The 2021 word of the year was recently announced by Dictionary.com. Interestingly enough, they chose the word allyship which had never before appeared in their dictionary until 2021. They define the word as follows: The status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized or politicized group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view and under its leadership: Genuine allyship does not come with special recognition—we do not get awards for confronting issues people have to live with every day.
Notice the key language of this definition.
- Advocate
- Actively works
- Inclusion
- Marginalized
- Point of view
This definition is filled with aspects of today’s social justice crisis including elements of intersectionality, critical race theory, and standpoint epistemology. We are witnessing more than a great reset of our civilization. We’re witnessing a war for the minds of people that will do far more than reshape or reset our civilization as a whole—it will literally destroy it. What concerns me the most is not that the church of Jesus will suffer hardship during such a season of trial, it’s the reality that much of the social justice agenda that we’re witnessing in the secular sphere has found inroads into the evangelical denominations and local churches across our nation. William Young writes the following:
While often an amorphous term, “social justice” has evolved to generally mean state redistribution of advantages and resources to disadvantaged groups to satisfy their rights to social and economic equality. 1William Young, “Academic Social Science and Social Justice” [accessed 12-9-21], 2015.
One of the most formidable means of impacting a civilization is through the education of children. If anyone should know this to be true, it’s the church of Jesus Christ. As we read in the Old Testament, we find the following command to God’s people in Deuteronomy 6:4–9:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
God’s plan for generational discipleship begins with the children and continues from generation to generation. Today, across America one of the primary means of perpetuating godless ideologies is through the public school system. The textbooks and curricula are filled with messages that are not only incompatible with the Christian worldview, but are actually anti-Christian at the foundational level.
As many concerned parents today are beginning to see the danger of the social justice agenda (CRT/I) and wide ranging implications that such a movement will have upon a society, we must look back and see that this was a slow cooking methodology that began years ago and has continued to simmer along through the years.
The public school system has been using public education to push the sexual revolution for a very long time. Today, they continue to press this idea into the children through resources and social justice ideologies.
The public school system has been using public education to push the sexual revolution for a very long time. Today, they continue to press this idea into the children through resources and social justice ideologies.
In 2016, California became the first state to add the LGBTQA+ agenda into the public school curriculum. After the new law passed and the new framework was adopted into the school system, it was highly praised by the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson who called it “a big win.” He stated the following:
This document will improve the teaching and learning of history and social science. It will give our students access to the latest historical research and help them learn about the diversity of our state and the contributions of people and groups who may not have received the appropriate recognition in the past. 2“California’s students will soon learn more LGBT history in schools” of the Los Angles Times, published on July 14th, 2016.
This change of public school teaching policy and curriculum revision means that children as early as eight years of age will be taught that some families have two moms or two dads. In the fourth grade, students will learn about Harvey Milk, “a New Yorker who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 as California’s first openly gay public official.” In the new framework of the California public schools, Chapter 5, “People Who Make a Difference,” states:
In Standard 2.1, students develop a beginning sense of history through the study of the family, a topic that is understandable and interesting to them…Through studying the stories of a very diverse collection of families, such as immigrant families, families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender parents and their children, families of color, step- and blended families, families headed by single parents, extended families…families with disabled members, families from different religious traditions, and adoptive families, students can both locate themselves and their own families in history and learn about the lives and historical struggles of their peers. In developing these activities, teachers should not assume any particular family structure and ask questions in a way that will easily include children from diverse family backgrounds. They need be sensitive to family diversity and privacy, and to protect the wishes of students and parents who prefer not to participate. 3See the 2016 History-Social Science Framework of the State Board of Education of California adopted on July 14, 2016—Chapter 5, “People Who Make a Difference.” – … Continue reading
We must remember, words matter and the power of the pen has been harnessed to win many battles through the years. The progressives and liberals understand this well and they have been using this power to influence children through the K-12 system and then once they head off to the university system—they’re primed for full-throttle indoctrination. Those students who have no genuine Christian foundation are swept away by the strong winds of the false teaching of social justice.
The state of New York understands this principle well. Take for example the CR-S (Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework) as explained on the New York State department of education website NYSED.GOV:
The CR-S framework helps educators create student-centered learning environments that: affirm racial, linguistic and cultural identities; prepare students for rigor and independent learning, develop students’ abilities to connect across lines of difference; elevate historically marginalized voices; and empower students as agents of social change. 4See: http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/culturally-responsive-sustaining-education-framework
The website goes on to explain:
A complex system of biases and structural inequities is at play, deeply rooted in our country’s history, culture, and institutions. This system of inequity — which routinely confers advantage and disadvantage based on linguistic background, gender, skin color, and other characteristics — must be clearly understood, directly challenged, and fundamentally transformed. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has come to understand that the results we seek for all our children can never be fully achieved without incorporating an equity and inclusion lens in every facet of our work.
With the clearest language possible, the state of New York explains that their goal is to “prepare students” and “empower students” as agents of social change. This change is already visible in political policies, public opinion, and a sheepish mentality of following the government and trusting the government for all of life’s biggest decisions including marriage, family, education, health care, and most importantly—religion. It’s not just the English department that you must watch closely, it’s far deeper and interwoven into the entire system itself. You know we have problems when Harvard cast doubt on whether or not 2+2 must always equal 4.
With the clearest language possible, the state of New York explains that their goal is to “prepare students” and “empower students” as agents of social change.
The path forward involves a paradigm shift whereby Christians engage in the work of discipleship as the church grows the Christian community will have an impact upon the culture in the secular sphere. Within the sphere of the church, our goal must remain fixed on making disciples for the glory of God. Within the sphere of the home, our goal must be to make disciples and raise up the next generation that will remain steadfast in the faith for the glory of God. We live out our faith in the public sphere and trust God for the results. We have a commitment to live as a light in a dark world and regardless of how dark it becomes, we are to let our light shine brightly.
We live out our faith in the public sphere and trust God for the results. We have a commitment to live as a light in a dark world and regardless of how dark it becomes, we are to let our light shine brightly.
There is a battle for the mind, and quite honestly it seems that the secular sphere is doing a good job in the work of education. As we prepare for 2022, the challenge for the Christian family will be to learn how to influence children and disciple them through a clear Christian worldview for God’s glory. This might involve great sacrifice for some dual income families who need to make the commitment to downsize and refocus for the work of home education. We have an abundance of resources and tools in form of catechisms and teaching resources. We have websites, apps, and technology at our finger tips. We likewise have the support of our homes and local churches. Will we rise to the challenge and the call of the Christian?
Years ago Voddie Baucham, in his book, Family Driven Faith wrote the following, “70-88% of teens, who profess Christianity, walk away from their faith by the end of their freshman year of college.” We must remember, if we refuse to disciple our children, the government and private universities will gladly rise to the challenge. However, their goal is far different than the goal of the Christian home and the results will be catastrophic.
May the Lord strengthen our arms for the work of Christian discipleship in 2022.
References
| 1 | William Young, “Academic Social Science and Social Justice” [accessed 12-9-21], 2015. |
|---|---|
| 2 | “California’s students will soon learn more LGBT history in schools” of the Los Angles Times, published on July 14th, 2016. |
| 3 | See the 2016 History-Social Science Framework of the State Board of Education of California adopted on July 14, 2016—Chapter 5, “People Who Make a Difference.” – http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/sbedrafthssfw.asp [accessed 4-13-17]. |
| 4 | See: http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/culturally-responsive-sustaining-education-framework |
