In response to the shooting at Sandy Hook, Christians have been quick to blame God’s absence in the public school system as the primary cause of the tragedy. “We need God back in the schools,” they say, “and this wouldn’t happen.” In part, I am sympathetic to this notion, for the rejection of God is the very source of evil, therefore where God is rejected, evil and vice will ensue. But I reject the notion that we need to put God back in the public schools. In fact, the statement is an oxymoron of sorts. Let me explain.
By design, our government does not promote or establish any particular religion. Public schools, the brainchild of secular humanist John Dewey, are government education programs; therefore, they are to remain silent or neutral on religious issues. But here is the problem: neutrality is a myth. When confronting worldview issues such as religion and morality, one MUST pick a side. Education is provided, and it is either Christian or anti-Christian. There is no other option. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”
Given this understanding, public schools by definition are anti-Christian. They are, at their core, opposed to the Christian worldview. They are an assembly line pumping out society’s next batch of secular citizens. Therefore, to add prayer, the Ten Commandments, or even Christian teachers does not and cannot Christianize the schools. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig or trying to add Jesus to Islam. Some things can be redeemed, but others must be rejected. The system is corrupt at the root, and Christians should pursue other alternatives, distinctively Christian alternatives.
Jordan Tong
Jordan D. Tong 
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