Adam Rondeau

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HuffPost blaming Christian curriculum for Capitol riots is slanderous

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This is a copy of an op-ed written by the leadership of GCEA which appeared on the Christian Post, January 27, 2021.

Written by Adam Rondeau, Emory Thompson, Jr. and Angel Parrish.

A Response Required

Recently the Huffington Post ran an article that was extremely hostile to Christian education here in the United States. The overall implication of the article was that the January 6 rioting at the Capitol building was directly tied to the government allowing and possibly funding conservative Christian education in the US Specific curricula were cited and quoted (specifically, A-Beka, Bob Jones and Accelerated Christian Education) and blame was explicitly and carelessly lobbied at these schools and curriculum.

“Their religion-centered, anti-Democrat, anti-science, anti-multicultural message mirrors the Christian nationalism seen at the U.S. Capitol riot.”  

Such brash and unfair bias cannot go unanswered. The overwhelming majority of schools using these curricula are highly civic-minded American patriots. They love God and their country and deplore violence of any kind. Painting an entire demographic with a wide brush based on hear-say alone is slanderous. It is also disingenuous. The year 2020 was filled with leftist progressives rioting and looting all over the country in response to their own perceived inequities, yet none of that is alluded to in the Huffington Post article. If the author was seeking to be equitable, would she not have to acknowledge the possibility that government schools and their curriculum might bear some blame for those riots? Indeed the article concludes with just the opposite reaction.

The following statement from the article claims to have intellectual authority but is severely lacking in credulity. 

“Scholars say textbooks like these, with their alternate versions of history and emphasis on Christian national identity, represent one small part of the conditions that lead to events like last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, an episode that was permeated with the symbols of Christian nationalism.”

Exactly who are these scholars that the author is referring to? There are no footnotes or cited sources for this particular example, and of the three “scholars” quoted within this article, only one implies this thought process. Therefore, the reader’s only recourse is to give full trust to the statements of the author or practice intellectual independence and question the statements and opinions as presented. We choose the latter.

Linking terrorism to Christian education and its biblical worldview being communicated is grossly misleading. Consider Franklin Graham and the work of Samaritan’s Purse which has helped countless suffering and needy people in the US and abroad. It is the same worldview that these schools and curricula seek to advance. American students using the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum  annually donate to the BLESS outreach which sponsors literacy programs in third-world countries, giving thousands of children the opportunity for advancement through education. Consider a very large Florida Christian school which utilizes A Beka and Bob Jones curricula and funnels all the profit from that school and a thrift shop to help to fund a completely free medical clinic, two homeless shelters, and a food pantry. These are only a few examples. Conservative Christians and their churches and schools are not promoting or involved in riotous activity, but rather in activities that fulfill the Greatest Commandment to love God and neighbour. Students are taught to be contributing members of society who work for the common good of the nation around them.  This is an accurate representation of conservative Christian education in America.

A Clash of Worldviews

At its core this article is about a clash of worldviews. The author is a committed progressive and is defending her ideology. She feels that conservative Christian schools are seeking to undermine evolution and far-left progressive policies and therefore attempts to expose them as such. And this we have in common with her because Christians feel the same exact way. Why? Because it is true. This is the clash of worldviews that the apostle Paul so brilliantly contrasts in 1 Corinthians 2:14.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Conservative Christians can and  most certainly have gone through the curriculum of the government schools and point out all the issues that we have with the worldview being presented. Whether it be evolutionary history, radical revisions of history (i.e., the 1619 Project), sex-education curriclum developed by Planned Parenthood, transgender and homosexual ideology, etc., etc., etc. But that would be a relatively futile tit-for-tat approach.

The most fundamental issue at stake is that progressives are now openly contending that one worldview is dangerous and are laying a foundation for the ostracization of the religious freedoms of anyone who disagrees. 

Freedom of Speech First Requires Freedom of Thought

Those Christians that believe they have a responsibility to educate their child with a biblical worldview cannot consider public education a valid option. The courts have been clear over the years that there is no freedom of religion in a public school, nor is there freedom of speech for students or teachers regarding content that contradicts their sincerely held religious beliefs. Here are just some examples from the past 30 years. 

  1. 1990 Webster v. New Lennox School District (7th Circuit Court of Appeals). School districts may prohibit a teacher from teaching creation science. It further states that this is not a violation of a teacher’s freedom of speech.
  2. 2000 – Minnesota State Court rules that there is no right for a teacher to present evidence both for and against the theory of evolution. This means that teachers are not allowed to question evolution in their own classroom.
  3. 2005 – US District Court refused to allow a school district to put disclaimer labels on textbooks regarding evolution being a “theory” and that other theories existed, including intelligent design and creation . It was appealed. The appeal resulted in the schools agreeing not to denigrate evolution either orally or in written form. 
  4. 2005 – US Court ruled that schools could not maintain an Intelligent Design policy. Judge stated that Intelligent Design “is not science and cannot be adjudged a valid, accepted scientific theory as it has failed to publish in peer-reviewed journals, engage in research and testing, and gain acceptance in the scientific community.”

It is of great concern that the Huffington Post (and they are not alone in this sentiment) considers the worldview of conservative Christians as dangerous and worthy of suppression. The tone of the article is clear that Christian education in the United States is a danger to our democracy. For example, a previous student of a Christian school was interviewed and the following summation was offered:

Last week’s insurrectionists could have been her classmates, her teachers, her pastors. She felt a wave of recognition as she watched the pictures on social media. 

One of the grossest misrepresentations is embodied in this quote: 

“That whole belief system revolves around the idea that you want the rest of the world to think like you,” said Garman, who is now a social worker. “It’s a ‘the ends justify the means’ type of thing.”

But isn’t the whole point of the article that the author takes issue with the way conservative Christian educators think? That their worldview is inferior and dangerous? Doesn’t she intimate that allowing this thinking to continue is dangerous to our society? It’s the same old progressive logical fallacy–tolerance is only extended to those that agree with them. 

Perhaps the greatest danger to our first amendment right of free speech are the intellectual chains that are being forged around minds. If there is not freedom of thought then there cannot really be any freedom of speech. Consider these words from Richard Dawkins, arguably one of the secularist’s most staunch apologists:

“How much do we regard children as being the property of their parents? It’s one thing to say people should be free to believe whatever they like, but should they be free to impose their beliefs on their children? Is there something to be said for society stepping in? What about bringing up children to believe manifest falsehoods? Isn’t it always a form of child abuse to label children as possessors of beliefs that they are too young to have thought out?”

Cited by Ken Ham and Greg Hall, Already Compromised, Master Books, June 2011; Richard Dawkins, The God Delusions (Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin, 2006, 2008), p. 315

Do Christian parents still have freedom of thought and speech to impart those beliefs to their children? So long as America is a free nation they do, but it is quite clear that the secular, progressive worldview would like to eliminate those freedoms.

The Real Threat

Christian education is not a threat to the safety and well-being of our democracy nor is it a driver of terrorist threats. The real threat of Christian education is that it provides a viable alternative to the progressive worldview, and that terrifies the left. Their philosophies, which are built upon the sand of humanism, are so fragile that they cannot allow anyone to counter them. 

So how should Christian education respond? In faith–that which overcomes the world. Hebrews 11 reminds us that we can obtain a good testimony in this world through faith. The examples presented in Scripture are the basis of our worldview and must set the example for our response.  We continue in the course set before us, teaching what we know to be right.  We continue to set the example that we believe in a Sovereign God to preserve our thoughts and belief, regardless of opposition.  We continue to teach by example our love for fellow man, kindness for those around us, compassion for the hurting.  We respond with the faith that brought us to this place, believing that God can do the work we cannot.  We continue to believe that the Bible is not just a book, but the very Word of God.  We can’t fight the powers of progressivism through words and legislation; they are not our weapons.  We have the same power of prayer and faith that we started with.  Opposition is not new. Christian education must stay faithful to the mission of communicating a Biblical worldview to the next generation. Because if the real threat to humanism is the Truth we believe in, it is all we have.

Virtual Youth Conference – Junior & Senior

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Virtual Conference Q & A

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Interested in the virtual student conference for your school or homeschool but aren’t sure how it will work? We’ve anticipated some of your questions and have attempted to answer them here.

Q: How can students compete in platform and music competitions in a virtual conference.

A: These areas of competition will rely upon video recordings. Students will need to make a video recording of themselves presenting their pieces. Most cell phones or tablets will suffice for this. These are not to be professionally edited videos. They are real-time takes. No mics or audio enhancements should be utilized. Consider lighting and room acoustics when recording. Entries in these categories will need to adhere to the GYC guidelines specific to those events.

You are free to conduct as many recordings/takes as you like and submit what you believe to be your best performance. Then upload that video clip to a video sharing site (i.e., Youtube) and provide the link in the upload center as per the upload instruction.

Scripts and sheet music are not required to be uploaded for this year’s virtual conference.

Q: How will judges’ forms work for this virtual conference.

A: All the judges forms will be contained within our registration software. You will have access to them, but no printing, scanning, mailing, or emailing is needed. Judges will access each participants form and enter their scores directly into the software for automatic tabulation. Also, because we are virtual this year, no photos for music and platform events are required either.

Q: How will judging take place for this virtual conference?

A: Because this is a virtual conference, GCEA is able to recruit some of the best and most experienced judges from around the globe this year. These judges will have access to the entries they will be judging in the upload portal. They will then be able to enter their scores into the registration software judging module where the scores will be automatically tabulated for placement.

Q: Is there a separate registration for Junior and Senior Conferences?

A: No. A school or homeschool is only required to register once. There are two options for each event – one with a regular listing for the senior conference and on with a “Jr” listing for the junior conference. When entering students you will want to be sure to enter them in the correct event based on their age.

Q: How does the Junior Conference work?

A: There is no difference between the junior and senior conference. The event guidelines and criteria are exactly the same for both. The only difference is that they will be judged separately. Entries in the Junior Conference will not be mixed with entries in the Senior Conference. Junior Conference is for students ages 8-12 (by December 31, 2019).

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Teach Them How to Love the Lord

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by Dr. Adam Rondeau

(Mark 12:30)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

God wants us to love Him and He also desires that we teach the next generation to do the same. We often think that love is an organic emotion that naturally occurs given the right circumstances and conditions. However, love is also something that can be fostered which is als why it can be taught.

As parents and Christian leaders, we are on a  quest to cultivate a love for God into this generation of youth. We can draw strategies to this end from what Jesus affirmed as the Greatest Commandment – to love God. In that command, there are four specific areas that God wants us to demonstrate love for Him in order that we might fully love God in the way in which He desires. Those areas are: heart, soul, mind and strength.

Love God with Your Mind

I start with this because so much of our efforts in the ministry (Christian education in particular) is focused on teaching young people how to love God with their minds. By presenting knowledge through a Biblical lens and the development of a Christian worldview we are training their minds to love God by thinking thoughts that are pleasing to Him and in agreement with His own thoughts – to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We have a plethora of curricula, seminars, conferences, etc., to assist in this training. But remember, the mind is only part of the way that God wants us to love Him. It is not enough to love the Lord with just the mind – there is more.

Love God with Your Heart

The heart is the center of the being. Whenever we tell someone that we love them with our whole heart we are communicating a deep attachment to that person. Jesus taught that the level of love that one can express toward God is related to the level of forgiveness that has been received.

Luke 7:47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

I grew up in Christian home. I mean, I started going to church 9 months before I was born! I accepted Christ as my Saviour at the very young age of 3 and never really had any issues with rebellion, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. As a teenager I wondered about this verse and secretly even contemplated that I would need to become a prodigal in order to really love God the way I wanted to. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit spoke to my young heart and some of the messages that I heard helped me to realize that the key here wasn’t in the details of the sins for which I had been forgiven. Rather, it was an awareness of my sinfulness. I hadn’t done some of the horrible things for which others had been forgiven, but I recognized that I was just as miserable a sinner and just as lost. I realized that my sins made me a wretch of a human and the forgiveness that I was offered by Christ was so incredibly awesome and massive. I understood that I had received much forgiveness and therefore my love for the Lord could also be much.

But how can we inspire this realization in young people? There are two dynamics involved here. The first is the vital role that discipline plays in bringing the young person to a realization of sin. If there are no consequences for actions then there can be no realization of error. Even if the behavior does not rise to the level of the seven deadly sins (whatever that means) the young person needs to be confronted and corrected so that they realize that the action was wrong (sinful). We live in a culture that wants to pet the egos of young people and elevates self-esteem to a sometimes idolatrous level. Being unwilling to confront sin in the life of a young person in an attempt to preserve self-esteem does them a disservice. If they don’t realize they’ve done wrong they will have no heart to love the Lord.

If confrontation of sin was the only suggestion in this area it would not produce a love for the Lord, but rather self-condemnation. This is where the second dynamic of modeling forgiveness comes into play. It is important to point out the error and take corrective measures, but it must be combined with the same instant and unreserved forgiveness toward them that God demonstrates toward us. 

This makes the Gospel message so much more powerful to them. The consequences of sin were placed upon Christ Who offers forgiveness liberally at His Own cost. When this realization is birthed in the heart it will produce a love for God.

Love God with Your Soul

The soul has traditionally been understood to include the mind (logic or rational), will and emotions. That intrinsic part of mankind that is a unique gift of God to His ultimate creation – mankind. The soul must also be directed to love God. 

My personal experience as a youth was that I was most challenged to love God with my soul through the experiences that I had at life-changing services and youth events. I can remember specific conventions, seminars, and conferences when I made specific commitments and dedications. If I’m honest, I admit that I don’t remember many of the sermon points, verses, or titles. What I do remember and what was burned into my soul was the time of dedication that I found as I walked to the front of the church or auditorium and knelt down in prayer to surrender my will to the Lord. 

The fact that I can’t remember the messages but do remember the experiences points to the important role that our will and emotions play in our love for the Lord. I was inspired by a great preacher to make an important commitment. When I saw others my own age make a bold move forward to do the same it increased the emotional strength of the moment and solidified the decision in my will. It produced within me a love for God in my soul.

So often we wonder if the expense or effort that is required to bring groups of young people to these conferences, camps or events is worth it. It is so worth it because it is just such events as these that are key in promoting a love for God with the soul.

Love God with Your Strength

Loving God with our strength demands that we learn to use our talents and abilities for His glory. This is a powerful demonstration to the world around us of our love for God. 

The great Olympic athlete turned missionary, Eric Lidell demonstrated this concept powerfully. He had trained to run the 100-meter but upon arrival at the 1924 Olympics in Paris he learned that the qualifying heats would be run on Sunday. He refused to run on “the Lord’s Day” and came under tremendous ridicule for that decision. He was, however, given the opportunity to run in the 400-meter instead (a race for which he had not trained).  That year he not only took the gold in that event, he also set a new world’s record for the 400-meter. Eric once said, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Eric loved God with all his strength.

The best way to foster within young people a love for God with all their strength is to encourage them to develop the talents that God has given them. Then, set them free to use those strengths for a godly purpose. There are many opportunities that present themselves on regular occasions with the local church community. Global Christian Educators Association sponsors its annual competition, the Global Youth Conference, because it is committed to building a generation of youth that love God with all their strength.

Teach them how to Love God

As a Christian educator and parent the most important thing that I can teach my children and students is how to love God with their all. I pray that today’s leaders will make it their highest priority to teach those that follow, how to love God.

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Be A Part of the Solution

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Education is facing some unique challenges over the next few weeks. Thousands of schools across the United States have been closed for anywhere from 2-6 weeks due to precautions regarding the coronavirus. Colleges are sending their students home and switching to a distance learning model. Daycares and preschools are also being closed for weeks at a time.

This is something that Christian schools have never really faced before. It’s creating a lot of questions like: “How will I keep my students on track with their learning?” or “Will I have to extend my school year into the summer?”

Times like these require creativity and out-of-the-box thinking so that we can provide positive solutions to difficult situations. This article will focus on a collection of suggestions for implementation into your program. Global Christian Educators Association wants to be a resource for schools and home educators at this time. Our seasoned Christian education experts are ready and available to be that resource.

The School Year

Many schools are wondering how school closures are going to affect their school year calendar. They are wondering if they will need to make up those days and extend the school year deep into June or even into July.

We highly suggest that you visit your state’s department of education to discover what is expected in your state. Most states have declared a state of emergency and many are waiving the annual school-day requirements for days lost due to this crisis situation. Be aware of what waivers the commissioner or secretary of education in your state has issued.

Not Losing Time

If this is the case and lost days don’t need to be made up, it creates anther big problem for students. Some public school systems are equipped with the ability to incorporate some online learning, but many are not. They simply lose WEEKS of their education this year. For most Christian educators this is just not acceptable. Christian schools can mitigate this by switching to home-based learning. Essentially, become a homeschool academy. It’s different, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.

If your school uses an individualized and self-instructional curriculum such as Accelerated Christian Education’s PACEs or Alpha Omega’s LifePacs or Ignitia you are uniquely equipped for just such a contingency. With just a few adjustments you can adapt to a distance-based learning program for the short-term or however long required. Find something that will work for your school and situation. Here is what one school from Washington state is doing:

1. On Monday please come by the school in the morning or during the day and we will send Pace Work and assignments home with you for your kids.

2. Supervisors will be working every day during school hours (8:30-3:00) to answer any questions or to assist with tutoring via Phone, Text, FaceTime or Skype.

3. We will have students work on only 2 to 3 subjects at a time. When students are finished with those 2 to 3 Pace’s (Up to their self-tests) they can be dropped off at the school and their Supervisors will score their work for them. While Supervisors are scoring those Paces your children can be working on the others. This will keep a smooth rotation going. Paces can be dropped off in the morning or during the day. In Spokane they can be placed in the mail slot during after school hours. We will be there to serve you completely during business hours to keep the kids on track.

4. Self-Tests and Tests will be dealt with individually. 

In conclusion… God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Because of our great curriculum, and our great staff and parents we should be able to weather this storm. We will get through this together.

And another school in Massachusetts:

We will not be in session at the campus for the next two weeks… This does not mean that we are closing the school. Instead, we will treat this like snow days. Students will work from home.

Those students in Ignitia will have virtual help from the teachers daily. We guarantee this help from at least 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It is likely that teachers be online and monitoring earlier and after those times, but we are guaranteeing those times. If we find that is not adequate for the students, be assured that we will increase our available times. Students in need of assistance should start by sending a help request through the messaging system. If we find that there is a scenario in which the messaging system is inadequate to assist the students then we will arrange for a Zoom or Facebook messaging meeting with the student for a “face to face” meeting and give the help they need to master the materials.

For students doing PACEs, arrangments will be made to meet at the school for scoring and test-taking. Probably 2 or 3 times per week will be available for this.

Students will need to spend several hours per day (anywhere from 2 to 5 or more hours) working diligently on their lessons to stay current with their assignments. It will be good for your child to have their work over the next two weeks to keep them occupied for several hours per day.

If your school uses a more conventional style of learning with a curriculum such as A-Beka, Bob Jones, or Saxon, etc. you can still tweek your program to meet student needs and keep the learning going. Here are some technologies that your school can take advantage of to help with this:

  • Google Classroom – If your school already has Google Education Suites (a free service for non-profits) you have direct access to this free Learning Management System. If not you can sign up for free and get your students enrolled in it. Classroom allows you to create assignments with due-dates, create quizzes or tests (limited question styles available). It allows for class-wide communications and is a very flexible program that may be of benefit to you.
  • Zoom and/or Messenger – Video conferencing can take the place of classroom lectures. It’s as simple as scheduling them and meeting together. Zoom has a couple of advantages over Messenger in that it allows for the teacher to have more control over the session and allows for screen-sharing and whiteboarding. It also has an option for recording the session so that it can be made available at a later time for students to review. Zoom is free for up 45 minutes at a time but also comes with a premium version for extended sessions. Video conferencing is a great tool right now in that it allows the teacher to work one-one-one if necessary with their students in areas in which they are struggling so that they do not fall behind.
  • Facebook Live – If your students are used to a daily assembly or opening time together you can create a semblance of normalcy by hosting a brief time together with them on Facebook. Spend a few minutes at the start of the day inspiring them to stay diligent even though their surroundings are different. Share a Scripture, give them some encouragement and pray for them. The beauty of Facebook Live is that if they miss it live they can go back and watch it on your Facebook page. It’s best to do this on your organization’s page which is probably public so that everyone can access it.

Be a Part of the Solution!

We are in a unique situation. In a couple of weeks, Lord willing, things will return back to normal. But normal may never be same. If you do develop a homeschool academy you may want to pray about making it available. Could you handle 100, 200 or even 300 new students in such a program? Let God use your school to meet the great need that is developing in our world. Be a part of the solution!

Global Christian Educators Association wants to help. Don’t hesitate to send us an email at . We want to be a resource and support to you during this time.

Motivating Students

Student Motivation

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by Emory Thompson

A question I have been asked multiple times over the last 25 years is, “How do I motivate my student to get their work completed?” Now that is a GREAT question and it would seem to be the easiest to answer. You would think this would work, “Explain to them if they do not complete their school work they will never graduate!” There you have it and thanks for taking the time to read this article  …..

Boy, oh boy, that is funny, right? Too often when we accept a simple, logical and reasonable answer we expect that the problem is solved. This is far from the truth. If you feel like you are drowning in the sea of unmotivation with your student let me offer a few small ways to help with this idea of motivation.

We want the students to learn and progress forward in a fashion that allows the greatest opportunities in front of them. Now the student will have no concept of this early on because they probably have a fixed mindset that they are good at some things and bad at others. They will inevitably shy away from challenging things so they can maintain a reputation for success and not failure. We can create an environment where we promote a growing mindset that encourages the students to take chances and strive in weak areas. Success is always the greatest of reward no matter who we are. We are built with an innate desire to succeed and be good at something. 

How do we foster a growing mindset environment?

GOAL SETTING

It is important that each student individually can see the finish line. We will want some long range (school year) goals to set so we will know in the months to come where we need the student to be. We will also need some short term goals (weekly or monthly) to help point to the achievable long range goal. Lastly, we will need to set daily goals that take the smallest of steps and allow the quick achievable success the student needs on a daily basis. 

ENCOURAGING RELATIONSHIP

Motivation will only take place when there is a healthy relationship with you, the teacher or parent, and the student/child. If you want to cultivate and empower the student with a growing mindset you will have to encourage each step of the way. No one needs to be reminded of failure and students are especially vulnerable to this. 

You can approach failure in different ways. Here is one way, “Well I have told you over and over if you do not study you will not succeed and now you have proved me right.” Can you see the irony in this statement? The teacher/parent has reminded the student that, because they warned them, and now the student has failed, the teacher is now right and thus successful. So not only have we reminded the student they failed, we have also reminded them we have succeeded in predicting their failure!

Now let’s look at the approach that promotes a growing mindset. “Failure is one of our greatest teachers. It shows us the areas we need to improve on and the places we can find the greatest success opportunity.” What have we done here? First we acknowledged that failure is not the end of the world. Secondly, we have now created a motivation area for success. How great is it to succeed in a place you once failed? This is the foundation for some of the greatest success stories of the world.

ESTABLISH LEARNING COMMUNITY

Students need a classroom/home environment where they feel safe to take the risk of trying something new. Create a space where each student learns to encourage growth in each other. Give praise for the effort even if the success is not present at first. 

One way to do this as the teacher/parent it to take on a new task. Set a goal for yourself and let your students see you strive to achieve that goal. At some point you will have to confess or allow them to see the struggle and even failure on your part. When this happens you will become an equal partner in failure and success within the community. Have you ever watched a work-out video and noticed the one person coaching never puts in the same amount of reps or effort as they expect of you? I guess it is because they have all the knowledge :). The point is they are, in a sense, separated from the community of exercisers because you never witness them fail. In your learning community allow each individual (students and teachers) to fail and succeed  in their own way.

If your classroom environment is engaging and pushing for new opportunities, students will thrive in the growing mindset and find their weaknesses can become strengths.

Success is the key to motivation. Create multiple opportunities for your students to succeed and you will see the level of motivation increase