By Melvin Adams
For some time now America has been in a crisis of identity. We have watched as our geopolitical and economic realities have shifted, but increasingly the crisis has drawn closer and closer to home. Now it seems that nothing is left untouched. Marriage has been supposedly redefined, and now the privacy of bathroom privileges is being contested under the guise of sexual identity. Perhaps, like me, your mind is spinning, and you are wondering if we have lost our mind or our soul!
How did we get here?
Let’s start with this acknowledgment: it was not by accident. Things of this nature don’t just happen by chance. The Hebrew poet, King David, put it this way: “The wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart” (Ps. 11:2).
But that’s not all. We got here because way too many of us were asleep or simply refused to acknowledge the direction we were headed and take actions to stop the insanity. Denial is no longer a plausible option. We have lost our way!
Clearly, we didn’t get here overnight. It has been a long time coming. Many influences have impacted the nation but perhaps nothing more than those directing the education of our children and youth. Watershed moments include the introduction of secular Darwinian theories of origin that replaced the long-held view of the biblical account of Creation and the June 25, 1962, decision of the United States Supreme Court (Engel v. Vitale) to remove prayer from our schools. The impact of these two decisions alone has been immeasurable.
Another significant watershed was the 1972 introduction of Title IX regulations by the Department of Education which effectively tied the funding of schools to agenda-driven matters broadly labeled under “discrimination.” While some matters needed to be addressed, Title IX has effectively become a tool to suppress dissent or resistance to the agenda being forced on communities across the country.
Enter the transgender bathroom agenda. Who would have imagined—even a year ago—that we would be dealing with concerns over who would be in the bathroom and even the shower with our children while they are at school? Using Title IX as a cover, this President, and his administration are demanding the subjection of our children to an invasion of their privacy rights by individuals of the opposite sex who wish to self-identify differently from their biological sex. See the full policy for yourself.
The most controversial portion reads:
Restrooms and Locker Rooms: A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow *transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their **gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so. A school may, however, make individual-user options available to all students who voluntarily seek additional privacy.
*Transgender describes those individuals whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. A transgender male is someone who identifies as male but was assigned the sex of female at birth; a transgender female is someone who identifies as female but was assigned the sex of male at birth.
**Gender identity refers to an individual’s internal sense of gender. A person’s gender identity may be different from or the same as the person’s sex assigned at birth.
While this may not be an issue in your local school right now, the President has essentially given the go ahead for anyone who would want to test these limits and sue a school for money and rights should they not be compliant. Attempts are being made to force this agenda on the broader culture through the federal courts.
So what can be done? How can we protect our children and defend our culture? David, whom I referred to earlier, put it this way: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3)
First, we have to be clear in identifying the problem.
The problem is a faulty philosophy of morality and life. Simply put, it is a matter of what is truth and what is not. Ignoring reality will not make problems go away. Identifying reality in light of truth is the first step to solving any problem. As someone has said, “A problem identified is a problem half solved.”
Second, we have to identify where this faulty philosophy is coming from, remove ourselves and our children from its direct influence, and promote truth in its place.
Like it or not, in recent years our public schools have increasingly become laboratories of social experimentation and our children and grandchildren have become laboratory specimens. Shocked? You shouldn’t be. Just think about the behavioral issues you’ve been appalled by. Think about where most of the children’s time is spent and what their primary learning influences are.
Consider these questions:
How much truth is your child getting?
Would you want them instructed in anything except truth? Would you tolerate your child being taught that 2+2=7 even if most other teaching was true?
What more consequential things are children being taught?
Should you be considering other educational options for your child or grandchild?
“A school bathroom is not the most unsafe place. It is a classroom with a non-Christian teacher and a secular curriculum 8+ hrs/day x 13 years.” Dr. Larry Taylor, Headmaster Prestonwood Christian Academy
In the past week, we’ve had a number of parents contact us asking for recommendations on Christian schools to which they could relocate their children. Often there are great options, but as in every case, never assume. Be engaged in your child’s education and know what they are learning and not learning.
The Christian School Startup and School Revitalization programs offered by Renewanation are designed to help schools meet the needs of parents by ensuring a quality education built upon biblical truth and best practices.
But, remember that ideas are the real enemy, not the people who are held by them.
People can “exchange the truth of God for a lie” (Rom. 1:25) and some even become champions of their beliefs. We don’t want our children or yours to be under that influence! But, it is also important that individuals who do not hold biblical views remain within a sphere of Christian influence, maybe yours. Dr. Del Tackett, author of the Truth Project, says, “These people have been taken captive by worldly philosophies and vain deceit. See them as POWs who desperately need to be set free.” Subject them to the grace of God through your prayers and by speaking the truth in love.
America is in a crisis of identity. This is not a new problem, and none of us alone will be able to solve the crisis in our nation. But we can solve it in our own lives and in our families. Here’s how: “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him” (Prov. 23:22-24).