in a world of compromising purple branches would indeed be peculiar, much like the believer who resists compromising with the world. Like that one branch, we can risk ridicule by uncompromisingly standing up for what is true and eternal, or we can simply join the majority in unquestioningly compromising towards temporal gain.

Today, our provincial organization is far too preoccupied to notice that the majority of home education providers have slowly, but determinedly, turned purple by compromising with the world. Motivated primarily by the increased funding associated with increased amounts of state programming or the desire to keep or extend personal kingdoms, nearly every home education provider, including private Christian schools have adopted and normalized state programming as not only acceptable, but even as desirable, while they prey with impunity within the walls of what should be a safe haven. The principled determination of the province’s home educating pioneers to avoid the use of the increasingly secular state programming was easier before the advent of provincial funding, when all the the leaves stayed green. Today, those who have resisted the temptation to compromise and turn purple, find themselves in the minority, one that may indeed be the first to be pruned off by the secular provincial gardener who has normalized and christianized a program specifically designed to turn people away from God. This a not an academic issue, but a spiritual issue, a heart issue that is not destined to serve the Christian home education community well.

Preying On Greed

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-04-07.

Some of our parents have expressed a desire to better be able to identify the tricks being used to convince them to believe things that may not actually be true. This series will provide applicable examples of such.

Bible Reference: 1 Tim 6:10

Hard to believe how many “traditional” home education providers either come from schools that offer public programming or that have come to know the direct or indirect personal benefits of government curriculum and accreditation. The old adage of “if you can’t beat them, join them” has certainly found its way to the home education community, such that, I believe, the majority of children being taught at home are now doing a variation of what is being taught at school. The reason? Money! Let’s call those influenced by money, “mercenaries”.

Mercenary parents shop around to find the board that will give them the most money. No consideration given to what the registering board will provide towards the home education program. Mercenaries end up “selling” their children to the highest bidder. Ethics need not be considered.

Mercenary parents are easily purchased with their own money. These folks will leave one board and go to another because the other will buy questionable “home education supplies” such as table saws, materials for the kitchen renovation project or noodle makers. They search for the provider that will give them the best “prize” for signing on.

Mercenary parents will do public programming, if it means more money. No consideration given to the fact that this programming is not only secular, but unbiblical, if not anti-Christian. No big deal to someone who values money more than anything, even children.

But, it is not only parents who can be mercenary. Home education providers and associations can also be motivated by the love of money.

Mercenary organization will say, do or promise whatever it takes to get people to sign with them. No lie is too big. No offering too outrageous. No promise too ridiculous. Just sign here, please!

Mercenary organization do not have an issue with reimbursing parents for questionable home education expenses. They know the government is not likely to find them out and God doesn’t matter. They are convinced they will be forgiven for their avarice when the time comes. After all, didn’t Jesus die for their sins? Just sign here!

Mercenary organizations will do whatever is required to stay alive and be in control. They will go where they have to to be the boss, even if it means compromising on nearly every thing they purported to be true, not that long ago. If we need to offer blended programs to survive, let’s offer blended programs. Parents want credits? Lets not confuse them with the facts. Give them their credits, even if it means not actually doing what is required. Ethics? What’s that? Just sign here!

Mercenary organizations will be whatever they have to be to get the client. If the parents want a Christian board, then they are a Christian board. Parents want a secular board, they can do that too. Hate government intrusion? So do they! Don’t like post-secondary institutions? Neither do they. Biblical? Of course! Simply “spiritual” and not religious? Why not? They can be all things to all men. Just sign here, please!

Mercenary organizations keep parents perpetually dependent on them by offering worldly wisdom. Advanced as a fan club, these organizations provide all sorts of things that pass as help, but do little to equip parents to take responsibility for the training of their children. Perpetual dependency means perpetual adherence to the group. Continue to sign here, please.

Ouch!

Preying on Ignorance

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-03-31.

Bible Reference: Romans 12:2

Truth always comes with a cost. The prophets of old certainly understood this as they were being killed for delivering the truth to unreceptive ears! Today, those who dare to tell the truth are not generally killed physically, but can indeed be “dispatched” in other, less obvious ways. Truth does not sell well. It is far more effective to avoid telling the truth or to tell a “variant” of the truth, if other, nefarious objectives are in place. Most providers know this, so they continue school-like programs, processes and procedures which have the effect of making people feel comfortable with doing the same thing as school. As stated before, to take something that is wrong and to try to do it better is not to make it right, but rather a better wrong, if there is such a thing.

One of the techniques used to keep us from knowing the truth, is to provide ample scientific evidence to support home education practices and accomplishments. This, in and of itself, is not evil, however to demonstrate a greater faith in science than the bible is a common error in our “enlightened” world. I have a favorite example of how good marketing and the use of scientism can mislead even the best of people. The magazine had a young girl with a big tear in her eye. The caption indicated that she was crying because she could not read and she could not read because she was dyslexic. The article went on to indicate that this was a problem that could be fixed and they had the science and the professionals to do this. Really? As a dyslexic myself, I saw this article as a blatant insult. Who really put that tear on that girl’s eye, her or the people that indicated that she was less than a perfect example of humanity? The article did not reference the Bible at all, nor was God mentioned. This girl was simply a result of evolutionary dysfunction that could only be fixed by professionals through science, not to mention the associated fee! There you have it, a fee. Worth more than truth. No dyslexic was consulted for the article, just fallacious information to take advantage of those ignorant of the fact, and that, by an organization that claims a “Christian” foundation. God does not make mistakes and he does not make junk. That poor girl simply needed someone to assure her she was special in God’s eyes and did not need fixing. As a matter of fact, she is probably more intelligent than the authors of that article and the professional willing to cash in the parents, combined! The world needs more dyslexics so they can expose the antics of fraudulent “believers”.

Unfortunately, many organizations claiming a biblical perspective actually present a secular worldview. The normalization of error is common in the Western Church as many of these institutions seem to represent government more than God. These can and do take advantage of the misinformed to advance their own cause and, unfortunately, many actually believe they are correct and doing you a favor. The only antidote to this situation is to not be ignorant, to not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, but to be wise in our understanding of the truth as seen through the Bible. Man’s wisdom is complicated and riddled with seemingly simple solutions. God’s wisdom is simple enough that a child and common sense can separate it from man’s wisdom, which is not wisdom at all.

Preying on Fear

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-03-24.

Bible Reference: 1 John 4:18

Continuing with our exposure of questionable practices and offerings, let us focus on what is the biggest motivator for parents while, at the same time, the most effective tool of abusers, fear. We all fear what we don’t understand, especially when we engage in a new venture and most certainly when it comes to our children’s future. Anybody knowing how manipulation works will know the power of preying on fears. A lot of advertisers and marketers use fear as their primary instrument.

As previously mentioned, most parents are trying to train their children at home after having been trained at school. It should be obvious that most parents will want to do the best job possible in training their children but have mostly secular experiences from which to draw. Good marketing demands the perpetuation of fears, so rather than take the chance at losing a potential customer, providers offer parents what they want rather than what they need. Beware of manipulators!

The biggest fear parents have regarding their children’s training is that they may be disqualified from some post-secondary options. This can be a real money maker! Besides the questionable tactics used by one provider as outlined in the last blog, preying on this fear not only assures registration, but the potential of the elevation of grants received. Rather than tell people the truth about the overwhelming success of post-secondary bound home educated students, they actually handicap them by trying to deliver a program intended for school at home which comes with the unfortunate consequence of reducing marks and subsequently the chances of being accepted in college. Furthermore, a lot of this blended programming fails to meet with clearly mandated procedures, making parents complicit in the potential fraudulent billing of programming not delivered as prescribed. This is so lucrative that a “Christian” online provider from out of province has set up shop in Alberta to take advantage of the ill-informed and fearful, not to mention, the funding. Beware of blended programs as they ultimately benefit the providers more than the students.

If parents have only been exposed to government programming, it is normal for them to think that only the government can possibly know what your child needs to know at any given age. This belief works well for providers who take advantage of this fear by offering school-like replacement programming to alleviate the fears while offering no solutions. Programs designed to fix broken children are secular. Christianized secular programs remain secular even if they appease the fears of parents. God created each child individually so we should be wary of whatever or whoever makes any statement about where any child should be at any time. Beware of those who would assimilate your child to conformity rather than celebrate the diversity God has created.

Is The Service Offered Legitimate?

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-03-17.

Bible Reference: 1 Tim. 6:10

Before we begin, let us determine that secular programs do not advance biblical thinking or directives. It is therefore amazing how many “Christian” schools are advancing secular programming as acceptable, even desirable. Programming based on a belief that government has authority over parents in education cannot be properly advanced as scriptural and should have no place in Christian education. The first concern parents should have regarding a potential home education provider is whether or not they or their sponsoring school uses public curriculum or provides high school credits. If they do and you do not wish to be a compromiser, go elsewhere.

Most of the tricks and techniques used to capture parents can generally be described as advancing, as acceptable, a standard of secular ideas. Parents who have had most of their training through public programming will fail to see that this simply normalizes something that is wrong in the first place. Rather than train parents to replace their secular thinking with a biblical approach to training children, they present a variety of “offerings” that are mostly honest … but actually not true.

Being a dedicated, lifelong teacher has given me some interesting insights on what boards, schools, teachers and other education providers and personnel are willing to do, to increase that bottom line. I have a great number of examples that would probably require a book rather than a blog! From my Christian perspective, I find a number of tactics used to entice parents to join any particular agency to be questionable or even unethical. A great number of tricks are used towards achieving the goal of increasing the number of students and/or use of public programming. Let’s start with lies.

How about the offering of “definitive distinctions”! First of all, what does that mean? Especially since the entire list is neither defined nor distinctive! The old adage of baffling people with words, if you can’t dazzle them with wisdom, comes to mind. Be careful of empty words that sound good but say nothing.

It has come to my attention that one provider promised folks of a certain religious sect, that computers would not be used in the provision of services so as to not offend their understanding with respect to their use. I highly doubt that this provider would not use computers in this day and age. This is simply a lie to entice the ill-informed to sign on with them. Should we not be helping parents to train children for their future rather than the parent’s past? Be careful of simply being aided in your misunderstanding.

Another closely related offering is one that really defies logic. It is a question of giving parents what they want, even when we know that what they want is not in keeping with their faith. Few people are truly aware of the depth of secularism the public program eschews. If they did, they would refuse to even be associated with it. Rather than to equip the parents to adequately prepare their children for God’s kingdom, this provider enables them to look just like the world so they can compete in a world’s game. If this is not dubious enough, they then offer to make the public accreditation obtainable without actually using the public programming or resources. Fraud is typically defined as unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities, for which this offering provides a rather “credible” example! How does God view our longing for worldly accreditation without actually truly fulfilling it’s requirements? If something appears to be not fulfilling man’s or God’s requirements, it is probably a compromise which accomplishes nothing other than benefit the provider who was willing to help you do the compromising. To not equip is to tell a lie. Beware of trusting those who would be willing to cash in on your lack of understanding!

The Blessing That Becomes The Curse

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-03-10.

Bible Reference: 1 Tim. 6:10

Before engaging in the exposé of questionable practices and offerings of home education providers and associations, let us be clear of three things. First, we must understand that through God’s eyes, things are right or they are not. No compromises are acceptable, therefore no compromises should be seen among professing Christians. Secondly, we must understand that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, even when dealing with real people and real organizations. The truth is not necessarily known to everyone, while some may know the truth, but choose to suppress it for more sordid gains. Finally, there are parents who are not affected by what is being discussed here as they have chosen, for one reason or another to distance themselves from government authority and the associated funding.

Parents in Alberta have it pretty good. They can choose to send their children to any of a variety of public and private school alternatives or to keep them at home and educate the children themselves or to have them learn through an online program. The provincial government not only provides these choices but supports them all with at least some level of funding. Alberta Education funding is determined by two major factors, the number of students and the amount of public program used. This is where the blessing of financial helps becomes the curse of home education. Since funding follows the student, providers need to recruit the parents to access the funding in the first place and then do “whatever it takes” to keep them in order to maintain the income, even if that means offering parents bad advice and/or public programming which comes with potential for increased levels of funding. In this environment, children become more a form of currency, to be bought and sold with an eye to profit by both providers and parents, than human beings in need of love, and attention towards the Kingdom of God. If money and/or power becomes the motivation for recruitment, rather than the equipping of parents to do the best they can for their children, a competition between providers, who supposedly share a common desire to advance and defend home education, is created. Competition is not necessarily evil in a business world, but is of questionable value when it comes to directing people to the truth of God’s Word, meaning that if all providers had pure motive with respect to parents, children and home education, there would be more cooperation and less competition. That, unfortunately, is not the case in Alberta. There exists an appearance of congeniality, but in actuality, there is more worldly wisdom at play than what one would expect of organizations claiming a Christian foundation. Most parents have a limited understanding of what the Bible has to say about the proper training and disciplining of children. Few parents have any idea of where the home education provider comes from or their primary motivation and even fewer can separate Godly from secular wisdom. Therefore, they can easily be taken advantage of through the use of clever yet questionable advertising, marketing and promises.

Most of the tricks and techniques used to capture parents can generally be described as advancing an acceptable standard of secular ideas. Parents who have had most of their training through public programming will fail to see that this simply normalizes something that is wrong in the first place. Rather than train parents to replace their secular thinking with a biblical approach to training children, they present a variety of “offerings” that are mostly honest … but actually not true. Rather than help parents to be good parents, providers choose to help them be something other than a parent, with an eye to manipulating them for personal gain.

Some of these “tricks” will be discussed in future blogs. In the meantime, parents are advised to know the difference between what the world has to offer and what God has directed.

When & Where Does Learning Occur?

Part of the series Mostly Honest… Isn’t True
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-03-03.

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 series are intended to offend those who would advance anything, other than the truth, in order to benefit themselves.

Bible Reference: Deut. 6:6-9

I heard a rather intriguing story on the news last year. It got me thinking about how we are led to come to the conclusions that we do. The story was about a northern Alberta community that was considering going to a four day school week. They would increase the number of hours per day which would allow schools to be closed on Fridays. A few questions came to mind as I listened to the story.

The first comment I heard revealed the typical response of that political party that sees everything as caused by a lack of government funding. They saw a four day school week as a travesty of government insensitivity to children’s needs. Really?

The second comment of the story indicated that this would cause parents undue hardship as they would have to find alternate arrangements for childcare on Fridays, indicating that some see schools more as day cares than institutes of learning. There may be more than an element of truth to this observation!

The third comment really caught my attention. It was stated that the greatest concern of a four day school week would be that the children would be left without opportunity for learning for a greater amount of time! If we are not listening carefully, this can easily be passed off as a legitimate concern when, in fact, it is rather laughable that anyone could come up with such a ridiculous statement. When does learning start and where does it happen? This statement implies that learning only occurs within the confines of a school. What happens as students leave the institution? Do their brains shut off? My personal experience as a twenty-five year veteran teacher is that a lot of students shut their brains off before coming to school, not when leaving! Believing that learning starts at birth and continues wherever we are until death, should lead one to understand that reducing the school week to four days would probably increase the opportunity for learning, not decrease it, as implied by this misinformed statement.

The next lengthy series of blogs will question things being advanced as educationally sound, not only by those opposing home education but also by those purporting to be advancing it.

Applying “The Fight” to Home Education

Part of the series Feedback
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-02-24.

A question was asked: As Christian men when should we fight and what does it look like, in view of the biblical reference to submit to authority?

We do not claim to have all the right answers but based on our present understanding of the scriptures, we will do our best to bring a little clarity to your queries.

Bible Reference: 2 Tim. 4:7

I attempted to answer the question to the best of my ability in the last three blogs, not near enough time or space for such a complex issue. This week I want to apply what we have learned to the topic of home education, which is what I will assume the person who asked the question was referring to.

Foundation
The real antagonist is the enemy of our souls. Our biggest handicap is ignorance. Our poorest effort is apathy. We must take up the sword and fight the real enemy with truth. Understand what the Bible has to say about the training of children, fix your eyes on this truth and use it to measure and question all educational claims.

Authority
Who has been given the authority for the training and discipline of the children? Fathers. There are no biblical directives otherwise. One should understand that those who employ fear, manipulation, intimidation and coercion are not God’s representatives. We must understand how the false claimants to educational authority can make that claim and not only get heard, but enabled and supported by the larger Christian community, as most have adopted man’s version of learning expectations.

When to fight?
Whenever we are being led to forsake our faith for any contrived reason designed to take us away from the truth or to benefit the perpetrator of the lie. In Alberta, Canada, this is accomplished through the funding of home education, which has given rise to the perpetuation by providers, of the fears and concerns raised by parents for the simple purpose of having the parents register and correspondingly direct the funding to the board making the promises. This is particularly sinister as most of the providers make claims to Christian faith but outwardly advance secular government programming or are associated with schools that do.

How to fight?
With truth. The only hope we have of surviving as a Christian home education community, is as a gathering of like-minded servants of the Lord intent on following biblical directives respecting the training of children. We need to arm ourselves with the truth so that we may stand against the wiles of the enemy. This is not accomplished by outdoing the world in its games, like demonstrations, nor is it accomplished by religious role playing, like quoting scripture to people who have no faith in God or His Word. To take something that is wrong and to try to do it better is not to make it right, only a better wrong, if there is such a thing. Many groups “advancing” home education actually do not even know they are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Nearly all of our beliefs regarding home education are secular in nature. That is because we have all been made to think that government has been given authority in education, which leads us back to the beginning. We need to decide who has been given the authority and who is claiming to have it. Once the correct decision has been reached, start asking why we do the things we do. You will be amazed at how many things make no biblical or common sense, which should demonstrate how simple the battle actually is.

Done! I hope this answers your question.