When it comes to the state of our nation—and our educational system in particular—many people are asking the same question: How did we go from prayer to porn in libraries in such a short amount of time?
While some are shocked by the speed and severity of this shift, Christians should not be. Scripture and church history have long warned us about the consequences of ignoring God’s design. Along the way, key biblical principles were trampled, and wise counsel was dismissed—even by otherwise faithful believers.
In this article, I want to explore several core factors that led us here, and draw out lessons for the future.
Sphere Sovereignty: God’s Design for Authority
In the Reformed tradition, there is a long-standing teaching about sphere sovereignty—the idea that God has established distinct realms of authority under His sovereign rule. Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper articulated this most clearly, identifying three God-ordained spheres:
- The Family
- The Church
- The State
Each of these has its own responsibilities and boundaries. No sphere should dominate or usurp the other.
And yet, our public education system is one of the most blatant examples of the state overstepping its bounds and infringing on the responsibilities of the family. Scripture is clear (see Deuteronomy 6) that parents are entrusted with the education and formation of their children. But today, the state controls what and how children are taught—often in ways directly opposed to a biblical worldview.
The lesson?
God knows best. His blueprint for society is wise, and when we abandon it, the consequences are severe.
No Free Lunch: The Cost of “Free” Education
This crisis isn’t entirely the state’s fault. The state didn’t seize control of education by force—it was invited in. Well-meaning reformers convinced well-meaning parents that public schooling would serve the common good. In the early days, public education was mainly targeted toward the poor. Wealthier families still took direct responsibility for educating their children.
Over time, things shifted. The U.S. Department of Education, founded in 1867, started as a data-collection agency but grew into a centralizing force. Meanwhile, families began to abdicate their God-given responsibility, especially as two-income households became the norm.
Eventually, it became a financial equation. Many parents reasoned:
“Why should we pay twice for education—once through taxes and once through private school tuition?”
This might have seemed reasonable back when public schools still allowed prayer and seemed morally neutral. But now, with increasingly hostile ideologies embedded in public education, many Christians are seeing the true cost.
The real cost?
The soul of your children.
The state is not content to simply teach math and reading—it wants to shape your children into its image, not Christ’s. That’s the price of “free” education.
Christian Pushback: Voices We Ignored
Not all Christians supported public schooling. While many endorsed it for the sake of societal good, there were also pockets of resistance.
- Roman Catholics opposed public schools—not because of secularism, but because Protestant-influenced schools taught contrary to Catholic doctrine. Their solution? Establish Catholic parochial schools.
- Reformed Christians also raised concerns—notably, R.L. Dabney, a Presbyterian theologian and pastor who lived during the rise of public education.
Dabney warned against the myth of educational neutrality. He wrote:
“The great mistake of the public school movement is the assumption that education can be neutral, that it can be divorced from religion.”
For Dabney, education is never neutral—it always forms the heart, mind, and soul. And if it isn’t grounded in God’s truth, it will inevitably be grounded in something else.
He went further in his essay On Secular Education, predicting:
“We have seen that their complete secularization is logically inevitable. Christians must prepare themselves then, for the following results: All prayers, catechisms, and Bibles will ultimately be driven out of the schools… Infidelity and practical ungodliness will become increasingly prevalent among Protestant youth…”
His words were prophetic—and they’ve come to pass.
Later critics, inspired by similar concerns, helped launch the homeschooling movement and establish classical Christian schools. Their influence is growing, and for that, we should be deeply thankful.
Final Thoughts: Heed the Warnings
We shouldn’t be surprised by the current state of public education. God raised up wise and courageous voices to warn us, and they were ignored. But their insights—and Scripture’s teaching—still stand.
“True education is, in a sense, a spiritual process—the nurture of a soul. Every line of true knowledge must find its completeness in its convergency to God, even as every beam of daylight leads the eye to the sun.”
— R.L. Dabney
May we take these words seriously. May we, as Christian parents, pastors, and churches, work diligently to ensure that our covenant children are educated in a way that honors God, builds up their faith, and equips them to stand firm in a dark world.
Let us not be passive. Let us be faithful.
For the glory of God, and the good of the next generation.