who is teaching?

I haven’t seen teacher faith affiliation surveys, but if 82% of Americans are self-identified as Christians, then my guess is the majority of public school teachers would identify as Christian. Should they be permitted to teach specific Christian principles in school?

Here is the dilemma. My wife and I are the primary faith nurturers of our children, along with other adult faith mentors from our Christian community. I don’t want public school teachers trying to give them a water-downed version of the gospel. I don’t like it when some of my daughter’s teachers let their political bias loose in the classroom; it is generally an anti-this or anti-that tirade rather than a principled, reasonable, balanced presentation.

Now put Christian faith in the mix. What kind of Christian faith would be taught? Take the role of women, for example. When some Christians teach that a married woman is under the headship of her husband they take that to mean he is always right; the boss of the house, and everyone just has to do what dad says. In my fantasy life would that this were true, but realistically, if marriage isn’t a partnership we are in trouble.

I don’t fret over the fact that some Christians follow this view of marriage, but biblically I would make a far different case for the meaning of the headship of the husband in a Christian home. Now, who is going to teach this to my children in school? I can choose what church I am part of and know what is being taught, but I can’t choose the biblical worldview of the teachers in my children’s classroom.