Some of my friends and acquaintances in the public education system believe that my assessments of their colleagues are too pessimistic. Others quietly affirm what I’ve observed. This letter is for those who think I’ve been too critical.
Let me begin with my own memories of school. I went through K–12 primarily in the 1970s and recall many good and decent teachers. One who stands out was Virginia (Ginny) Rhodes, who taught anatomy and physiology. Before addressing the theory of evolution, she shared with us that she was a Christian who did not believe in evolution, and that she affirmed the biblical doctrine of creation. Her honesty and courage made a deep impression on me, even though I wasn’t a biblical Christian at the time. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devil never fell into that vice, for the devils believe and tremble” (James 2:19).
There were other teachers whose decency and sincerity I appreciated—Patricia, whose joyful spirit and family values shone through her love of outdoor cooking; Steve, a young history teacher who led the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; and Don, who introduced students to chess and was active in charitable community outreach. These teachers, and others like them, reflected what was then a largely Christian moral consensus in public education. Whether all of them were regenerate Christians, I do not know. But they were what we might call “based”—grounded in reality, common sense, and moral clarity.
That word—based—is key to my concerns about today’s education system. A based person recognizes natural law, the created order, and the reality that truth exists apart from subjective experience. As in ice rescue operations, the rescuer must remain anchored to the shore to pull someone out safely. Lose that anchor, and both perish. Likewise, teachers must remain tethered to objective truth to instruct children rightly.
Christ warned, “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). Today’s education system is plagued by blind guides. The woke, claiming to be enlightened, are spiritually blind and ideologically captive to false worldviews. The consequences are real—confused children, eroded parental rights, and a society losing touch with reality.
This ideological blindness has permeated both government schools and even some pulpits. If your minister wears a “diversity stole” and promotes LGBT ideology, he is not representing Christ—he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). Mainline Protestant denominations like the United Methodist Church (UMC), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), Episcopal Church (TEC), United Church of Christ (UCC), Mennonite Church USA (MC-USA), and the Church of the Brethren (COB) have largely abandoned biblical orthodoxy in favor of the secular religion of wokeness.
This same religion dominates teacher colleges, education departments, and professional associations. Neo-Marxist theories such as critical theory, intersectionality, and gender ideology are foundational to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs now entrenched in public schools. These ideas are not neutral. They are tools of ideological indoctrination that reframe American history, human identity, and morality through the lens of cultural Marxism.
Consider these facts:
- A 2022 study by Education Week found that 74% of K–12 teachers support teaching gender identity in some form, and 56% of administrators encourage practices that may bypass parental consent during a student’s “social gender transition.”
- The National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are two of the most powerful political contributors in the country—donating over 95% of their political funds to Democrat candidates and causes.
- The NEA’s official platform includes support for abortion rights, LGBT curriculum mandates, and opposition to school choice—positions aligned with secular progressive ideology and often in direct conflict with traditional family values.
Unfortunately, many well-meaning teachers are caught in this system. They see the ideological drift, but remain silent for fear of professional repercussions. Others are fully invested in the ideology and view parents—especially religious and conservative ones—as unqualified to influence their own children’s moral formation. They assume an air of superiority, describing themselves as “progressive” and dismissing concerned parents as backwards, even dangerous.
This mindset eerily echoes the assimilationist policies of the late 19th century, when Native American parents were sidelined in favor of government “experts” who knew better. Today’s version of that paternalism is woke ideology, enforced not by missionaries, but by DEI officers and union-backed bureaucrats.
The consequences are chilling:
- Children are taught to question their biological sex.
- Parents are deliberately excluded from critical discussions.
- Faith-based perspectives are ridiculed or silenced.
- Education is weaponized to create ideological conformity rather than intellectual curiosity.
Some hope that the Trump administration’s actions—like its pushback against Critical Race Theory in federal training programs and its support for school choice—have dealt a fatal blow to the woke revolution. I am less optimistic. The problem is deeply rooted. Federal agencies, teacher unions, and education colleges are still dominated by progressive ideologues.
That’s why I no longer support the public education system. I see it not as a neutral provider of knowledge, but increasingly as a tool for cultural reprogramming. When a government controls the schools, it controls the future—and right now, the values shaping that future are hostile to Christianity, to parental rights, and to the truth itself.
What’s the solution? School choice.
Taxpayer dollars should follow the student, not the system. If parents wish to send their children to private, classical, or parochial schools that align with their faith and values, their tax dollars should support that decision. This is not about defunding education—it’s about funding freedom. It’s about restoring parental authority and reintroducing moral clarity into the training of the next generation.
Let’s give parents the tools to resist indoctrination and to raise children who know right from wrong, truth from lies, and God from government.
S.D.G.,
RELATED CONTENT
Author Joe Rigney, Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrews College, discusses his recent book titled The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits with Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, Kentucky.
Joe’s book is available on Amazon.
Toxic empathy as described in his book impacts the public school systems and many other arenas of life. Well-meaning teachers tend to be subject to their emotions rather than reason when viewing matters related to wokeness and gender ideology.
Toxic empathy of teachers leads to great harm as woke teachers validate the delusions of their students in regards to gender ideology and perceived racial and sexual injustices. Using the ice rescuer analogy, the woke educator led by their deceptive and misinformed emotions jumps into the freezing water with the victim and perishes alongside them.
Allie Beth Stuckey, an insightful Christian commentator, authored a book on toxic empathy as well. It is titled Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion.
Allie Beth Stuckey’s book is available on Amazon.
She discusses toxic empathy and its dangers in this episode.
Voddie Baucham is one of the most articulate individuals in the Christian church when it comes to wokeness and education.
He and his wife have several children and have educated them through home schooling.
Ultimately, I do not believe public education is the best situation for the Christian child. He is known in Christian circles for this quote: ‘We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans.’
This is a letter to the editor I submitted to the local newspaper. It is related to this post.
Concerning the Related Content section, I encourage everyone to evaluate the content carefully.
I will continue to add videos and other items to the Related Content section as opportunities present themselves.If I have listed the content, I think it is worthwhile viewing to educate yourself on the topic, but it may contain some opinions I don’t agree with.
Feel free to offer your comments below. Respectful comments without expletives and personal attacks will be posted and I will respond to them.
Comments are closed after sixty days due to spamming issues from internet bots.
You can always send me an email at rob@basedchristianity.org if you want to comment on something afterwards, though.
If you have evidence that I am wrong about a material statement of fact, provide the evidence and I will gladly review it and make revisions if merited.
Obviously, there are some assertions that are matters of opinion that I will not change, but I always strive to be truthful. We are all capable of mistakes and misunderstandings on occasion, though.
Regarding depictions of Jesus, images accompanying the article may contain depictions of Jesus.
I realize that some fellow Christians, particularly some conservative Presbyterians, consider these images to be a form of idolatry. I do not agree with their opinion on this matter. The Second Commandment forbids worship of idols. These images are for illustrative purposes and do not represent a form of worship.
I recommend these Youtube channels for good content on Christian matters: Founders Ministries, Ligonier Ministries, Grace to You, G3 Ministries, and Truth for Life. RC Sproul, Voddie Baucham, Alistair Begg, Kevin DeYoung, Albert Mohler, Tom Ascol and John MacArthur are well-known, trustworthy pastors and teachers with content across multiple forums.
Albert Mohler, Francis Schaeffer, Allie Beth Stuckey and Nancy Pearcey have some valuable materials related to cultural matters, as well.