The Southern Baptists Contemplate Starting a Christian School System

There are signs that the Southern Baptist Convention may begin a movement to educate their own children in their own schools because of the increasing secularism and anti-Christian atmosphere in government schools. The debate this article describes may have reached a turning point.

Given their network, resources, energy and spiritual commitment, the SBC is positioned as few other denominations are to create a dynamic, outreach-based ministry of K-12 education. Note two points in the following exerpt: 1) the strategic targeting of the inner city and 2) the concept of the school as a hub for family ministry.

"Moreover, Dr. Chapman sees the need for greatly expanding Christian education as urgent: "In recent days, two questions have weighed heavily on my soul. If Southern Baptists don't do it, who will? If we don't do it now, do we risk forever losing the opportunity to build schools for God's glory and the future of our children, grandchildren and the land we love?"

To implement his vision of a major expansion of Christian education, Dr. Chapman advocates two initial concrete steps. First, he identifies the inner cities as places where a Christian education ministry is much needed and would be welcomed. As Dr. Chapman sees it: "In such areas, Kingdom schools would serve as a central ministry among a myriad of ministries that would help families recover from the chaos that now exists and help them establish Christ in the home.""

The question is whether Christians can actually be salt and light within the government schools or whether they are forced to acquiesce in so much moral relativism, political correctness, multiculturalism and secularism that they can only conform or leave. And there is no reason why a Christian could not be a teacher in a secular school even though he or she sends his or her own child to a Christian school. Let the adults enter enemy territory and risk martyrdom; why send our children to be educated by enemies of the Faith?

What I like about the Southern Baptists is that they think offense, not defense. The idea of starting Christian schools in inner cities is a terrific one. On the whole, I like this idea.